This 8-Move Workout May Be the Perfect Full-Body Routine
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Trying to craft a well-balanced workout plan can be a tall order. That's why it's so helpful to have in your back pocket some straightforward, full-body workout routines that you know will deliver a solid endorphin rush and require minimal equipment — useful for days when the gym is busier than usual and you can't guarantee any free machines. And this full-body gym workout is the perfect place to start.
This full-body workout for the gym (which you can also do at home, with the right equipment) consists of just eight moves but truly works your whole body. You'll be targeting your shoulders, biceps, back, glutes, quads, and core with these moves, and the whole thing shouldn't take more than 45 minutes, which is about how long you might spend wandering around the gym looking for open equipment.
All you need to get this full-body gym workout done are some dumbbells and/or resistance bands, a workout bench or step, and a stability ball — but just in case you don't have those last two items (or people are hogging them in the weight room), we'll offer easy swaps. Check out the full gym workout below for a much more efficient routine, and get ready to work.
45-Minute Full-Body Gym Workout
Equipment needed: Two sets of dumbbells and/or resistance bands; one set should be medium/heavy and the second set should be light. (Here's more on how to choose the right weight.) You'll also need a stability ball and a workout bench or step.
Directions: Make sure you warm up beforehand, for example with these (warmup exercises). To help you save time, this workout should be performed in supersets, meaning you'll alternate two exercises, taking little to no rest in between each move. For example, you'll do a set of the split squat to overhead press and immediately transition to bicep curls. Then, you'll go repeat these two moves until you've completed the listed number of sets. There are three total supersets, and you'll do the last two exercises separately, not as supersets. Afterward, don't forget to do a cooldown stretch.
- Superset 1, exercise 1: split squat to overhead press: four sets of 10 reps (each leg)
- Superset 1, exercise 2: bicep curl: four sets of 12 reps (each arm)
- Superset 2, exercise 1: single-leg bridge: four sets of 12 reps (each leg)
- Superset 2, exercise 2: single-arm row: four sets of 12 reps (each arm)
- Superset 3, exercise 1: step up: four sets of 10 reps (each leg)
- Superset 3, exercise 2: front and lateral raise: four sets of 10 reps
- Body saw: two sets of 10 reps
- Bird dog: two sets of 10 reps on each side
— Additional reporting by Lauren Mazzo and Mirel Zaman
Superset 1, Exercise 1: Split Squat to Overhead Press
Grab your medium-weight dumbbells for this move, which works your legs, glutes, shoulders, and core in one.
- Start standing with your feet slightly wider than hip-distance apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand racked above your shoulders.
- Step backward about three feet with your left foot. Press the dumbbells overhead.
- Slowly lower the weight to your shoulders as you bend your knees, making 90-degree angles with both legs.
- Straighten both legs as you press the weights back toward the ceiling. This completes one rep. Do 10 reps, then switch legs. Repeat for four sets.
Superset 1, Exercise 2: Biceps Curl
You may need to use your light- or medium-weight dumbbells for this move, depending on your current level of strength. Start lighter, and you can always increase the weight for the next set if it's too easy.
- Start standing with your feet hip-width apart and holding a dumbbell in each hand at your sides, palming facing forward (so your pinkies are in line with your thighs).
- Keeping your elbows close to your ribs, slowly raise both dumbbells to your chest without rotating your wrists.
- Lower the dumbbells back to the starting position. That's one rep.
- Be careful not to swing the weights or move your shoulders or torso while performing the curl.
- Do four sets of 12 reps.
Do all four sets of this superset before moving on to the next superset.
Superset 2, Exercise 1: Single-Leg Bridge
If performing these glute bridges on one leg is too difficult, do them with both feet planted on the floor.
- Lie face-up on a mat with both legs bent and feet planted on the floor. Place your hands on the floor beside you for stability. Lift the left leg a few inches off the mat.
- Press your right foot into the floor and squeeze your glutes to lift your hips off the floor, keeping your left leg straight.
- Pause when your body forms a straight line from your shoulders to your knee.
