5 benefits of full-body workouts for your mental health
Clinically reviewed by Dr. Chris Mosunic, PhD, RD, CDCES, MBA
Explore what full-body workouts are, pros and cons to doing them every day, and how they can benefit your mental health. Plus, how to create your own workout plan.
There are lots of ways to boost our physical and mental health. Whether you're a fitness enthusiast or you’re looking to make a positive change to your mind and body, full-body workouts can bring many benefits that can improve your overall wellbeing.
Can you do full-body workouts every day?
While full-body workouts can improve both physical wellbeing and mental health, their frequency should be managed carefully to avoid overtraining and ensure proper recovery. When you’re looking for how to improve your physical health, remember that the body needs time to repair and strengthen muscles after exercise, particularly after comprehensive sessions that engage multiple muscle groups.
Understanding rest and recovery
Rest days are important in any fitness regimen because they allow muscles to recover, rebuild, and grow stronger. Without enough rest, the risk of injury increases, and the body's performance can plateau or even decline. For most people, rest or active recovery days between full-body workout sessions are recommended. Active recovery could include lighter activities such as walking, yoga, or swimming, which help keep the body moving without the intensity of a full workout.
A balanced workout schedule for full-body routines typically involves 2–3 sessions per week to allow for at least one day of rest between sessions, which is essential for muscle recovery and overall health. Listening to your body is key. If you're feeling overly fatigued or experiencing pain, add in more rest days.
How to create a full-body workout plan
To begin creating a full-body workout plan, start with exercises that cover the major muscle groups: legs, back, chest, shoulders, arms, and core. A well-rounded routine might include:
Squats or lunges for the legs
Push-ups or bench press for the chest and shoulders
Pull-ups or rows for the back and arms
Planks or deadlifts for the core and lower back
Each session should ideally last between 30 to 60 minutes, including warm-up and cool-down periods.Vary the exercises and intensity levels to challenge your body and prevent boredom.
Integrating Calm into your routine
Using mindfulness and relaxation techniques, such as those offered by the Calm app, can enhance the benefits of your physical workouts by improving mental health and stress management. Mindfulness can also aid in recovery by promoting better sleep and reducing muscle tension.
The journey to wellness is not just about physical strength but also about mental resilience and peace. The Calm app can offer resources to support both your mental and physical health goals as you work toward a more balanced, healthier you.
What are full-body workouts?
Full-body workouts involve exercises that target multiple major muscle groups in one session. Unlike split routines, which focus on isolated muscle groups each day, full-body workouts ensure that every part of the body gets attention, promoting strength and endurance for your whole body. Exercises might include squats, deadlifts, push-ups, and pull-ups, as each works multiple areas of the body.
These workouts are comprehensive, so they often require fewer sessions per week to achieve noticeable results, making them ideal if you have a busy schedule. This approach to fitness can become an effective way to improve overall health, both physically and mentally.
Bringing full-body workouts into a well-rounded routine that includes healthy habits like proper nutrition, adequate sleep, hydration, and stress management can maximize the benefits to your overall wellbeing.
5 benefits of full-body workouts
Adding the benefits of full-body workouts to your life can help you create a balanced and healthy lifestyle that supports both physical and mental wellbeing.
1. Enhances mood and relieves stress
Regular physical activity is known to significantly reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety. When you engage in a full-body workout, your body may release "feel-good" chemicals that can play an important role in managing stress, anxiety and perhaps even increase feelings of happiness. There’s a link between exercise and anxiety reduction, as the focus needed during these workouts can become a form of mindfulness, helping to distract you from daily stressors and bring a sense of calm.
💙 Develop a practice of sending yourself love and kindness with the help of this meditation, Kindness Toward Yourself, which can help relieve stress and boost mood.
2. Improves cardiovascular health
Full-body workouts require sustained effort from multiple muscle groups, which can increase heart rate and boost cardiovascular endurance. This can help reduce the risk of heart disease and improve mental health by increasing the flow of blood and oxygen to the brain. Improved cardiovascular function is linked to lower rates of depression and anxiety.
3. Boosts workout productivity
By targeting various muscle groups in a single session, full-body workouts offer a time-efficient way to exercise. This approach maximizes productivity, allowing you to achieve fitness results and improve mental wellbeing with fewer workouts per week. The efficiency of these workouts helps ensure balanced muscle development and reduced risk of injury. The sense of accomplishment and progress can also boost self-esteem and motivation.
💙 Boost your mind and body with Mel Mah in this guided full-body movement exercise, Nurture Yourself.
4. Promotes restful sleep
Exercise for sleep, such as regular full-body workouts, can significantly improve sleep quality, as exercise can help regulate sleep patterns. This can mean you fall asleep more quickly, and experience a deeper, more restorative rest. Better sleep can contribute to improved mental health by reducing stress, enhancing mood, and increasing cognitive function.
💙 Take your sleep even deeper with this Journey to the Stars Sleep Story narrated by LeVar Burton.
5. Increases flexibility and balance
Full-body workouts often include exercises that enhance flexibility and balance, such as yoga poses or functional movements. These improvements in physical capabilities can reduce the risk of falls and injuries, especially as we age. The focus and concentration required to maintain balance can have meditative effects, improving mental focus and reducing anxiety.
💙 Try this Flexible Upper Body guided sequence led by Mel Mah to shake out the day’s stress and embrace feeling good.
Benefits of full body workouts FAQs
Are full-body workouts more effective?
Full-body workouts can be more effective for certain fitness goals compared to other routines. The effectiveness of full-body workouts ultimately depends on your specific fitness goals, lifestyle, and how your body responds to different types of training.
Comprehensive engagement: Full-body workouts engage all major muscle groups in a single session, ensuring balanced muscle development and flexibility.
Efficiency: You can achieve significant physical and mental health benefits with just 2–3 sessions per week, making them ideal for those with busy schedules.
Increased caloric burn: Engaging multiple muscle groups simultaneously can lead to higher energy expenditure during and after the workout, potentially enhancing fat loss and cardiovascular fitness, if that’s one of your goals.
Flexibility in planning: Full-body workouts offer flexibility in scheduling, as missing a day doesn’t disproportionately affect certain muscle groups, allowing for consistent progress.
How many times a week should you do a full-body workout?
The ideal frequency of full-body workouts is typically 2–3 times per week. This schedule allows for adequate rest and recovery between sessions, which is essential for muscle repair and growth.
Rest days: Ensure there's at least one rest day between workout sessions to prevent overtraining and allow muscles to recover.
Listen to your body: Pay attention to how your body feels. If you're experiencing excessive fatigue or soreness, additional rest may be needed.
Adjust according to goals: Your fitness goals can also dictate frequency. If you're new to exercise, starting with two days a week, and increasing to three as you get used to your new routine can help your body adapt.
How long should a full-body workout be?
The duration of a full-body workout can vary based on your fitness level, fitness goals, and the intensity of the exercises.
30 to 60 minutes: Most full-body workouts are effective within this timeframe. This includes a combination of strength training, cardiovascular exercises, and flexibility or balance work.
Warm-up and cool-down: Don't forget to include a 5-10 minute warm-up and a similar time for cool-down in your workout duration to help prevent injury and aid recovery.
Quality over quantity: Focus on the quality of exercises and proper form rather than the length of the workout. Efficient, well-executed movements can bring better results than longer sessions with poor form.
Calm your mind. Change your life.
Mental health is hard. Getting support doesn't have to be. The Calm app puts the tools to feel better in your back pocket, with personalized content to manage stress and anxiety, get better sleep, and feel more present in your life.
Images: Getty
