Total Gym Workouts

By Author: Brian Waters
Total Articles: 3764
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Total gym workouts are the key to developing and sustaining a healthy and strong body. There is a trend for bodybuilders just to concentrate on one limited area, and miss out on the holistic benefits of full body training. Here, we show you the benefits of a total gym workout.

Phase 1
When you start a total gym workout, you should start by doing cardio work. Warming up is essential for any athletic endeavor, and with bodybuilding, you want to get the limbs loose and the blood pumping. Warming up will also help burn off excess fat. Running is a very common way of warming up, but for something really strenuous try the boxer's training of skipping.

Phase 2
People often start total gym workouts by working the arms or legs, but this really makes little sense. It makes a lot more sense to end your workout with your limbs, as tiring them early will mean that your arms will only be able to handle reduced weights during the rest of your workout, and your legs will not be able to carry you as vigorously around the gym. Working the chest and back first is a much better progression. Try to use dumbbell bench presses ...
... to enhance your chest, and if you have a pec deck, use that. It is not so easy to work your back, but you can do lat pull downs and deadlifts if you have access to the right equipment, and these should produce very satisfactory results.

Phase 3
The arms can come next, and this is a favorite area of so many bodybuilders. You can look forward to this part of your total gym workout, as your arms can produce the most visible results from your hard work. Too many people don't consider that there are 3 sets of muscles in the arm, so you need to exercise them all in turn. You can try some dumbbell curls which benefit the biceps, some triceps pulldowns which will build the triceps (hard work!), and then forearms curls and reverse forearm curls to enhance your forearm muscles. If you work this hard, you will see for yourself why this is not a good place to start!

Phase 4
Time now for some leg work. Even with total gym workouts, many people overlook the legs, unless they are competitive bodybuilders. As the legs do a lot of work carrying the rest of your body, they respond well to exercise. Start out by doing squats to build your thighs, and if you try single footed heel raises for your calves you should find them highly effective. The hamstrings are the final part, and although they will be exercised by default during your running and warming up, you can also do some basic leg curls which will increase the effect.

This will show you that total workouts can be simple enough, and not take that much time, and also that working the whole body is far more effective.