The weight room at the gym gives me stage fright. I know, I know: exactly zero people care what I’m doing. But the aimlessness I feel between the squat rack and the free weights makes me feel like all kinds of insecure. Which is why, when I uncovered an Instagram cheat sheet for creating a full body gym workout, you better believe I took a screen shot immediately.
Designed by the trainers at Achieve Fitness in Boston, the formula makes whipping up a killer workout a lot like picking what you want in your burrito at Chipotle. To target every muscle in your body, you’ll create two “tri-sets,” each of which contains three workouts. Here’s how to do it.
Create a full body gym workout in 3-2-1 steps
1. Pick six exercises, making sure to choose only one from each category (or movement pattern)
SquatChoose one: goblet squat, two kettlebell front squat, barbell front squat, barbell back squat
HingeChoose one: kettlebell deadlift, trap bar deadlift, barbell sumo squat, barbell conventional deadlift
Single LegChoose one: split squat, single leg deadlift, reverse lunge, step up
PushChoose one: push up, dumbbell chest press, kettlebell overhead press, barbell bench press
Pull Choose one: TRX row, pull-up, single-arm cable row, 3-point row
CoreChoose one: dead bug, plank, hollow hold, anti-rotation press
2. Place each workout into either set one or set two
“Try not to pair ‘competing’ exercises together so you can feel strong going from one movement to the next,” writes Achieve Fitness. For instance, you wouldn’t want to include all the arm-centric sequences in the same tri-set—spread ’em out!
3. Complete 3 sets of each workout in both tri-sets, making sure to choose which rep number is right for your goals
According to Achieve fitness, one to five repetitions will strengthen your muscles; six to 12 will increase their size overtime; and 12 to 20 will up your endurance.
Now that you have your lineup all set, you’re ready to stroll into the gym like it’s NBD. Go forth and crush your workout, fam.
Want a full body workout from the comfort of you own home? Get to it:
Hate hitting the gym at night? Here’s how to make it there anyway. Plus, how gyms will be built differently in the era of digital fitness.
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