{"id":33834,"date":"2014-11-04T07:15:20","date_gmt":"2014-11-04T12:15:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/?p=33834"},"modified":"2016-07-14T16:01:03","modified_gmt":"2016-07-14T20:01:03","slug":"benefits-total-body-workout","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/fitness\/benefits-total-body-workout\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Major Benefits of Total-Body Workouts"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Full-Body
Photo: Pond5.com<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The plan is set: Get to the gym six days a week, target a different body part each day, and build the physique you\u2019ve always dreamed of.\u00a0<\/p>\n

And then life happens.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Despite our best intentions, commitment to strength work<\/a> \u2014 in addition to cardio, mobility and other athletic pursuits \u2014 can be a tall order. But there is hope: Total-body workouts.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor 90 percent of people, 90 percent of the time, total-body training is the way to go,\u201d says Tony Gentilcore<\/a>, strength coach and co-founder of Cressey Sports Performance. Performed three to four days per week, workouts that rely on complex, multi-joint movements will engage more muscle groups at once, in addition to your core. So while endless bicep curls may seem like your only ticket to the gun show, chin-ups, for instance, can target the same muscle group, while also working the back<\/a> and abs. Whether your goal is building strength, shedding pounds, or becoming a more well-rounded athlete, increasing the complexity of your movements can result in a greater neuromuscular and cardiovascular<\/a> challenge \u2014 and potentially greater gains, as well.<\/p>\n

Total-Body Workout Benefits\u00a0<\/h3>\n

If you\u2019ve hit a plateau<\/a>, struggle with athleticism, or need to simply shake up your usual routine, here are five reasons total-body training might be for you.<\/p>\n

1. Burn More Calories in Less Time<\/b><\/h3>\n

We seek time-efficiency<\/a> in every other area of our lives \u2014 why not take that same approach to the gym? \u201cYou burn a heck of a lot more calories in a given session when you perform a full-body training session as opposed to just doing an arm day or shoulder day,\u201d Gentilcore says. Major muscle groups working together in compound exercises, like squats and lunges, require more energy to coordinate movement, move heavy training loads<\/a>, and provide oxygen to working muscles than single-joint exercises that only work one or two small muscles.<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> The Ultimate 20-Minute MetCon Workout<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n

2.\u00a0Build More Muscle <\/b><\/h3>\n

While isolation work is important for muscular hypertrophy, it\u2019s not necessarily for everyone. \u201cOverzealous isolation work one day per week isn\u2019t frequent enough for most people to see gains in muscular size,\u201d Gentilcore says. <\/b>While we\u2019re all for \u201cleg day<\/a>,\u201d that doesn\u2019t mean neglecting your lower half for the other six days in the week.\u00a0With full-body training (assuming appropriate loads and rest), you’re targeting any given muscle group two to three times per week for increased\u00a0muscle growth<\/a>, Gentilcore says.\u00a0<\/p>\n

3. Increase Strength<\/b><\/h3>\n

If getting stronger is your goal, it’s imperative to perform movements that allow you use the most weight, says Gentilocore. Compound exercises such as the squat, deadlift and bench press variations are full-body movements<\/a> that require the most total-body effort to execute. By making these exercises the mainstay in your workout program, you\u2019ll be challenging your body to continuously \u2014 and effectively \u2014 build strength.<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/b>\u00a06 Squat Variations for Total-Body Strength<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n

4. Maximize Workout Efficiency <\/b><\/h3>\n

Only have 30 minutes to spare? By focusing on the major multi-joint exercises that work your entire body you\u2019re stimulating the same muscles using one<\/i> exercise (think: back squats) in lieu of multiple <\/i>exercise machines<\/a> (in this case: leg curls, hip extensions and leg extensions). Plus, by supporting a bar during squats your core is required to stabilize the body under load, unlike single-joint exercises.<\/p>\n

Total-body training teaches you to focus on the rule of 80\/20, says Jason Maxwell, owner of Jmax Fitness and JmaxFitness.com<\/a>. So instead of adding in an extra set of forearm extensions, or another set of bicep curls, you place your focus on the 20 percent of movements that give you the most bang for you buck, Maxwell says. When you\u2019re short on time, these more efficient exercises become the logical choice in training.<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/b>The Busy Person\u2019s Guide to Becoming a Fitness Minimalist<\/a><\/p>\n

5. Have Greater Flexibility <\/b><\/h3>\n

Imagine being able to work out anytime, anywhere<\/a>, without throwing off your whole routine. That\u2019s exactly what total-body training allows. By training the whole body as one integrated unit you\u2019re able to stimulate the same muscles in one workout that might take two or three isolation-based workouts. As a result, you can integrate total-body training around a busy travel schedule and not miss a beat, or focus on other exercise activites, like swimming<\/a>, biking<\/a> or yoga<\/a>, without neglecting your strength training.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Total-Body Strength Workout<\/b><\/h3>\n

Maximize your strength-building potential \u2014 and your time at the gym \u2014 with this head-to-toe workout from Maxwell. It requires just four exercises start to finish, completed in supersets for optimal efficiency and calorie burn<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Total-Body
Photo: Pond5<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Want more strength workouts you can do anytime, anywhere? Head to DailyBurn.com<\/a> to try your free 30-day trial. <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Stop obsessing over a single body part, and start seeing the big picture. A total-body workout routine will save you time, while delivering head-to-toe results. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":59,"featured_media":33840,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,6,14],"tags":[105,281,341,353,154,100],"class_list":["post-33834","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exercise","category-fitness","category-strength-training","tag-free-weights","tag-strength-training","tag-tax1living-well","tag-tax2weight-training","tag-weight-training","tag-workout"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33834","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/59"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33834"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33834\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/33840"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33834"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33834"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33834"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}