5-Day Full-Body Routine: The Complete Guide (Video)

Written by Taisiia Dobrozorova

Written by Taisiia Dobrozorova

Taisiia Dobrozorova is a nutrition and fitness writer at Unimeal and a healthy lifestyle devotee. She has accomplished several courses on health, nutrition, dietology.

on March 10, 2022

Fact checked by Davi Santana, M.Sc.

Fact checked by Davi Santana, M.Sc.

Davi Santana is a fact checker at Unimeal. He has been a personal trainer for more than 5 years. He is well-versed in strength training, HIIT, running, functional training, and CrossFit.

The Unimeal team works to give you the most accurate and up-to-date information. All texts are reviewed by a panel of experts and editors and updated according to the latest research. Only evidenced-based and verified sources of leading medical publications and universities get into the article materials.

If you're looking for an everyday training routine for full-body muscle building, then check out Unimeal's 5-day full-body program.

In a full-body workout routine, someone exercises most muscle groups in one training session.This type of training involves fewer sets per muscle group (usually no more than three per muscle group).

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Scientists have observed¹A. L. Evangelista, T. V. Braz, C. V. L. S. Teixeira, et al. (2021, August 30). Split or Full-Body Workout Routine: Which Is Best to Increase Muscle Strength and Hypertrophy? Einstein (São Paulo). DOI:10.31744/einstein_journal/2021ao5781 that full-body routines strengthen the muscles, making them more resilient. These workouts also prepare the body for more complex strength training programs.

The pros of full-body include:

• Safe strengthening of ligaments, tendons, and muscle tissue.
• Effective weight loss.
• Low risk of overtraining.
• Careful pumping of each muscle.

Like any physical activity, the full-body routine has its cautions:

• It is forbidden to train immediately after injuries.
• It is better to postpone the workouts if you have disorders in the cardiovascular system and gastrointestinal tract.

The cons of full-body include the following:

• Complex compound exercises from the whole body are easier for trained athletes. Beginners should start with the simplest.

25 minutes full-body workout at home

We’ve prepared a video with home workouts for you so that you can quickly find a systematic block of exercises for pumping your body.

What are the most effective 4 full-body workouts? 

Exercises in such workouts can be very different: starting from the classic bench press and ending with jumping rope. You need to select them based on the pursuing goals.

Men in the gym should pay the most attention to basic exercises - bench press, squats, and deadlifts. They are key workouts in all strength training programs.

If you come to the gym to lose weight, cardio should be the basis of your full-body workouts. It's best to insert them at the beginning and end of the session so that the fat-burning potential will increase significantly.

Women rarely train to gain muscle mass primarily. Therefore, we recommend they focus on isolated exercises with a moderate addition of cardio to the program.

Now let's talk about basic exercises for full-body training. We have concentrated on the simplest and at-home program to keep the workouts accessible for everyone who wants to start immediately.

Mobility warm-up

Warm-ups are very underrated. If you put all its parts together correctly, you can get a set of beneficial exercises that involve all the muscles in your body.

Well, to move on to more strenuous exercises, in any case, it's advisable²C. J. McGowan, D. B. Pyne, K. G. Thompson. (2015, November). Warm-Up Strategies for Sport and Exercise: Mechanisms and Applications. Sports Medicine. DOI:10.1007/s40279-015-0376-x for you to pre-stretch your entire body. So, what workouts may you include in your warm-up?

Overhead arm raises (raise your arms along your torso above your head, without closing your fingers, lower down, repeat).

Head tilts & turns (gently tilt your head to the left and right, fix it straight, then turn it in the same way).

Shoulder rolls (bending your elbows or straightening your arms, start rotational movements with your shoulders inward, and then outward).

Dynamic stretching (stand up straight with your feet shoulder-width apart, arms in front of you, raised and bent at the elbows, turn the whole body to the right and left, putting your back foot on the toe; add to this movement the stretching of one arm forward at the moment of rotation).

Side & reverse lunges (with legs wide apart, sit down on one leg, pulling the other in the toe, you can lean on the bent leg with your hand; another version of the lunge with the body to the side, leaning on both legs, one leg is bent, the second "springs" in place).

Standing wide-legged forward bend (legs wide apart, lower your hands to the floor in front of you so that your palms completely touch the surface, and pull your torso to the floor as much as possible; for better stretching, you can cross your arms and put them on the floor to the elbows).

Single-leg Romanian deadlift

• You need to stand up straight, grab the dumbbells with a direct grip and transfer the weight to one leg;
• The free leg comes off the platform, and the knee can remain straight or slightly bent;
• Flexion should be performed only in the hip joint and tilt forward;
• When standing up - reverse movement in the hip joint;
• The free leg may be straight at the knee joint, if convenient;
• The exercise is performed first on one side, then on the other.

