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Exercises

Full body exercises for men: squat, hinge, push, pull and carry

Published October 29, 2026

The best full body exercises for men are one from each movement pattern: a squat (barbell back squat or goblet squat), a hinge (trap bar or Romanian deadlift), a horizontal press (bench press or push-up), a vertical press (overhead press), a vertical pull (pull-up or lat pulldown), a row, and a loaded carry like the farmer's walk. A full body session takes three to five of them, one per pattern, for 3 sets each. Three sessions a week with a rest day between is the standard; two works if you are busy. Stop each set 1 to 3 reps short of failure and add weight when every set reaches the top of its range.

  1. Barbell Back Squat Quads, Glutes, Adductors
  2. Trap Bar Deadlift Quads, Glutes
  3. Barbell Bench Press Chest
  4. Pull-Up Lats
  5. Barbell Overhead Press Shoulders
  6. Barbell Row Upper Back, Lats
  7. Farmer's Walk Forearms, Traps, Shoulders
  8. Goblet Squat Quads, Glutes

Squats and hinges

The leg lifts are the heaviest in any full body session, so do them first. Alternate a squat-led day with a hinge-led day so neither pattern has to be trained heavy every session.

Quads and glutes, heavy squat

Barbell Back Squat

Quads, Glutes, Adductors

It loads more muscle than any other lift on this list except the deadlift, and it is the best measure of lower body strength. Make it the first lift on your squat day.

How to do it

  1. Set the bar across your upper back below the neck, hands just outside your shoulders, and unrack it.
  2. Stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart, toes turned out a little.
  3. Breathe in, tighten your stomach as if bracing for a punch, and sit down between your heels.
  4. Stand back up keeping your chest and hips rising together.

Cues

  • Breathe and brace
  • Chest and hips rise together
  • Whole-foot pressure

Common mistakes

  • Hips shooting up first out of the bottom: lighten the bar and keep your chest rising with them.
  • Letting the stomach go soft between reps: re-brace at the top of each one.

Swap for: Front Squat, Box Squat

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Glutes, hamstrings and back, heavy hinge

Trap Bar Deadlift

Quads, Glutes

Works the legs, hips, back and grip in one lift, with a bar position that is easier to learn than a straight-bar deadlift. If a session can only have one lift, this is the one.

How to do it

  1. Step inside the trap bar with the handles beside your feet.
  2. Push your hips back, bend your knees, and grip the handles.
  3. Flatten your back, take the slack out, and stand up by pushing the floor away.
  4. Lower under control. Each warm-up set adds weight toward your working sets.

Cues

  • Push the floor away
  • Flat back
  • Slack out before you pull

Common mistakes

  • Yanking the bar off the floor: pull the slack out first.
  • Rounding the back as the weight climbs: hold the ramp until the setup is solid.

Swap for: Barbell Deadlift, Romanian Deadlift, Kettlebell Deadlift

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Quads and glutes, dumbbell squat

Goblet Squat

Quads, Glutes

The squat for home and for the lighter day of the week. Holding the dumbbell at your chest keeps your back upright and your depth honest.

How to do it

  1. Hold a dumbbell or kettlebell vertically against your chest.
  2. Sit down between your knees, elbows inside them at the bottom.
  3. Stand up tall.

Cues

  • Elbows nudge the knees out at the bottom.
  • Chest stays up behind the weight.

Common mistakes

  • Letting the weight pull you forward.

Swap for: Bodyweight Squat, Barbell Back Squat

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Hamstrings and glutes, dumbbell hinge

Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift

Hamstrings, Glutes

The hinge with dumbbells. It trains the back of your legs through a long stretch and leaves your back fresher than a heavy deadlift.

How to do it

  1. Stand hip-width apart with a dumbbell in each hand resting against the front of your thighs, palms facing you.
  2. Push your hips straight back and let your torso fold forward, knees softly bent, the dumbbells brushing your legs.
  3. Lower until the dumbbells pass your knees and you feel a strong stretch in your hamstrings, with your back still flat.
  4. Drive your hips forward to stand back up, squeezing your glutes at the top, and repeat.

