Here’s a full body workout for you to give a try today. Complete 8-12 reps of each exercise in a circuit format and complete 3-5 sets of each circuit.
8-12 Barbell Squat
Ensure that the J hooks of the squat rack are positioned around your armpit height and step under the bar. Place the bar across your trap muscles and lift the bar out of the hooks by standing up tall. Take a step back from the rack to ensure that you have enough room to complete the movement. Start by reaching your hips backwards like you are reaching your butt back towards an imaginary chair behind you. Keep your weight evenly distributed throughout your feet. Aim to get your thighs parallel with the floor or a 90 degree bend at the knee (not everyone will be able to get this initially and that’s okay, if you don’t have it yet just ensure you are focusing on range of motion when you practice your squatting movements). Ensure that you keep your chest high as you drop down into position. At the bottom of the movement, drive through your feet evenly and stand back up to your start position.
8-12 Banded Row
Take the bar (or band) in your hands while seated on the floor or on a bench with your knees slightly bent. Pull your elbows straight back along your side pulling the band towards your belly button. Squeeze your shoulder bladed together at the end range of motion. Return to the start position in a controlled manner
8-12 Bulgarian Romanian Deadlift
Place on foot on a bench behind you and take a single dumbbell in the hand of the foot placed on the bench. With all of your weight through your foot on the floor, drive your hips backwards keeping your leg straight (slight bend in the knee is okay to start with, but remember this isn’t a squat). Keep your spine neutral as you push your hips backwards and avoid rounding in the spine or in the shoulders. The bottom range of motion will vary for everyone, but most people will want to stop just below their knee (if you have perfect form and want to go further go for it). At the bottom of the movement squeeze the glutes and drive the hips forward to stand back up and return to the start position.
8-12 Dumbbell Chest Press
Lying on a bench or the floor, take a dumbbell in each hand. Bend at the elbow keeping your elbows closer to the body and avoid flaring them to the side (they don’t need to be glued to your side, just avoid having chicken wings straight out to the side). Ensure that you lower the dumbbells at the same pace keeping your hands together. At the bottom of the movement push the dumbbells away from your chest to the start position with full extension of the elbows (you don’t need to lock your elbows out at the top).
8-12 Bulgarian Split Squat
Place one foot on a bench or an elevated surface behind you. Take a dumbbell in the same hand as the foot that is behind you. Place the other foot on the floor. Bending the back knee towards the floor and your front knee lower into a lunge position allowing yourself to lean forward slightly as you drop. The goal is to reach a 90 degree angle at the front knee, however you may not have that range of motion at first (do what you can and focus on striving for the 90 degrees). At the end range of motion drive evenly through your front foot to return to standing and your start position.
8-12 Banded Lat Pulldowns
Anchoring the band securing above your head come to a seated position with the bar in your hand and the band wrapped around the middle of the bar (if you don’t have a bar here and sort of sturdy broom handle or dowel can work here, just make sure it’s pretty sturdy). Seated on the floor (or on a bench/chair) pull the band down towards your collar bone keeping your shoulders away from your ears and squeezing in the lat muscles. At the end range of motion ensure that you return to the start position in a controlled manner.
8-12 Dumbbell Hip Thrust
Place just under your shoulder blades on a bench behind you and bring a dumbbell to your hips. Place your feet in a position so that when your hips are fully extended your knees are over top of your hips. Beginning from the bottom of the movement your butt will be close to the floor. Squeeze through the glutes and extend through the hips to generate a table top position at the top of the movement. Keep your feet flat on the floor throughout the movement. At the top of the movement squeeze the glutes and then slowly lower your hips back to the start position in a controlled manner.
8-12 Overhead Press
Taking a dumbbell in each hand bring them up to your shoulders. Keeping your core engaged so you avoid arching in your lower back press the dumbbells straight up over your head so that they meet at the top. Bending through the elbow return the dumbbells to your shoulders stopping when your elbows reach 90 degrees.
There you have a full body workout. Repeat this 3-5 times depending on your fitness level or the time you have available.
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