• Full body workouts allow you to efficiently tone muscle and shed weight.
• You can do a full body workout with just a pair of dumbbells.
• For variety and challenge, you can change up your routine for each full body workout you do.

A full body workout is a routine that strengthens multiple muscle groups and helps you lose weight, all at the same time. Full body workouts include exercises that engage many muscle groups in one movement such as squats and deadlifts. If you want to take advantage of these highly efficient programs and shed a few pounds, try one of these total-body workout routines.

15-Minute Toning Workout 

This workout uses compound exercises to maximize a short period of time. All you need to quickly strengthen your arm, leg, and core muscles is two sets of dumbbells - one light and one heavy. Do each exercise about ten times with little to no rest in between exercises. You'll see the best results if you do the circuit twice per session, three to five times a week.

Start with squat to shoulder presses. Simply hold one of the heavier weights in each hand and place your hands at your shoulders, then squat down. Follow these with a set of lunge to single-arm rows. Put your left leg forward and grip a heavier dumbbell in your right hand. With your left hand against your left thigh, bend your knees and lunge. As you stand, draw your elbow upwards and keep it close to your body. After 10-12 reps, switch sides.

Next, do some deadlift to bicep curls. Hold the pair of heavier dumbbells and stand with your feet hip-width apart. Slowly get into a sitting position as you lower the weights to your shins, then curl your hands toward your upper arms as you stand back up. Switch to the lighter weights to transition to curtsy lunge to upright rows. These are literal curtsies, except that instead of holding on to the fabric of your skirt, you're holding a weight in each hand. Lift your elbows into an upright row each time you come out of the curtsy.

The latter half of the workout takes place on the floor, but it's just as intense. Start with a set of bridge to headbangers. Lie down with your knees bent and hold two dumbbells over your chest as far from your body as you can. Then lift your butt, bend your elbows, and bring the weights down to ear-level. Extend your arms again and put your butt back on the mat. After a set of these, turn over to do pushup to plank jacks – like regular pushups but you jump your feet sideways after you lift your body.

Finish your workout with the Russian twist into a pike. Begin seated on your mat with your knees bent. Lean back slightly and lift your feet off of the floor, then twist your torso from side to side. Center yourself again and extend your arms, then twist again.

EB's Ultimate 10 for 2019 

This routine is named after its designer, Men's Health Fitness Director Ebenezer Samuel. He focuses on four basic movements: push, pull, hip hinge, and squat. Ebenezer recommends a minute of rest in between rounds for recovery.

First, do a set of dumbbell Romanian deadlifts. Hold the dumbbells at your sides and bend your knees slightly, then push your butt backward, steadily lowering your torso. When you feel a stretch in your hamstrings, pause, then stand back up. Once you've rested from a set of those, work on your core with alternative dumbbell rows. This time, your torso should be parallel to the ground. Squeeze your shoulder blades and lift one dumbbell to your chest.

Follow this with some side-plank presses. Place a dumbbell in front of you and get into a left-side plank. Pick up the dumbbell and pull it close to your right arm, then up toward the ceiling before returning it to the floor. After 12 reps per side, change to glute bridge floor presses. Lie on the mat or floor, push your hips forward, then let the dumbbells follow. Hold it for a moment then lower the dumbbells, and your hips, and start over.

For the next part of the workout, you'll need a box or bench that stands at knee height. Stand in front of it and place your right foot on top of it. Bend your left knee and sit back. When your left thigh is parallel with the floor, hold the position, then stand up again. Do this 12 times per side.

Finally, lie down again for the hollow body hold. Fully extend your limbs and tighten your abs while pressing your lower back on the floor. The actual exercise calls for you to lift your legs up, all the while keeping them straight. At the same time, lift up your shoulder blades, maintaining the full extension of your arms. Hold the pose for 30 seconds, then relax. Just three to five of these will do to wrap up your workout.

Muscle & Strength Full Body Workout Three Ways 

This program is made for lifters who want to progress to full body workouts that train all of their major muscle groups. You can mix up your routine by trying one workout on Mondays, another on Wednesdays, and another on Fridays.

Some of the exercises employ the ramp method. "Ramping up" means that after completing a set, the next one decreases in reps and increases in load. This is better for your joints and improves your blood flow and stability.

Workout A

This workout has a slow start with five sets each of ramped squats, ramped bench presses, and ramped barbell rows. After these, take a short break and proceed to three sets of upright rows and three sets of skullcrushers, both ten reps each.

The skullcrusher, also known as the lying tricep extension, starts with you sitting at the end of a flat bench with a barbell across your thighs. Grip the barbell with your palms face-down and bring it up to your chest, then lay on your back. Bring it up above your chest, extending your arms fully. Slowly lower the bar until it almost touches your forehead. (This step is where the name "skullcrusher" comes from.) After a breath, slowly extend the arms back to starting position, and repeat.

Carry on with three sets each of dumbbell curls and leg curls, the former with ten reps per set and the latter with as many as fifteen reps per set. Lastly, close your routine out with three sets of ab wheel roll outs.

To do abdominal wheel rollouts, kneel on the ground and grasp a barbell with your hands a bit more than shoulder-width apart. Slowly roll it out in front of you, maintaining a straight back and arms, then roll it back towards your knees and start over.

Workout B

Workout B begins with three sets of ramped deadlifts, followed by two sets of Romanian deadlifts. Next, do three sets of eight to ten reps each of seated overhead presses.

For the next exercise, you can opt to do three sets of either pull-ups or inverted rows. If you choose to do pull-ups, remember to keep your head in a neutral position - either facing straight ahead or tilted slightly up - to protect your spine from injuries. If you go horizontal with inverted rows instead, always keep your body straight.

This workout also calls for three sets of dips at 10-20 reps each, depending on what you're comfortable with. Keep in mind that you still have three exercises to go!

Do three sets of barbell shrugs. Once you've rested, continue with three sets of seated calf raises, or standing calf raises, if you're really enjoying the burn. End your workout with three sets of one-minute planks.

Workout C

Begin workout C with three sets of ramped squats starting with five reps, then one set of regular squats, but with 20 reps. Follow the squats with three sets of incline dumbbell bench press, then three sets of one-arm dumbbell rows before proceeding to the seated Arnold press.

The seated Arnold press is named after actor and bodybuilder Arnold Schwarzenegger and targets your shoulder muscles. Sit on a bench and have one end of each dumbbell on your knees. While holding them, kick up one knee at a time to help you lift them into place near your head. Rotate your palms so that they face you then press the dumbbells overhead. Rotate your hands as you do this so that your palms face forward. Slowly bring the dumbbells back to starting position and repeat.

Next, work on your arms with three sets each of cable tricep extensions and barbell curls. Then take a rest and resume with three sets of leg curls, and finally some ab wheel roll outs before you cool down.

Full body workouts don't need to be complicated. If they're new territory to you, take them at a comfortable pace, always being mindful of your body. You'll be excited to amp it up and make it more challenging soon enough.

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