Cues

  • Hips back, not down
  • Dumbbells slide down your legs
  • Flat back, chin tucked

Common mistakes

  • Bending the knees into a squat so the dumbbells go lower: the depth comes from the hips, and most people stop just past the knees.
  • Rounding the lower back at the bottom: end the rep where your back stays flat, and lighten the load if that is high.

Swap for: Single-Leg RDL, Dumbbell Good Morning, Kettlebell Deadlift

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Presses

One horizontal press and one overhead press each week covers chest, shoulders and triceps. The barbell lets you add weight in small steps; dumbbells and push-ups cover home training.

Chest, shoulders and triceps, heavy press

Barbell Bench Press

Chest

The upper body lift that takes the most weight, and the easiest to progress in 5 lb jumps. Use it as your main press on a barbell plan.

How to do it

  1. Lie on the bench with your eyes under the bar, feet planted, and squeeze your shoulder blades back and down into the pad.
  2. Grip the bar a little wider than shoulder width, unrack it, and hold it over your shoulders with locked elbows.
  3. Lower the bar to your lower chest, around nipple height, with your elbows angled roughly 45 to 70 degrees from your sides.
  4. Touch your chest without bouncing, then press the bar up and slightly back until it is over your shoulders again.

Cues

  • Shoulder blades stay pinned
  • Bar to the nipple line
  • Drive your feet into the floor

Common mistakes

  • Flaring the elbows straight out to the sides: let them sit a bit closer to your ribs so your shoulders stay comfortable.
  • Lifting your hips off the bench to finish a rep: keep your glutes down and count that rep as your last.

Swap for: Flat Dumbbell Press, Smith Machine Bench Press, Machine Chest Press

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Chest and triceps, dumbbell press

Flat Dumbbell Press

Chest

Each arm works on its own and the dumbbells can go deeper than a bar. It is the press for home training or the second press of the week.

How to do it

  1. Lying on a flat bench, hold two dumbbells above your chest.
  2. Lower the bells to the sides of your chest with elbows at about 45 degrees.
  3. Press them back up over your shoulders.

Cues

  • Shoulder blades pinched.
  • Control the lowering.

Common mistakes

  • Flaring the elbows straight out.

Swap for: Push-Up, Barbell Bench Press

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Shoulders and triceps, standing press

Barbell Overhead Press

Shoulders

Pressing a bar overhead while standing trains the shoulders and makes your whole trunk brace to hold position. One session a week is enough to keep it moving.

How to do it

  1. Set the bar in a rack at collarbone height and grip it just outside your shoulders, wrists stacked over your elbows.
  2. Unrack it onto your upper chest, take one step back and set your feet about hip width apart.
  3. Squeeze your glutes, brace your abs so your ribs stay down, and take a big breath.
  4. Press straight up, pulling your chin back so the bar clears your face.
  5. Once the bar passes your forehead, push your head through until the bar sits over the middle of your foot with your arms locked.
  6. Lower it along the same line to your upper chest and re-brace before the next rep.

Cues

  • Glutes tight, ribs down
  • Chin back, bar straight up
  • Head through at the top

Common mistakes

  • Leaning back to finish reps, which turns the lift into an incline press: lower the weight until your torso stays vertical for the whole set.
  • Pressing the bar forward around your face: pull your chin back and keep the bar close enough to brush your nose.
  • Stopping short of lockout: finish every rep with the bar over your mid-foot and your arms straight, or the rep doesn't count in your log.

Swap for: Dumbbell Shoulder Press, Landmine Press, Machine Shoulder Press

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Chest and triceps, bodyweight press

Push-Up

Chest

A press you can do anywhere and make harder with a pause, a slower lowering or your feet raised. Good as the home press and as a quick finisher.

How to do it

  1. Set your hands slightly wider than your shoulders with your body straight from head to heels.
  2. Lower until your chest nearly touches the floor, elbows at about 45 degrees.
  3. Press back up to straight arms.

Cues

  • One straight line
  • Elbows angled back

Common mistakes

  • Flaring the elbows straight out: tuck them toward your ribs.

Swap for: Kneeling Push-Up, Incline Push-Up, Push-Up Plus

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Pull-ups and rows

Match every press with a pull. A vertical pull builds the lats, a row builds the mid-back, and doing both every week keeps your shoulders balanced against all the pressing.

