Full Body Workout for Intermediate Lifters
This session is built for you if you've been training consistently for at least six months and want a single workout that challenges your whole body — core, shoulders, and upper back all in one go. It's a smart choice when you're short on days to train but don't want to leave anything on the table. We'll walk you through every piece of it, from warm-up to cooldown.
What the research says
A few questions come up a lot when people plan full body training: Does it matter how often you train each muscle per week? Does the format of your session — traditional sets versus supersets — change what you get out of it? Research gives us some useful, honest answers. One randomized controlled trial found that when weekly set volume is matched, training muscle groups twice versus four times per week produced similar improvements in strength and muscle size in untrained individuals over eight weeks. A separate trial comparing superset training to traditional sets found that the two approaches produced similar strength gains in leg press and bench press, but the traditional-set group saw a significantly greater improvement in lat pull-down strength — about 5 kg more — over ten weeks. Supersets did cut session time nearly in half, so there's a real trade-off worth knowing about. On load and rep range, a pilot trial in middle-aged adults found that traditional strength training at 8–12 reps produced superior one-rep-max leg press strength gains compared to a lighter-load, higher-rep approach, while the lighter-load group showed greater strength endurance gains. The two groups showed only a trivial difference in fat-free mass.
Moderate — the findings come from randomized controlled trials, which is a solid study design, but sample sizes were small to moderate and one trial was conducted only in untrained individuals, so results may not transfer perfectly to intermediate lifters.
A randomized controlled trial found that resistance training twice or four times per week produced similar improvements in maximal strength and muscle thickness, provided weekly set volume was equal, in untrained subjects over eight weeks.
View study →A randomized controlled trial found that traditional-set training produced a significantly greater improvement in lat pull-down strength than superset training (5.2 kg higher, p = 0.033) over ten weeks, while improvements in leg press and bench press were similar between groups. Superset training nearly halved session duration.
View study →A pilot randomized trial in adults with a mean age of 59 years found that traditional strength training (8–12 reps) produced superior leg press one-rep-max strength gains compared to a lighter-load, higher-repetition group (20–24 reps), while the lighter-load group showed greater strength endurance gains. The difference in fat-free mass between groups was trivial.
View study →The routine
Warmup
Stand up and extend your arms straight out by the sides. The arms should be parallel to the floor and perpendicular (90-degree angle) to your torso. This will be your starting position. Slowly start to make circles of about 1 foot in diameter with each outstretched arm. Breathe normally as you perform the movement. Continue the circular motion of the outstretched arms for about ten seconds. Then reverse the movement, going the opposite direction.
Stand with your feet shoulder width apart. This will be your starting position. Keeping your arms straight, swing them straight up in front of you 5-10 times, increasing the range of motion each time until your arms are above your head.
Stand with your hands together, arms extended directly in front of you. This will be your starting position. Keeping your arms straight, quickly move your arms back as far as possible and back in again, similar to an exaggerated clapping motion. Repeat 5-10 times, increasing speed as you do so.
Main
Hold the Ab Roller with both hands and kneel on the floor. Now place the ab roller on the floor in front of you so that you are on all your hands and knees (as in a kneeling push up position). This will be your starting position. Slowly roll the ab roller straight forward, stretching your body into a straight position. Tip: Go down as far as you can without touching the floor with your body. Breathe in during this portion of the movement. After a pause at the stretched position, start pulling yourself back to the starting position as you breathe out. Tip: Go slowly and keep your abs tight at all times.
Clean two kettlebells to your shoulders. Clean the kettlebells to your shoulders by extending through the legs and hips as you pull the kettlebells towards your shoulders. Rotate your wrists as you do so. Press one directly overhead by extending through the elbow, turning it so the palm faces forward while holding the other kettlebell stationary . Lower the pressed kettlebell to the starting position and immediately press with your other arm.
Sit on an exercise bench with back support and hold two dumbbells in front of you at about upper chest level with your palms facing your body and your elbows bent. Tip: Your arms should be next to your torso. The starting position should look like the contracted portion of a dumbbell curl. Now to perform the movement, raise the dumbbells as you rotate the palms of your hands until they are facing forward. Continue lifting the dumbbells until your arms are extended above you in straight arm position. Breathe out as you perform this portion of the movement. After a second pause at the top, begin to lower the dumbbells to the original position by rotating the palms of your hands towards you. Tip: The left arm will be rotated in a counter clockwise manner while the right one will be rotated clockwise. Breathe in as you perform this portion of the movement. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.
Lay down on a flat bench holding a dumbbell in each hand with the palms of the hands facing towards the ceiling. Tip: Your arms should be parallel to the floor and next to your thighs. To avoid injury, make sure that you keep your elbows slightly bent. This will be your starting position. Now move the dumbbells by creating a semi-circle as you displace them from the initial position to over the head. All of the movement should happen with the arms parallel to the floor at all times. Breathe in as you perform this portion of the movement. Reverse the movement to return the weight to the starting position as you exhale.
For this exercise you will need to get into a pushup position, but instead of having your hands of the floor, you will be grabbing on to an Olympic barbell (loaded with 5-10 lbs on each side) instead. This will be your starting position. While keeping a slight arch on your back, lift your hips and roll the barbell towards your feet as you exhale. Tip: As you perform the movement, your glutes should be coming up, you should be keeping the abs tight and should maintain your back posture at all times. Also your arms should be staying perpendicular to the floor throughout the movement. If you don't, you will work out your shoulders and back more than the abs. After a second contraction at the top, start to roll the barbell back forward to the starting position slowly as you inhale. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.
Cooldown
Start off on your hands and knees, then lift your leg off the floor and hold the foot with your hand. Use your hand to hold the foot or ankle, keeping the knee fully flexed, stretching the quadriceps and hip flexors. Focus on extending your hips, thrusting them towards the floor. Hold for 10-20 seconds and then switch sides.
Sit upright on the floor with your partner behind you. Place your hands behind your hand, and push your elbows back as far as you can. Your partner should hold your elbows. This will be your starting position. Gently attempt to pull your elbows forward with your hands still behind your head for 10 or more seconds. Your partner should prevent your elbows from moving. Now, relax your muscles and have your partner gently pull the elbows back as far as it comfortable for you. Be sure to let your partner know when the stretch is adequate to prevent overstretching or injury.
Set and rep ranges are general starting suggestions based on this guide's level — adjust to your own experience, and progress gradually.
This content is for educational purposes and is not a substitute for medical advice — if you have any shoulder, wrist, or lower back concerns, check with a qualified health professional before attempting rollout or overhead pressing movements.