When you're strength training, the goal is typically to work out your whole body. And while people tend to think of whole-body exercises as those that work the upper body [1], lower body, and core, there's more to it than just that. When I program exercises for a client and I'm looking to target the full body, I look for exercises that combine different movement patterns (i.e. squat, hinge, push, pull, and rotation) and work through multiple planes of motion (transverse, sagittal, and frontal). The goal is to functionally train the whole body.
Gil Ortiz, a NASM-certified Fitness Development Manager at Chuze Fitness [2] Fullerton, is also a fan of choosing functional exercises, which "mimic everyday motions or athletic activities, enhancing your strength and mobility in real-world situations," he says.
Also smart: prioritizing compound exercises [3], which engage multiple major muscle groups at once. "When searching for a solid full-body workout, you're likely looking for exercises that challenge multiple muscle groups simultaneously," Ortiz says. "Look for movements that engage your upper body, lower body, and core in a single motion." Compound exercises for the whole body are a more efficient way to build strength, compared to moves that target very specific muscles.
Experts Featured in This Article
Gil Ortiz [4], is a NASM-certified Fitness Development Manager at Chuze Fitness [5] Fullerton.
Brynley Joyner [6] is an expert trainer at FORM [7].
8 Best Whole-Body Exercises
The eight movements here are some of the best whole-body exercises you'll find. Each one incorporates various movement patterns and planes of motion to ensure you're functionally training your entire body, and they all target multiple major muscle groups.
While these movements don't have to be done together, for a complete workout, perform three to four sets of each of these eight whole-body exercises one after the other, resting for 30 to 60 seconds after each set. Just beware: you'll feel it tomorrow, from head to toe.
Curl With Lunge
When you combine a biceps curl with a lunge, you can target your upper body and lower body in one movement. A lunge is also a unilateral [9] movement, which challenges your balance, so it requires core engagement.
Muscles worked: this move requires your biceps to move the dumbbells, core to balance the movement, and quads and glutes to support your body.
- Start with your feet hip-width apart, and a dumbbell in each hand.
- Step your right foot forward, bending your front and back knee at 90 degrees.
- At the bottom of the lunge, bend your elbows into a biceps curl, bringing the dumbbells up to your shoulders while keeping your elbows tucked in close to your sides.
- Straighten your arms, then step back to the starting position.
- Repeat for 10 reps on the right and then repeat on the left.
Dumbbell Thruster
"Dumbbell thrusters include a squat and a shoulder press all in one exercise, so you're able to target your full body in one movement," says Brynley Joyner [10], expert trainer at FORM [11].
Muscles worked: dumbbell thrusters target most of the main muscle groups in your body, including the quads, hamstrings, shoulders, core, glutes and back.
- Start with your feet hip-distance apart and a dumbbell in each hand at shoulder height.
- Squat down, bending your knees until your thighs are about parallel to the floor.
- Drive through your feet to stand, as you press your arms above your head.
- Return to your starting position to reset. Repeat for 10 reps.
Superman
"The superman exercise [12] is a deceptively simple movement", says Ortiz. "It packs a punch for your posterior chain — the muscles along the back of your body, including the glutes, lower back, and shoulders."
Muscles worked: the Superman is great for your core, which runs from your shoulder girdle to your pelvic girdle and all the way around your body, but also for your entire posterior chain (glutes and hamstrings).
- Lie on your stomach in the prone position with your arms above your head.
- Lift your arms and chest up off of the floor while simultaneously lifting your legs off the floor as high as you can.
- Pause for three counts, then relax and return to the starting position.
- Repeat for 10 reps.
Kettlebell Swing
According to Joyner, kettlebell swings are an awesome whole-body exercise that targets predominantly — but not only — the posterior chain of the body, and helps improve your balance too.
Muscles worked: a kettlebell swing utilizes your hamstring and glutes as you hinge your hips forward and back, your core for body stabilization, and your back and shoulders (including the traps, delts, and rhomboids) as you lift the kettlebell.
- Start with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, and a kettlebell or dumbbell in both hands. Use a challenging weight. (How to find the right weight [13], here.)
- Hinge forward at the hips, bringing your chest forward and swinging the kettlebell between your legs.
- Drive through your heels to swing the kettlebell in front of you to chest height.
- Lower the kettlebell with control, hinging forward at the hips and moving directly into your next swing. Repeat for 10 reps.
Mountain Climber
When you're looking for whole-body exercises, don't neglect your heart. Joyner says mountain climbers are a great bodyweight exercise that help to build cardio endurance by getting your heart rate up while also training your core and shoulders.
Muscles worked: mountain climbers will target the abs as well as your shoulders, legs, glutes, and hip flexors, which are all used to support the body.
- Start in a high plank position with your hands directly under your shoulders.
- Drive your right knee into your chest.
- Push your right foot back to return to the starting position.
- Drive your left knee into your chest.
- Push your left foot back to return to the starting position.
- Repeat, alternating legs to "jog" in place for 20 reps.
Split Squat Overhead Press
Ortiz calls this the perfect example of a full-body exercise. "This movement combines a lower-body lunge with an upper-body push, challenging your legs, glutes, shoulders, and core all in one," he says.
Muscles worked: with this compound movement you engage your quads, hamstrings, and glutes in the lunge, your core to balance the movement, and your shoulders and arms (specifically your deltoids and triceps) as you push the weight overhead.
- Start with your feet hip-width apart, and a dumbbell in each hand at shoulder height.
- Step your left foot back behind you.
- Bending both your left and right knee at 90 degrees.
- Drive through your right foot to straighten your legs as your arms drive above your head.
- Repeat for 10 reps on each leg.
Woodchop
Ortiz describes the woodchopper or the woodchop as a dynamic full-body functional movement that mimics the functional motion of — you guessed it — chopping wood. "This exercise uses a cable machine, dumbbell, or kettlebell to create resistance while you rotate through your core, engaging multiple muscle groups," he says. "It builds rotational strength, improves balance, and increases core stability, which are all vital components for athletic performance and everyday activities."
Muscles worked: the woodchopper works your obliques through rotation, your legs and glutes to stabilize the movement, and the arms, shoulders, and back as they control the weight through the chopping motion.
- Start with your feet hip-width apart and one hold one dumbbell on your right shoulder with both hands.
- Turning through your right foot, rotate your body through the core and bring the dumbbell to your left hip.
- Return to the starting position.
- Repeat on the right side for 10 reps, then again on the left side for an additional 10 reps.
Tabletop Hold
While tabletop hold may look easy, it's actually quite difficult because it's an isometric full-body challenge, Ortiz says. "In this position, you hold yourself up with your hands and feet while your body forms a 'tabletop' shape, stacking shoulders over wrists, and knees under hips. This exercise strengthens your core, promotes body awareness, and challenges your endurance," he says.
Muscles worked: tabletop holds work the core, maintaining balance and stabilizing your body; the shoulders and arms, as you support yourself, engaging your deltoids, triceps, and forearms; and the glutes and hamstrings, by keeping your hips lifted in line with your shoulders.
- Start on all fours with your wrists under your shoulders and your knees under your hips.
- Keeping your back flat, press into your hands and feet and lift your knees off of the floor.
- Hold for 30 to 45 seconds.
Brittany Hammond [14] is a NASM-certified fitness instructor, a fitness writer, and an avid reader. In addition to PS, she has contributed to Livestrong.com, Well+Good, Verywell Fit, and Health.com. She has worked as a group fitness coach for the past seven years.