Many people are enthusiastic about beginning an exercise program, setting goals and a workout routine. However, to successfully reach the set goal requires more than just dedication. Keeping the same exercise routine not only become monotonous, but will eventually result in lack of progress.
Toby Lynes, personal trainer for The Fitting Room Gym, has a comprehensive list of full-body exercises to challenge fitness enthusiasts of all levels.
Burpee and Chest to Floor Burpee
This exercise will stimulate all parts of the body and increase your heart rate, providing both muscular and cardiovascular benefits. To perform a burpee, drop to the floor by your feet from a standing position and put your hands on the floor. Form a press position by kicking your legs back. Quickly bring your knees back towards your chest and jump back to standing position, being sure to put hands over your head.
In the chest-to-floor burpee, a step up from the basic burpee, drop to the floor by your feet from the standing position, placing hands on the floor. After kicking legs back, press up with chest touching the floor, bring legs back to kneed and jump up and put hands above your head.
Medicine Ball Slam and Wall Balls
The medicine ball slam is great for developing the combination of speed and strength. Start with a secure stance with feet apart on either side of the ball. From a squat, pick up the ball, stand on tiptoes and push the ball up over your head. After your arms are fully extended above your head, throw the ball towards the full with all your might.
For the wall balls exercise, face a wall with medicine ball held at chest level. Squat and push up, then throw the ball at the wall with both hands. Catch and repeat the process in this full body workout that is also tests cardiovascular fitness.
Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift
The exercise focuses on the calf muscles, hamstrings, gluteus maximi, latissimus dorsi and the erector spinae muscles, not only strengthening the region, but improves flexibility.
Once again from a standing position, hold a dumbbell in either hand with palms facing toward your body. Move your shoulders back and tuck in pelvis while holding the abdominal muscles in. Maintaining posture, push hips back, bend your knees and lower the dumbbells in front of your legs. Bring hips forward and go back to starting position when you feel your spine starting to curve.
Lunge to Press
This exercise provides a full-body working by lunging for the lower body and pressing for the upper body.
To perform this exercise properly, stand with dumbbells held to your side. Take a large stride forward and lower until both knees are bent at right angles, careful not to touch the ground. Press each dumbbell over your head simultaneously and lower. Then push back to starting position using your front foot. Alternate legs.
Farmer’s Walk
This easy to execute exercise is one of the best workouts for the core, legs, back and forearms. Simply stand with shoulders firm and chest out. Hold weights by your sides with arms fully extended and simply walk. If done for an extended period of time, this exercise can have tremendous full-body benefits.
Advanced Full-Body Exercises
Some of the best full-body exercises are the deadlift, the man maker, and the barbell thruster. With the deadlift, be sure to maintain proper form to avoid injury to the lower back in this exercise that uses a barbell to strengthen the posterior chain. The man maker is one that requires several moves in combination that will test your cardiovascular system and strength. Finally, the barbell thruster is a combination of the overhead press and front squat. The focused body parts for this exercise are the shoulders and lower body.