A blog by Candace M. Foxx Retired WNBF Pro Fit Body and Pro Figure Competitor, Female Personal Trainer, NASM FNS and MMA Specialst, Competition Prep Coach, IFBB USA Certified Bodybuilding Judge and Promoter, and Creator of the Clash at the Border Bodybuilding Show.
Total body exercises are great for people who have limited time to work out. These types of exercises hit different parts of the body at the same time, burning fat more efficiently than regular splits. Especially, when they are done is a circuit formation.
However if you work out in a commercial gym, doing circuits can be very hard. Best thing to do if you only have access to gym equipment is a commercial gym is to do your workouts in supersets.
Here are some example total body exercises:
Barbell Clean & Press
Squat Curl
Barbell High Pull
Dumbbell Squat Press
Alternating Kettle Bell Swing
Tire Flips
Sunday, November 21, 2021
Need to workout, only have 30 minutes and have no access to equipment, no worries! This total bodyweight workout will help you build muscle and burn calories! 💪
Do exercises 1 - 5 one after the other with 12 - 15 repetitions. Last exercise is for 45 seconds to 1 minute. Repeat for 3 or 4 complete sets or "circuits".
Pull exercises are those where the muscles contract and the weight is being pulled towards you. The primary muscles used in pull workouts includes the back, biceps, hamstrings, obliques and trapezius. Examples of pull exercises are lat pull down, back rows, deadlifts, leg curls, rear delt flys and bicep curls.
Benefits of Adding Push/Pull Workouts to Your Program
The lat pulldown is a multi-joint exercise that involves main mover the latissimus dorsi, the largest back muscle, which extends down each side of your spine. The biceps, rear delts, rhomboids and traps are also syngistically during the pulldown exercise.
Close Grip Pulldown
Great exercise to target the primarily lats, the traps (middle and lower) and the biceps. Secondary, it uses the teres major, posterior deltoid and the pectoralis major. Many women are afraid to lift heavy for their upper body. However, developing your back create a v-taper making your waist appear smaller. It also increase your strength to later take on pull-ups and lift things easier around the house.
Squat Row
A compound total body exercise that trains the mid and lower back, legs and glutes while elevating the heart rate. Make sure to use your legs as you stand up with the close grip handle in front of your body with arms extended. Execute the exercise by squating down while keeping the arms extended, use you legs to stand up while bring the close grip handle close to your belly button. Squat back down with the arms extended to complete one rep and repeat!
Swimmers
Swimmers are a different variation to the Lying Back Extension (Superman). This exercise strengthens the core and stretches the lower back. Adding movement to it elevates the heart rate. This exercise can be done in repetitions or timed.
To build muscle: increase weight and lower reps to 8-10.
To tone up: lower weight and increase reps to 12-15.
