People these days appear to be so desperate to get in shape that they’ll literally do almost anything, other than actually eat healthily and follow a productive workout routine that is. They’ll spend hundreds, if not thousands, of their own hard earned money each month on “miracle diet pills” and weight loss supplements that are supposed to help them lose weight and perhaps gain muscle in the process, when in reality, they’re marginally effective at best, and truthfully that’s being pretty generous and putting things mildly.
The truth is, for anybody looking to burn fat and build muscle, there is no miracle overnight cure as it requires hard work, dedication, motivation, self-discipline, and just the right amounts of knowledge in the process. Whilst you most certainly can’t get into shape overnight, you can make significant improvements to your physique over the space of a month, which is where we come into play.
Here we’ll be providing you with the ultimate 4 weeks full-body workouts as well as looking at the benefits of performing full-body workouts rather than 5-day splits made famous by pro bodybuilders. So, without any further hesitation, let’s take a look at the benefits of full-body workouts, plus a look at the ultimate 4 weeks full-body workout to help you shed the fat and build muscle in a matter of weeks.
Why Full-Body Workouts?
Full-body workouts are currently becoming more popular than ever before, with more and more gym-goers following full-body routines as opposed to 5-day splits which were all the rage a few years ago. 5-day splits required individuals to basically train one body part per week, so chest one day, arms the next, then legs, then back, and so on. Full-body workouts, however, allow you to train each body part several times each week, because each workout you basically train your entire body, so if you work out four times per week, you will have trained each body part four times each week.
Not only that, but as the exercises are heavy and compound-based, numerous other muscle groups will benefit as well. If you want any more motivation to perform them, they’re also over far quicker than regular workouts, and you only need to train 3 – 4 times per week to see the best results. Now that we know why they’re so popular, let’s take a look at a sample of a full-body workout that will provide you with all of the gains and progress you could ever hope for.
Day 1
- Chest – Flat bench barbell press – 5 sets of 8 – 10 reps
- Back – Wide grip pull ups – 4 sets of 10 – 12 reps
- Shoulders – Standing military barbell press – 4 sets of 12 reps
- Legs – Barbell squats – 4 sets of 8 reps
- Biceps – Standing EZ bar curls – 4 sets of 12 – 15 reps
- Triceps – Overhead triceps extensions – 4 sets of 15 reps
- Abs – Hanging leg raises – 3 sets of 30 reps
Day 2 – Off
Day 3
- Chest – Incline dumbbell press – 4 sets of 10 reps
- Back – Barbell bent over rows – 4 sets of 8 – 10 reps
- Shoulders – Seated dumbbell Arnold presses – 4 sets of 10 – 12 reps
- Legs – Hack squat machine – 4 sets of 8 reps
- Biceps – Double arm dumbbell hammer curls – 4 sets of 12 – 15 reps
- Triceps – Triceps rope pushdowns – 4 sets of 12 – 15 reps
- Abs – Stomach crunches – 3 sets of 12 reps
Day 4
- Chest – Decline smith machine press – 4 sets of 12 reps
- Back – Close-grip lat pull-downs – 4 sets of 10 reps
- Shoulders – Dumbbell lateral raises – 4 sets of 12 – 15 reps
- Legs – Seated calf raises – 3 sets of 20 reps
- Biceps – Preacher curl machine – 4 sets of 12 reps
- Triceps – Skull-crushers – 4 sets of 12 reps
- Abs – Laying leg raises – 3 sets of 20 – 13 reps
Day 5 – Cardio
Day 6
- Chest – Flat dumbbell bench press – 4 sets of 10 reps
- Back – T-bar rows – 4 sets of 8 – 10 reps
- Shoulders – Seated shoulder press machine – 4 sets of 10 – 12 reps
- Legs – Leg extensions – 4 sets of 8 – 10 reps
- Biceps – Standing barbell curls – 4 sets of 8 reps
- Triceps – Dumbbell French presses – 4 sets of 10 – 12 reps
- Abs – Stomach crunches – 3 sets of 20 – 25 reps
Day 7 – Off
Things To Remember
The above workout is one of the most effective full-body workouts you could ever wish for, but there are still a few things you will need to remember to ensure you get the most from your training. These include:
Warm-ups
The sets and reps are WORKING sets only and therefore you will need to perform various warm-ups before you begin your workout to ensure you remain healthy and injury-free.
Nutrition
To get the best from your training, you need to ensure that your nutrition is absolutely on point, otherwise, you’re basically wasting your time as you will never see any real progress if you eat what you like, when you like.
Weights used
Obviously, we haven’t listed the weights you should use because truthfully that depends on how strong you are. What you should do, however, is select weights that cause you to begin to fatigue and reach failure as you hit the rep ranges listed above. Put simply, if the program calls for 8 – 10 reps yet you feel like you could do more, choose a slightly heavier weight instead.
