Full body workouts are one of the most effective training tools for anyone interested in getting stronger, gaining muscle, or losing weight.
That’s because not only has full body training been shown to be consistently effective, it’s also time efficient. Five of the six training routines highlighted in this article call for just three training days per week.
This makes getting stronger attainable for the average person that doesn’t want to spend their entire life in the gym.
Below you’ll find the six best full body workout routines along with a link to a spreadsheet where you can download a personal copy for free.
Table of Contents
What is a Full Body Workout Routine?
A full body workout routine is any training program that activates all of the major muscle groups in each session. They are an efficient way to increase strength, build muscle, and lose weight.
Because every muscle group is activated in each training session, fewer training sessions are needed each week. This results in many fully body workout plans utilizing just 3 or 4 training days per week.
Full body workout plans are commonly recommended for many beginner lifters, but are also well suited for intermediate and advanced lifters.
Full Body Workout Routine Example
- Day 1: bench press, barbell row, squat, tricep extensions, ab rollouts
- Day 2: rest
- Day 3: overhead press, chin ups, deadlift, bicep curls, shrugs
- Day 4: rest
- Day 5: bench press, barbell row, squat, tricep extensions, ab rollouts
- Day 6: rest
- Day 7: rest
This is an example of how full body workouts may be organized. This particular example is drawn from Greyskull LP, which is a popular 3 day strength program for beginners that is organized as a full body split Additional information about Greyskull LP, and other full body workouts, is available in the next section.
The 6 Best Full Body Workout Routines
- Ivysaur 4-4-8
- Greyskull LP
- Strong Curves
- GZCLP
- Heavy, Light, Medium (HLM) Program
- Madcow 5×5
Below you’ll find additional detail about each program and a link to a spreadsheet so you can run the program yourself.
Ivysaur 4-4-8 Full Body Workout Program
- Experience level: beginner
- Program goals: gain strength, build muscle
- Training frequency: 3 days per week
- Program length: can be run indefinitely
- Spreadsheet: Ivysaur 4-4-8 spreadsheet
Ivysaur 4-4-8 is a popular linear progression strength program for beginners. While it may look simple, it adds weight very quickly.
This 3 day full body workout routine is based around performing four barbell compound exercises: squat, bench press, overhead press, and deadlift. Barbell rows and chin ups are also included as accessory exercises to help strength the back, biceps, and smaller stabilizing muscles.
The squat and deadlift primarily engage the lower body muscle groups, while the bench press, overhead press, rows, and chin ups mostly engage the upper body muscle groups.
Ivysaur is organized into two weeks: week A and week B. Each week is fairly similar, with some small adjustments to training volume and frequency of each lift from week to week.
The bench press and overhead press are trained 3 times each week. The squat and deadlift are either trained once or twice per week, depending on if it is week A or week B.
Lifts are either performed for sets of 4 reps, sets of 8 reps, or an AMRAP set.
These are illustrated clearly in this overview of the program:
At the end of each week, an AMRAP set is used to check progress and allow the lifter an opportunity to auto-regulate their volume. If you’re not familiar with AMRAP sets, they stand for “as many reps as possible.”
Instead of performing a set for a prescribed number of reps, in an AMRAP set the lifter will see how many reps they can achieve while still maintaining proper form. This lets the lifters get some extra training volume in if they’re feeling fresh or get a bit less volume if they’re feeling tired or run down. This is called auto regulation.
Weight is added at the end of each week depending upon how many reps were achieved in the AMRAP set for a given lift.
Since multiple muscle groups are engaged in each full body training session, Ivysaur 4-4-8 is a great choice for beginners that are looking for an efficient strength way to build muscle and gain strength.
Greyskull LP Full Body Workout Program
- Experience level: beginner
- Program goals: gain strength, build muscle
- Training frequency: 3 days per week
- Program length: can be run indefinitely
- Spreadsheet: Greyskull LP spreadsheet
Greyskull LP is another full body workout routine based around linear progression. It was designed to help novice lifters gain proficiency in foundational barbell compound exercises while getting stronger and building muscle.
This routine is organized as a full body workout, hitting both the upper body muscle groups and lower body muscle groups in every training session.
