Having an effective full-body workout at home might seem impossible. After all, how can you train so many muscle groups with little to no equipment?
The truth is that you can have great workouts at home so long as you know the basics and do the right exercises.
Let’s discuss.
Full-Body Workout at Home: What You Need to Know
The great thing about training at home is that you can achieve good results even if you only do bodyweight exercises. For your workouts to be effective, you must train with proper form and gradually increase the difficulty as time passes.
For instance, if you start with 10 reps per set on bodyweight squats, you should gradually work up to 15, 20, and even 30 reps. Doing so will ensure you keep challenging yourself adequately for growth and strength gain.
As far as equipment goes, dumbbells are a good option. You can get two pairs, one lighter and one heavier, or use adjustable dumbbells.
Lighter weights will be necessary for assistance and isolation exercises like bicep curls and lateral raises; heavier dumbbells will work for compound lifts like goblet squats and dumbbell rows.
A pull-up bar can also be an excellent addition to your home fitness equipment. You can mount it on your door frame and do effective movements like pull-ups, and hanging knee raises.
Effective Exercises For a Full-Body Workout at Home
1. Biceps
- Alternating dumbbell curls
- Dumbbell hammer curls
- Chin-ups
2. Triceps
- Chair (bench) dips
- Close-stance push-ups (diamond push-ups)
- Standing overhead tricep extensions
- Dumbbell kickbacks
3. Shoulders
- Pike push-up
- Standing front and side raises
- Bent-over reverse fly
- Overhead press
4. Back
- Chin-ups
- Pull-ups
- Single-arm rows
- Bent-over dumbbell rows
- Dumbbell pullover
5. Chest
6. Quadriceps
- Dumbbell squat
- Goblet squat
- Dumbbell lunge
- Bulgarian split squat
- Lateral lunges
- Bodyweight squat
- Jump squat
- Step-ups (onto a chair)
7. Hamstrings
- Romanian deadlift
- Glute bridge and curl
- Nordic curl (1)
You will need someone to keep your feet down as you do nordic curls. Alternatively, secure your feet under a sofa or another sturdy object.
8. Glutes
- Dumbbell hip thrust
- Glute bridge & single-leg glute bridge (2)
- Glute kickbacks
9. Abs
- Crunches
- Sit-ups
- Weighted crunches (using a dumbbell or weight plate)
- Lying leg raises
- Hanging leg or knee raises
- L-sits
Tips For a Fun and Effective Full Body Workout at Home
Our first tip for a great full body workout at home is to use a variety of exercises for each muscle group. As you saw above, there are plenty of great activities to pick from, even if you only have some basic equipment.
Our second tip is to have at least two full body workouts each week. Doing so is beneficial for training your muscles more frequently, leading to quicker strength and muscle gains. For example, you can have a workout on Monday, recover for three days, and train again on Friday.
The third tip for an effective full body workout at home is to aim for gradual improvements but never at the expense of proper technique and a full range of motion. Do more reps, hold longer static positions on activities like the L-sit, and strive to lift more weight over time. (3)
Click for more home workout routines, and also to see our full body video workouts.
David Williams
A diet and fitness enthusiast, David is an ex-Army Airborne Ranger and Infantry soldier with decades of fitness and wellness experience. A West Point graduate with a degree in engineering, he focuses on technical research related to fitness, nutrition, and wellness. He loves the beach and working out, and spending time with his wife and daughters.
References
- How to do Nordic hamstring curls with Perfect form – 2022. MasterClass. (n.d.).
https://www.masterclass.com/articles/nordic-hamstring-curl-guide - Quinn, E. (2021, October 12). How to do the Single Leg Bridge: Techniques, benefits, variations. Verywell Fit. https://www.verywellfit.com/single-leg-bridge-exercise-3120739
- Kassel, G. (2019, May 14). Sorry planks, but L-sits are the new core MVP. Shape.
https://www.shape.com/fitness/tips/how-to-l-sit-exercise
