Give Your Muscles What They Really Want: This 45-Minute Full-Body Sculpting Workout
In my opinion, taking time for yourself to work out is one of the best forms of self-care. Instead of letting stress creep up as you scan the gym to figure out which machines are free and if you can snag a squat rack, I recommend coming in with a plan. Whether you're following a four-week workout plan or showing up already knowing what you're going to do for the day, preparation makes your workouts a lot smoother.
If you have no idea what to do at the gym, and aren't sure if doing 10 squat variations in one day is OK (hint: don't do it), I've got you covered. Instead of doing every squat known to man, try this eight-move full-body workout. You'll be working your shoulders, biceps, back, glutes, quads, and abs, and it shouldn't take more than 45 minutes to do.
The 45-Minute Full-Body Gym Workout
Equipment needed: two sets of dumbbells; one set should be medium/heavy and the second set should be light. This guide will help you choose the right weight. You'll also need a stability ball. Once you've gathered your equipment, it's time to get started.
To help you save time, this workout should be performed in supersets, meaning you should take little to no rest in between each exercise. For example, you'll do a set of the overhead squat press and immediately transition to bicep curls. Then, you'll go back to the squats until you've completed the listed sets.
Superset 1, exercise 1: overhead squat press: four sets of 12 reps 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 Superset 3, exercise 1: step up: four sets of 10 reps (each leg) Superset 3, exercise 2: lateral raise: four sets of 10 reps Stir the pot: two sets of 10 reps each direction Bird dog: two sets of 10 reps