- Slowly lower your hips to the floor. That's one rep.
- Do four sets of 12 reps on each leg.
Superset 2, Exercise 2: Single-Arm Row
You can perform the next move in this full-body gym workout on a bench or freestanding, as shown.
- Hold a medium-weight dumbbell in your right hand and step your right leg about three feet back, keeping the knee straight. Hinge forward from your hips, bending your left knee. Keep your neck in a neutral position, leveling your gaze toward the floor several feet in front of you.
- Engage your core, relax your shoulders, and extend your right arm towards the floor. Do not rotate your torso or let your shoulder lower towards the floor. This is the starting position.
- On an exhale, pull the dumbbell up toward your rib with control, driving your elbow to the ceiling. Don't rotate your torso.
- On an inhale, lower the dumbbell back down to the starting position. That's one rep.
- Do four sets of 12 reps on each arm.
Do all four sets of this superset before moving on to the next superset.
Superset 3, Exercise 1: Step Up
Step-ups are a fantastic lower-body move, and you can perform them on an exercise bench, plyo box, stair, aerobics step, or even a sturdy chair. You can do them bodyweight or, to make them even more difficult, hold a dumbbell in each hand.
- Start standing in front of a box, bench, or chair, and place your right foot in the center.
- Press into your right foot to step up onto the box, bringing your left knee up to hip height, bent at 90 degrees.
- Slowly step down, lowering your left foot to the floor, landing softly. That's one rep.
- Do four sets of 10 reps on each leg.
Superset 3, Exercise 2: Front Lateral Raise
Start with your light-weight dumbbells for this move, and you can always increase the weight for the next set if it's too easy.
- Stand with your feet hip-distance apart. Hold a dumbbell in each hand by your sides, palms facing in toward your legs.
- Keeping your arms straight but not locked, simultaneously raise both hands forward until they reach shoulder height. Without lowering them, rotate your arms out to the sides. Your palms should be facing down and your arms should be parallel to the floor. Try not to let your shoulders shrug up toward your ears; think about drawing your shoulder blades back and down.
- Pause, then slowly lower your hands back to your sides. That's one rep.
- Do four sets of 10 reps.
Do all four sets of this superset before moving on to the final two moves in this full-body gym workout.
Body Saw
If you don't have an exercise ball handy, swap this move for a simple elbow plank: instead of doing the number of reps below, hold for 30 seconds.
- Begin in an elbow plank.
- Contract your abdominals to keep yourself up and prevent your booty from sticking up. Keep your back flat and your neck and spine in neutral position. Picture your body as a long straight board, or plank.
- Use your elbows to pull your body forward, then come back to your starting position. This completes one rep.
- Do 12 reps, rest for 30-60 seconds, and complete two more sets.
Bird Dog
This simple exercise works your deep core muscles as well as challenges your balance and coordination. Take your time on this one; you'll get even more benefits by doing it slowly.
- Start on all fours with your hands directly under your shoulders and your knees directly under your hips.
- Exhale and engage your core as you bring your left knee and right elbow together under your torso.
- Inhale and straighten your right arm and left leg. Try not to your back or allow your hips or shoulders to tilt to either side. Reach through your left heel to engage your glutes and hamstrings.
- Slowly draw your right arm and left knee together under your torso to return to the starting position. That's one rep.
- Do two sets of 10 reps on each side.
Tamara Pridgett was an associate editor with PS Fitness. She's a NASM-certified personal trainer and Precision Nutrition level 1 coach, and was a Division 1 All-American sprinter.
Lauren Mazzo was the senior fitness editor at PS. She is a certified personal trainer and fitness nutrition specialist through the American Council on Exercise. Prior to joining PS, she worked for six years as a writer and editor for Shape Magazine covering health, fitness, nutrition, mental health, sex and relationships, beauty, and astrology.
Mirel Zaman is the health and fitness director at PS. She has nearly 15 years of experience working in the health and wellness space, writing and editing articles about fitness, general health, mental health, relationships and sex, food and nutrition, astrology, spirituality, family and parenting, culture, and news.