Alternating front lunges

• Stand straight, feet shoulder-width apart, arms at your sides.
• Tighten your core muscles and lower your hands to your hips, putting your foot forward. Bend both legs at a 90-degree angle. The knee of the leg in front should not protrude beyond the toe.
• Shift your weight onto the leg in front. The other leg maintains balance. Keep your chest straight. Leaning on the leg in front, return to the starting position. This is one repeat.
• Repeat the exercise with the other leg.

Raised leg crunches

• Lie on the floor or exercise mat with your back flat on the floor
• Cross your legs at the ankles, lift your legs so that your thighs are perpendicular to the floor, bend your knees slightly. Note: The knees and feet should be parallel to the floor and the lateral surface of the thigh.
• Cross your arms over your chest. This is your starting position.
• Keeping your lower back pressed to the floor, slowly raise your torso as you exhale.
• On an inhale, slowly return to the starting position. Repeat.

Elbow plank

• Lie on your left side and straighten your legs.
• Raise your body and hold on to your left elbow and forearm.
• Tighten your abdominals.
• Raise your hips so that your body forms one straight line. Keep your lower body weight on the outside of your left foot.
• Fix the position.

Full-body workout sets

You can combine one or more exercises into a complex.

The main thing is to perform them without interruption, determining the number of approaches before starting the workout.

Arm extensions + shoulder blade squeeze

• Stand up straight and extend your arms to the sides.
• Bend your arms at the elbow, forming a 90-degree angle. Palms pointing straight away from you.
• Stretch your arms up above you, pulling your whole body up.
• Return your hands to the first position. Repeat 15 times.

Deadlift + bent-over row

• Stand up straight, feet shoulder-width apart. Get into a semi-squat position.
• Extend your arms straight out in front of you, palms inward.
• Bend your elbows without changing the position of your palms. Keep your back straight.
• Then return your arms to a straight position in front of you.
• From this position, extend your arms to the sides so that they are at the level of your shoulders (airplane pose).
• Repeat these movements without changing the position of the torso and legs.

Narrow push-up + fullback

• Get on all fours. Keep your back and arms straight, feet back on the floor shoulder-width apart.
• Gently lower your torso down, doing a bench press from the floor.
• Raise your body into a pose on all fours. Without lingering in this position, move your pelvis back. 
• Your butt should be on your calves, arms stretched forward on the floor, and your head bent face down.
• Stretch your body, and then return to the position on all fours.
• Repeat all elements from the beginning.

FAQ

Can you do a full-body workout every day?

Although a full-body workout has undeniable benefits, it's preferable to avoid doing it on a daily basis. 

With prolonged exercise, the body uses protein as energy. Since the brain uses glucose compulsorily, you can lose proteins significantly, including those related to the immune system. Therefore, regular prolonged exercise weakens the immune system and creates health problems.

For this reason, rest days are essential, no matter the type of activity.

Which exercise is best for a short full-body routine?

If you do not have time to follow the recommended plan and sets of exercises, try something simpler but no less effective. The fastest-acting set of workouts is:

Squats + push-ups + plank

It’s the basic exercises that stimulate the active release of hormones that trigger the process of fat burning and muscle development.

The simplicity and accessibility of this approach make it possible to train at home.

Useful tip: In addition to the three full-body workouts, include 1-2 cardio workouts on your off days. 30-40 minutes at an average pace: running, swimming, cycling, skipping rope, etc. It’ll speed up the process and make a difference.

Is a full-body workout the best choice?

Full-body exercises engage considerably more muscle groups, causing higher increases in testosterone, growth hormone, and IGF-1 levels³W. J. Kraemer, N. A. Ratamess, B. C. Nindl. (2017, March 1). Recovery Responses of Testosterone, Growth Hormone, and IGF-1 after Resistance Exercise. Journal of Applied Physiology. DOI:10.1152/japplphysiol.00599.2016, resulting in more muscle and less fat. As a result, complex exercises may provide a more favorable hormonal response. Suppose you choose between a whole-body workout and splits. To decide, remember that splits allow you to practice every day. While one muscle group is resting, you can train others. Total-body is not advisable to do more than a day in a row not to tear the muscles.

So, choose a program depending on your goals.

Is a full-body workout good for beginners?

The full-body training program is an excellent choice for beginners. The main benefit is that one muscle group trains three times in seven days. Such a program will help achieve good results in the shortest possible time.

Can I lose weight with a full-body workout?

Yes, a full-body workout plan is very energy-intensive and dramatically contributes to burning excess fat (of course, as long as you have proper nutrition). As a result, you have a chic figure and excellent physical shape. Solid pros and no cons.

Summing up

We’d like to draw several conclusions. Firstly, full-body workouts are really good at helping people lose weight or gain muscle mass. But only if you are either just starting out or have not been doing it for the past few years.

In other cases, split training will work much better, for each muscle group separately.

Professional athletes also use full-body training, but mostly for keeping the body in good shape after contests.

For this reason, a full-body workout program is universal. It is suitable for people of all genders, ages, and fitness levels. A large selection of exercises allows one to create an optimal training program for each case.