Upper body exercises include the bench press, overhead press, barbell rows, tricep extensions, bicep curls, and shrugs. Lower body exercises include the squat and deadlift. Core muscles are engaged with the ab rollouts and, to a lesser extent, squat and barbell rows.
Weight is added each time a lift is trained, providing a constant stimulus for muscle growth. This is why this program can only be run by beginners: the constant load increases would be impossible for an intermediate or advanced lifter to keep up with.
Phrak's Greyskull LP - Boostcamp App
Prefer an app to a spreadsheet? If so, you're in luck!
Boostcamp has a free app version of the Greyskull LP Program that you can use directly from your phone.
It tracks your progress and calculates your lifts, just like a spreadsheet.
Works on iOS and Android.
Greyskull LP is a great program for any beginner that wants to get stronger, stimulate muscle growth, and hit every muscle group each time they’re stepping into the gym.
Strong Curves Full Body Workout Routine
- Experience level: beginner
- Program goals: gain strength, build muscle, glute hypertrophy
- Training frequency: 4 days per week
- Program length: can be run indefinitely
- Spreadsheet: Strong Curves spreadsheet
Strong Curves was developed by Bret Contreras as a full body workout designed to help women get stronger and grow their glutes.
Multiple muscle groups are targeted in each workout, with some slight differences depending on the training session.
Strong Curves is broken up into “Workout A,” “Workout B,” and “Workout C.” Together, these full body workouts hit the glutes, arms, back, shoulders, core, abs, and obliques. As the program is designed to focus on the glute muscle group, those muscles are activated at least once, sometimes twice, per workout.
Exercises featured in the program include the squat, glute bridge, dumbbell row, dumbbell incline bench press, chin ups, barbell military press, lying abductions, back extensions, goblet squat, and much more. This keeps the training sessions fun: you’re doing a ton of different exercises.
Strong Curves: Bootyful Beginnings - Boostcamp App
Prefer an app to a spreadsheet? If so, you're in luck!
Boostcamp has a free app version of Strong Curves (Bootyful Beginnings) that you can use directly from your phone.
It tracks your progress and calculates your lifts, just like a spreadsheet.
Works on iOS and Android.
Bret Contreras is a super smart guy who has rightfully earned the reputation of “The Glute Guy.” If you’re looking for a full body workout that focuses on the glutes, look no further.
GZCLP Full Body Workout Routine
- Experience level: beginner
- Program goals: gain strength, build muscle
- Training frequency: 3or4 days per week
- Program length: 12 weeks
- Spreadsheet: GZCLP spreadsheet
GZCLP is a strength program developed for novice lifters to be run indefinitely as a 3 or 4 day full body workout.
The structure of this beginner routine may look a bit intimidating at first, but the spreadsheet developed by Redditor /u/blacknoir automatically handles training intensity, calculating weight increases based on how you performed in a given training week.
The meat and potatoes of this routine is based around classic compound movements like the squat, barbell bench press, and deadlift. From there, the world is your oyster. A nearly endless list of different upper body exercises and lower body exercises are available to help stimulate muscle hypertrophy in any muscle groups that may be lagging. Highlights include lying leg curls, incline dumbbell press, good mornings, face pulls, and lateral raises.
GZCLP Program - Boostcamp App
Prefer an app to a spreadsheet? If so, you're in luck!
Boostcamp has a free app version of GZCLP (3 day and 4 day versions) that you can use directly from your phone.
It tracks your progress and calculates your lifts, just like a spreadsheet.
Works on iOS and Android.
Whether you want to build muscle, burn fat, or need some help losing weight, this full body weight training program is a tried and true winner.
Heavy, Light, Medium (HLM) Full Body Workout Routine
- Experience level: intermediate, advanced
- Program goals: gain strength, build muscle
- Training frequency: 3 days per week
- Program length: 12 weeks
- Spreadsheet: HLM program spreadsheet
HLM is a training framework designed to give you an effective workout for gaining muscle and getting stronger. It is less prescriptive than beginner routines, but is a great choice for intermediate and advanced lifters looking to take their strength gains to the next level.
