Sep 20, 2018
Building muscles is all about spending hours at the gym, right? The only true way to build a chiseled, muscular physique is hours upon hours of slaving away over rusty iron, day after day, year after...
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Building muscles is all about spending hours at the gym, right? The only true way to build a chiseled, muscular physique is hours upon hours of slaving away over rusty iron, day after day, year after...
If you want to lose excess body fat and get that lean, toned, "hard-body" look, there are various ways you could go about doing that. You ...
Building muscles is all about spending hours at the gym, right? The only true way to build a chiseled, muscular physique is hours upon hour...
Why Every Workout Should Be a Full-Body Workout
Stop separating your workout target areas. (Photo: Getty)
Monday is chest day. At least for the huge line of guys waiting for the bench press every Monday. May we suggest hitting up the squat rack instead? Churning out some deadlifts? And flat-out eliminating body-part splits (think: leg day, back and biceps day, and (gasp) chest day)?
“The benefits of making every strength workout a total-body workout are numerous,” says strength coach Dan Trink, C.S.C.S., director of training operations at Peak Performance in New York City. “Most notably, since you are working all body parts in each training session, you can do more complex, multi-joint movements in every workout.”
Hitting multiple muscle groups in a single workout as opposed to performing body-part splits has a ton of benefits: It burns more calories, builds more overall strength, and trains the body to work together as a whole unit, just like nature intended. Plus, it does all of that in far less time.
Plus, hammering a single muscle group for an entire workout isn’t always as effective as many men hope, says exercise physiologist Mike T. Nelson, Ph.D., C.S.C.S. After performing only two isolation exercises in a row, guys’ performance drops off pretty fast. The muscles are already fatigued, so you are able to lift less and get less out of your last four, five, or six exercises than you would if you spread them out through the week, Nelson says.
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Similarly, since the muscles can get so worn out, overuse injuries with body-part split workouts are pretty common. Even more common is for guys’ form to get progressively crappier as they move through a body-part split workout. “They are so focused on fatiguing that one muscle, they forget quality,” Nelson says. That’s where so-so strength gains and injuries set in.
And contrary to what you might think, working your entire body during each workout doesn’t mean you have to limit yourself to just a couple of gym sessions per week, Trink says. “You can build up to four, five, or even six training sessions a week if you train total-body.” The trick is working up to it, as well as mixing up your routine with different variations, loads, and set and rep schemes.
Still, all of this isn’t to say that isolation exercises and even full body-split days don’t have their time and place. They do. They can be beneficial for guys who are looking to gain a lot of size (hence why body-part splits are a favorite among bodybuilders) or need to shore up weaknesses in a certain muscle group, Trink says. But, even if you do perform body-part splits, they should be a part of your workout routine, not your routine’s focus.
Ready to tap every muscle? Try this seven-minute total-body workout.
By K. Aleisha Fetters
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Hit the Bench: Tone All Over With These Do-Anywhere Moves
Turn any park bench into a DIY gym with this five-move, full-body strength routine. It’s fun and effective, and it tones you all over—the perfect complement to that running or cycling session. Angela Leigh, national manager of Equinox Training Camp, developed these moves exclusively for SELF. (Photos: Sam Kweskin. On model: Sports bra, $33; VictoriasSecret.com. Shorts, $55, and shoes, $100; Nike.com) You’ll Need: a sturdy bench (or a chair at home). Do: at least 5 minutes of cardio to warm up. Complete two rounds of each move before doing the next; rest 30 seconds between sets. It’ll be challenging, so go at your own pace on reps. PLUS! Watch the moves in action.
BUNNY HOPS (as seen above) Start in plank, hands shoulder-width apart on bench. Jump knees to chest and heels to butt (as shown), swiveling at hips so you land at an angle, to right. Repeat, angling to left. Continue for 1 minute, increasing your pace as you go. Works core, shoulders
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CHEERLEADER Start in plank, forearms on bench. Straighten and raise right arm a few inches to right (Y position). Return to start. Return to Y, then bend elbow so palm is parallel to shoulder (as shown) for W position. Repeat Y, Y-W sequence with left arm. Continue, alternating arms, for 1 minute. Works core, shoulders, back
TURN-AND-BURN Start in side plank, balancing on left palm, right foot in front of left foot and right arm extended to sky (as shown). Twist body to place right palm on bench. Bend right knee and bring it toward left wrist; sweep knee back in semicircle. Return to start; continue for 1 minute. Repeat on opposite side. Works core, shoulders, back
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HOT SEAT Stand with feet hip-width apart, hands behind head, elbows wide. Sit; stand. Sit; lift and extend left leg, foot flexed (as shown). Pushing through right foot, stand, left leg raised. Sit. Now repeat double- and single-leg squat on other side. Continue, alternating sides, for 1 minute. Works core, quads, hamstrings, glutes
SKINNY DIP Sit with hands gripping bench next to hips. Slide butt forward off bench. Bend elbows until upper arms are parallel to the bench (as shown). Straighten arms for 1 rep. Repeat as many times as you can for 1 minute. Works core, triceps, shoulders, chest
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12-Minute Total Body Workout
No equipment, just your mind.
You’ve got legitimate excuses for not working out: You can’t afford a gym membership, and you don’t have any equipment at home. We asked Joe Stankowski, a trainer in Grand Rapids, MI, to give you a functional workout that can be done in any home or building.
1. CLOSE-GRIP PUSH UP
Hit the floor and place your hands inside shoulder width. Perform three sets of 15 reps. If that’s too easy, elevate your feet on a chair or two-drawer filing cabinet.
Stankowski Says: “The close-hand position puts the emphasis more on your triceps.” In addition to pumping up your arms quick (you might want to use this right before date night), it hits your core, chest, and shoulders hard.
2. STEP-UP
Stand in front of a chair and place one foot on it. Now drive your heel into the seat and step up onto the chair, but leave your other leg dangling off. Step back down. Complete three sets of 20 on each leg.
Stankowski Says: “Sitting at a desk for hours puts your hip flexors in a shortened position. This results in a ‘dumb ass’—an inability for your glutes to fire properly.” The step-up works your glutes through a full range of motion.
3. BURPEE
Crouch down and then shoot your legs behind you so you end up in the top position of a push-up. Reverse the motion quickly so you come back up to standing. Then jump as high as you can. Perform one set of 20 reps.
Stankowski Says: “If you only have time for one move, make it this one. It gets your blood flowing, and works the whole body.”
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People tend to gain weight when their lives become less active, so try to find ways each day to do some kind of physical exercise.
There are dozens of opinions about abs workouts which ones are the best, how often they should be completed, whether they should be done with machines, whether they are best done the old fashioned way, etc.