Head to Toe Workout

While bodybuilders and elite athletes may need to also target some smaller muscles, for the average person a "head-to-toe" workout covers the major muscles of the chest, shoulders, upper and mid-back, arms, legs and core. By incorporating multi-joint as well as some muscle-specific exercises, you should be able to hit all the important areas in a 30- to 40-minute workout -- not counting cardio. For best effect, complete your full-body workout two to three times per week. With the exception of your core, you should never work the same muscles on two consecutive days. Split your workout into upper- and lower-body days or do a head-to-toe in nonconsecutive sessions.

  1. The Big Four

    • While you can vary the order, work four areas of the body -- chest, shoulders, upper back and lower back -- first. This is because working these major muscles also engages smaller muscles. If you tire the smaller, weaker muscles first, they will give out before you get to the point of fatiguing the larger muscles. For example, chest work usually incorporates the triceps at the backs of your upper arm, so you wouldn't want to work your triceps before working your chest. Following the first four, you can do your arms and legs. As core stability is required to complete most exercises, save your ab and core work for last, just before stretching.

    Chest, Upper Back and Shoulders

    • Lie on your back on a bench and grab a couple of dumbbells for chest presses. Starting with your arms extended in line with your shoulders and palms forward, bend your elbows directly out to your sides, stopping when your elbows are in line with the bench. Next, sit on the end of the bench, bending forward at your hips so your chest rests as close to your lap as possible. Starting with your arms hanging at your sides with palms facing in, bend your elbows slightly and, leading with your elbows, bring your arms up and out to your sides in a reverse fly, squeezing your shoulder blades together at the end of the move. This works your rear deltoids and other muscles of your upper back. As the chest press works your front delts, in addition to your pecs, you now only need to work your medial delts. Still holding onto your dumbbells, stand up and bend only slightly forward from your hips. Starting with your arms at your sides and your palms facing in, slowly lift your extended arms to your sides, bringing them in line with your shoulders, if possible. Do two sets of eight to 12 repetitions for each exercise or one set of 12 to 15, if you're pressed for time.

    Mid-Back, Triceps and Biceps

    • To hit the lats of your mid-back, place one knee and your hand on the same side on a bench. The opposite foot will be on the floor with your leg extended and slightly out from the bench. Hold a dumbbell in your extended loose arm, in line with your shoulder. Try to keep your back flat like a table. Keeping your weighted arm tight into your body, lift the weight by bending your elbow until your elbow comes just slightly past parallel to your torso. Stay in that position, but this time start with your free upper arm in line with your torso and your elbow fully bent. With your palm facing in, extend your arm behind you to work the triceps at the back of your upper arm. Finally, sit on the edge of the bench and hinge forward at your hips so that you can rest one hand on your knee and the elbow of the arm holding the dumbbell against the inside of your knee on the same side. Starting with your palm facing toward you, bend your elbow as you rotate your forearm, bringing your fist up toward your shoulder and giving it a squeeze at the end of the move. This works both your forearm and your biceps. Do two sets of eight to 12 or one set of 12 to 15 reps on each side.

    Thighs, Glutes and Calves

    • You can work the quads at the front of your thighs, the hamstrings at the back, the glutes in your butt and even your calves with one exercise -- squats. With your feet shoulder-width apart and your toes pointed forward, bend at your knees and shift your hips back slightly to squat down until your thighs are parallel to the floor, making sure not to allow your knees to overshoot your toes. If free squats are too difficult to start, hold onto a stable object for support or place a stability ball between your back and the wall. To hit your inner and outer thigh, lie on your side on a mat with your hips stacked. You can bend your bottom leg for support as you keep your top leg extended, lifting to about a 45-degree angle. To work your inner thigh, place your top leg on the floor behind you and raise your bottom leg. Do two sets of eight to 12 or one set of 15 repetitions for each exercise.

    Time-Saving Core Work

    • When working head-to-toe, you'll probably want to save time where you can. To work your entire core, get into a classic pushup position with your arms extended or rest on your forearms if that's to hard. Count as you hold a plank, contracting your abs and keeping your head, back and pelvis aligned. Every 15 seconds, take a deep breath and exhale as you pike your hips up while deeply contracting your abdominals. Do five to 10 pikes during each interval. To hit your obliques, get into a side plank position, resting on your forearm. Again, hold the plank for 15-second intervals. In between, raise your hips by contracting the muscles between the bottom of your ribcage and your hip bone. Do five to 10 of these each time.