Best Full Body Workout

Many people tout the benefits of certain workouts as a "full body workout." A true full body workout is one that works all of the major muscle groups, incorporating the components of fitness, including muscle strength, muscle endurance, flexibility, and cardiovascular endurance. Best is a relative term, and finding the best full body workout means discovering a workout that meets these criteria that you follow on a regular schedule in order to attain overall fitness.

The best full body workout for you depends largely on your personal fitness goals. Some people wish to obtain an overall level of fitness, while others focus on cardiovascular endurance, flexibility, or other factors of fitness. Ideally, in order to complete the best overall workout, you will make sure your workout routine works each major muscle groups and helps you to acheive each component of fitness. The major muscle groups include:

Legs, including quadriceps, calves, hamstrings, glutes, adductors, and abductors Core, including abdominals, erector spinae, and obliques Chest and back, including pectorals, latissimus dorsi, rhomboids, and trapezius Shoulders and arms, including biceps, triceps, forearms, and deltoids

Is it possible to perform one exercise routine that meets not only the five components of physical fitness, but also works all of the major muscle groups in a single routine? The answer is an unqualified yes!

There are many full body workouts that incorporate all of the above. Finding one that you enjoy will help you stick with your workout, making it that much more effective.

Circuit training offers an array of benefits. Not only are the exercises varied, but you can perform this high-energy workout in less than an hour, and you only need to do it about three times per week in order to maintain fitness. The workout combines strength training, cardiovascular activity, and balance into a single, fast-paced workout. You can also customize circuit training to meet your own fitness needs, balancing exercises between all major muscle groups and focusing on any special areas of concern. Additionally, you can perform circuit training at home using exercise bands or home exercise equipment, or you can perform it at a gym with an "official" circuit setup. In general, you combine 15 seconds to three minutes of aerobic activity with strength training activities. For example, in a simple circuit workout, you may use an elliptical trainer for three minutes, and then perform one set of 10 to 12 repetitions on a resistance machine, then get on the elliptical for another three minutes before moving on to another weight machine. Throughout the course of the workout, you continue moving from station to station with aerobic activity in between each weight lifting exercise. Completing one set for each body part with aerobic activity in between consists of a "circuit."

Circuit training not only strengthens muscle and improves balance and coordination, but it also serves as a high intensity interval training (HIIT) workout, which studies show may have a more significant impact on body fat than steady-state exercise. A standard circuit may include:

Leg press Leg extension Leg curl Adductor/abductor press Crunches Hyperextensions Chest press or bench press Military press Biceps curls Triceps kickbacks Pull ups, pull downs, or seated rows

Power yoga combines strength, flexibility, and aerobic activity into a single workout. Similar to Ashtanga yoga, when you do power yoga you combine multiple yoga poses in rapid succession. As you go through the poses, you not only fire up your metabolism and challenge your endurance, but you also gain the many benefits of yoga including inner peace and reflection.

Another great overall fitness workout that incorporates your entire body, Tae Bo has the additional advantage of being a workout you can perform at home without a lot of additional equipment. The cardio routine combines traditional aerobics moves with martial arts moves like roundhouse kicks and various punches. The result is a fun, high-intensity workout that can strengthen your cardiovascular system while improving both muscular strength and endurance. There are many Tae Bo workouts available you can follow at home with merely a DVD player and a television set. Once you learn the basics you can create your own workouts.

Many gyms and fitness centers now offer climbing walls. This is a fun way to get fit, and helps work every muscle in your body as you work your way up a wall. Centers offer safety gear and instruction to teach you how to make climbing an effective and fun workout. One of the main advantages of this type of workout, which builds muscular strength and endurance of both the upper and lower body, is that for many it feels more like playing than working out.

This fitness plan works all of the major muscle groups, but with a twist. Instead of performing a typical strength training move, you perform that move extremely slowly. The Slow Burn fitness program recommends using a metronome or timer and performing moves in super slow motion. This forces you to eliminate momentum and pay attention to both the positive and negative (lifting and lowering) aspects of the motion, creating muscular strength and endurance. Because of the speed of the movements, you only perform one set of each exercise, and a typical workout lasts around 30 minutes. Best, no special equipment is necessary, so this is an affordable workout you can perform either at home or at the gym.

These are just a few of the many full body workouts you can try. Each is high-intensity and adaptable for all ranges of fitness, from beginners to experts. By finding a full body workout you will enjoy, you will be well on your way towards better fitness.