Proper nutrition is important for supporting workouts and athletic performance for a number of reasons, as Maritato explains:
Recovery: “Exercise is physically demanding, and proper nutrition is essential for helping your body recover from the stress of exercise. Adequate protein intake is important for repairing and rebuilding muscle tissue which will help you see better gains and recover faster so you can workout sooner. Protein shakes and eating a balanced diet that includes protein and enough calories to sustain muscle growth.”
Hydration: “Water is essential for maintaining proper bodily function, and it’s especially important to stay hydrated during exercise. Dehydration can affect performance and recovery, so it’s important to drink plenty of fluids before, during, and after workouts.”
Health: “Proper nutrition is vital for overall health and well-being. A well-balanced diet that includes a variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats can help support a strong immune system, healthy blood pressure and cholesterol levels, and a healthy weight.”
What is the best workout for full-body?
When it comes to choosing the full-body workout plan for you, Maritato is right that it depends on your goals. It might be that you want to build shirt-filling size. Maybe it’s strength you’re after. Maybe you want to master technique and want to challenge yourself.
Your approach will be different from the next person’s but one thing our PTs all recommend is variety. “Incorporating both compound and isolation exercises into a full-body workout can be an effective way to achieve balanced physical development and address muscle imbalances,” explains Maritato. That way, you can hit all major muscle groups whether you’re exercising at the gym or at home.
“A well-designed full-body workout will typically include a combination of both compound and isolation exercises in order to provide a balanced training stimulus and address all major muscle groups,” he continues. “It’s also important to vary your workouts and incorporate a variety of exercises and training modalities in order to continue making progress and avoid boredom.”
With that in mind, we present two different full-body workout routines, one from Morgan and one from Antoni. Take your pick, perhaps utilising one on the first day of your training week and the other in the middle of your plan.
Workout 1: Anaerobic endurance is key
“A great circuit to include in your training would be 10 rounds of 12 dumbbell lunges, 10 burpees, and 6 dumbbell deadlifts with 30 seconds of rest between each workout,” Morgan says, advising you start light before incorporating heavier weights.
“Regularly performing this circuit will strengthen your entire body, increase your stamina, and enhance the performance of your anaerobic endurance.
To optimise your results, incorporate 10 bicep curls to challenge and build your muscle mass.”
Workout 2: Compound and targeted exercises
Antoni’s approach likewise offers the benefits of a full-body workout, combining compound exercises with more targeted exercises like bent-over rows – all of which build strength and help improve your range of motion.
This time we’ll follow a more traditional weightlifting plan, with four sets of ten reps each, with one minute rest between sets.
Squat + Press – muscles worked: Quadriceps, Hamstrings, Erector Spinae, Hip Flexors, Calves, Glute Maximus Deltoids and Triceps
Deadlifts – muscles worked: Hamstrings. Glutes, Back, Hips, Core, Trapezius
Bent over rows – muscles worked: Latissimus Dorsi, Rhomboids, Trapezius muscles, Posterior Deltoids
Press Ups – muscles worked: Triceps, Pectoral Muscles, Shoulders
And… rest.
