My favorite full-body workout plan

Jun 30, 2026 • 4 min read

I usually do full-body training. My normal rhythm is two or three gym sessions per week: Monday and Wednesday after work, then Friday afternoon or Saturday morning, depending on my weekend plans.

Full-body sessions help me keep the training frequency high for each muscle group without going to the gym too often. I also run twice per week, and I do not want every free evening to be blocked by training.

My full-body workouts usually take around 90 to 100 minutes. Maybe that is not perfect from a pure training science perspective, but I like the feeling after a full-body workout much more than after training only one body part.

How I structure it

My plan is simple. Two exercises for legs, two for chest, and two for back. If I still have time and energy, I add arms, core, or calves. These are optional for me because most of the main exercises already hit them indirectly (... and my calves are not exactly thin anyway ;)).

I have a few exceptions. Sometimes my legs are still sore from the last workout or an intense running session. In that case, I reduce the leg volume or skip it completely. If I only have limited time, I cut the optional exercises first, then legs, then back. Chest currently has a bit more priority for me, but that is very specific to my personal strengths and weaknesses.

I know that switching exercises can help create a new stimulus. But most of the time, I stay with exercises I really like. I am not a professional athlete. Safety and consistency are probably the biggest part of the result for me. Because I repeat the same exercises often, I know the movements well and can focus on small improvements.

My current plan

I have two different setups that I alternate (A, B, A, ...), no matter how often I train in one week. I usually do 3 or 4 sets per exercise, depending on my current focus.