TRUE Workout: Total Body Composition Workout
To get the most out of your workouts, it is important that you also engage in exercises that target your entire body — not just a specific area like your legs or core. Usually called a total body composition workout.
Additionally, a full-body workout can help prevent fitness plateaus when done correctly, as well as make exercising more efficient if you have limited time.
Exercise Goals
The goal of the Total Body Composition workout is to increase caloric burn, build strength, and build lean muscle mass.
Tips Before The Workout
Before you perform these movements for your total body workout, it is very important to do a total body warm-up since you will be using moderate to heavy weights and machines that take a lot of muscular control.
Be sure to include foam rolling, active stretching, and 2-3 rounds and 10 reps each of Air Squats, Walking Lunges, Push-ups, and Shoulder press (with dumbbells).
- Beginner: Focusing on your form is very important. It doesn’t matter how much weight you are using; what matters is if you are doing the movement correctly with a weight where you are able to feel your muscles work. It’s also important to focus on form during these machines and the plank to prevent injury. Proper form will especially help protect your lower back during the Full Body Press and the plank.
- Intermediate: Every time you do the machines, try to increase your weight by 5-10lbs while keeping your form. Increase your Plank time.
- Advanced: Try switching up sets, reps, and weights. For example: Increase your weight and decrease your reps to gain more strength and muscle mass than necessarily focusing on solely burning fat. Increase Plank time or modify the movement by making it more difficult (e.g., Plank Jacks: hold plank position while jumping feet in and out simultaneously).
Proper Forms To Remember For This Workout
When performing this workout, remember the following forms for each machine and exercise:
- CS900 Elliptical
- Body upright and forward
- COMPOSITE Full Body Press
- Tighten your core
- Head in a neutral position
- Seated back into a squatted starting position
- Extend body out fully pressing with both upper and lower body
- End with full extension, core tight, glutes squeezed, and hips down
- COMPOSITE Glute Press
- Tighten your core
- Chest up
- Butt back slightly
- COMPOSITE Ab Crunch/Back Row
- Tighten your core
- Feet firmly planted on the floor
- Hips stay down and connected to the seat pad
- Plank
- Shoulders over elbows
- Head in a neutral position
- Round back up slightly
- Tighten core
- Squeeze glutes
The Exercise
Final Thoughts
Even though this workout uses machines that go in one plane of motion, it is still important to take into consideration how you are using the machine. Stay on top of your form, breathing correctly, and bracing your core when needed. You will get tired after using these machines and going from movement to movement.
Stop and catch your breath before proceeding to the next machine as needed — it’s better to have the quality of a movement than the quantity of a movement.
Focus on form with your plank so that your lower back does not dip. This can cause irritation and possible injury. If you have any questions about the machines or your workouts, be sure to ask your nearest trainer or instructor about proper technique and usage.