HLM is not an explicit training program where all of the steps are laid out for you. Instead, it’s a mental model for how to organize training loads. It also gives you complete control over the exercises you perform, which muscle groups you hit, and the training frequency of lower body muscles vs upper body muscles.
The HLM method of training was collectively developed by people like Andy Baker, Mark Rippetoe, and Bill Starr, so most of its applications are designed for full body strength training. You’ll generally perform the same exercises throughout the entirety of the program, with only the loads, number of reps, and number of sets changing from phase to phase.
If total body strength is your main goal, then sticking with the bread and butter strength lifts (squat, bench press, deadlift, overhead press) is a good place to start when selecting your exercise movements.
If you’re not primarily looking to get stronger, this may not be the best option for you. Depending on how you design the set and rep scheme, muscle hypertrophy could be another training outcome of this method. It depends on the amount of volume you’re programming for yourself.
Madcow 5×5 Advanced Full Body Workout Plan
- Experience level: intermediate, advanced
- Program goals: gain strength, build muscle
- Training frequency: 3 days per week
- Program length: 9 weeks
- Spreadsheet: Madcow 5×5 advanced spreadsheet
Madcow grew out of the fertile training grounds of other full body training programs like Strong Lifts and Texas Method.
Though this program is marketed as being designed for advanced lifters, it’s not something that could easily be run repeatedly. I’d advise that someone runs it as a “bridge” between a high volume training block and a meet preparation peaking block. While this is too brutal to be a base building block, it doesn’t possess the specificity required of a peaking program.
But if you’re looking for a total body workout, you’re certainly getting one here.
Madcow focuses on building a new 5 rep max in the first four weeks of the program, takes a deload in week 5, then pushes the lifter to hit a new 3 rep max in the final four weeks of the program.
Each major muscle group is activated in every training session, as you’ll be squatting three times a week, pressing three times a week, rowing twice a week, and deadlifting once a week. This can be grueling, as you’ll be working the same muscles repeatedly in each session.
As a full body workout goes, this one is quite intense. For those that can stick with it, I’m sure the strength gains are sweet.
Benefits of a Full Body Workouts
- Time efficient
- Great for increasing strength
- Effective for growing muscle
- Can help you lose fat
- They fit into busy schedules
Time Efficient
Most full body workout routines utilize compound barbell movements like the squat, bench press, deadlift, and overhead press. Since these movements work multiple muscle groups at once, you can complete a total body workout in less time.
Great at Increasing Strength
If you want to get stronger, a full body workout is a great option. In reality, there are multiple paths to strength gains and full body training sessions are one of many viable paths.
Effective for Muscle Growth
Full body workouts allow plenty of opportunity to train each major muscle group twice a week. Training muscle groups twice a week has been shown to improve muscle hypertrophy more than training the same muscle group just once each week. If building muscle is one of your goals, full body training is worth considering.
Can Help You Lose Fat
Contrary to popular belief, strength training can aid weight loss. Even though running, cycling, and HIIT can most of the attention when it comes to weight loss, full body workouts can also be helpful for burning calories. Of course, you must be in a caloric deficit to lose weight, no matter what kind of training program you’re running.
They Fit Into Busy Schedules
Most full body workout programs call for training three of four days a week. This makes them much easier to fit into a busy schedule vs. going to the gym five or six days a week.
FAQs
The best full body routine will activate both upper body, lower body, and core muscle groups and allow for progressive overload. All of the full body training programs highlighted in our article meet that criteria. Beginners should check out Ivysaur 4-4-8, Greyskull LP, GZCLP, or Strong Curves. Intermediate and advanced lifters should investigate HLM or Madcow 5×5 Advanced programs.
Training 3 to 4 days per week is sufficient when doing a full body workout.
Whether a 3 day full body workout is effective depends on how it is designed and what the main goals of the individual are. With that said, 3 day full body workouts have been shown to be effective at building muscle, increasing strength, and burning fat when proper programming, nutrition, and recovery are used.
Research has concluded that both approaches to training can be effective for gaining strength, building muscle, and losing weight. A better predictor of success is weekly training volume measured by the number of training sets. Whether this volume is accrued through a body part split or a full body workout is much less important.