Lats and biceps, bodyweight pull

Pull-Up

Lats

The best upper body pull for size and strength using body weight alone. If you cannot do 5 yet, start with the lat pulldown and come back to it.

How to do it

  1. Grab the bar overhand, hands a little wider than your shoulders, and hang from fully straight arms.
  2. Pull your shoulders down away from your ears before your elbows start to bend.
  3. Drive the elbows toward your ribs until your chin passes over the bar.
  4. Lower slowly to a dead hang and pull again.

Cues

  • Shoulders down, then pull
  • Legs still and together
  • Two seconds on the way down

Common mistakes

  • Swinging the legs to cheat reps: cross your ankles and brace the abs.
  • Half reps from a bent-arm start: finish each rep at a full hang.

Swap for: Chin-Up, Lat Pulldown, Band-Assisted Pull-Up

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Lats, cable pull

Lat Pulldown

Lats

Trains the same vertical pull as the pull-up with a weight you choose. Use it until you have strict pull-ups, then keep it for higher-rep work.

How to do it

  1. Set the thigh pad so your legs are locked under it, then stand up and take the bar a little wider than your shoulders, palms forward.
  2. Sit down with your arms fully stretched overhead and lean back only slightly.
  3. Pull the bar to your upper chest by driving your elbows down toward your hips.
  4. Let the bar rise until your arms are straight and your shoulders lift toward your ears, then pull again.

Cues

  • Elbows to your back pockets
  • Bar to the top of the chest
  • Let the stack lift you at the top

Common mistakes

  • Leaning far back and rowing the bar to your stomach: stay nearly upright so it remains a vertical pull.
  • Stopping with the arms still bent at the top: the stretch overhead is half of what makes the pulldown work.

Swap for: Pull-Up, Neutral-Grip Lat Pulldown, Single-Arm Lat Pulldown

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Upper back and lats, heavy row

Barbell Row

Upper Back, Lats

A heavy row that trains the back and makes your hips and lower back hold a hinge at the same time. It is the pull to pair with the bench press.

How to do it

  1. Hold the bar at your thighs, hinge forward until your torso is near 45 degrees, back flat.
  2. Row the bar to your lower ribs with the elbows tucked near your sides.
  3. Lower to straight arms and keep the torso angle.

Cues

  • Brace before every rep
  • Bar to the belly button

Common mistakes

  • Standing taller each rep as it gets heavier: if the hinge goes, the set is over.

Swap for: Pendlay Row, Dumbbell Bent-Over Row, T-Bar Row

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Lats and upper back, supported row

One-Arm Dumbbell Row

Lats, Upper Back

With one hand on a bench, your lower back rests and your lats can pull hard. The row for home and for days after heavy deadlifts.

How to do it

  1. Put one hand and the same-side knee on a bench, or your hand on a chair seat with both feet on the floor, so your back is flat.
  2. Hold a dumbbell in the other hand with your arm hanging straight.
  3. Pull your elbow back toward your hip until the dumbbell reaches your ribs.
  4. Lower it until your arm is straight again, finish all reps, then switch sides.

Cues

  • Elbow to your hip
  • Back flat as a table
  • Full stretch at the bottom

Common mistakes

  • Twisting your chest open to lift the dumbbell higher: keep both shoulders level.
  • Shrugging the shoulder up toward your ear: pull the elbow back, not the shoulder up.

Swap for: Band Bent-Over Row, Dumbbell Bent-Over Row, Seated Cable Row

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Swings and carries

These train the whole body at once with a high heart rate. Use them at the end of a session: a carry for grip and trunk, or swings for hip power and conditioning.

Glutes and hamstrings, explosive hinge

Kettlebell Swing

Glutes, Hamstrings

Fast hinge reps with a kettlebell build hip power and raise your heart rate in a few minutes. A useful conditioning finisher when you do not want separate cardio days.

How to do it

  1. Stand with your feet a little wider than your hips, the bell set about a foot in front of you.
  2. Hinge down, grip the handle with both hands, and hike the bell back between your thighs.
  3. Snap your hips forward to stand tall, letting the bell float up to about shoulder height on straight arms.
  4. Let it fall back between your legs as you hinge again, and go straight into the next rep.

Cues

  • Hips snap, arms just hold on
  • Stand tall at the top
  • Bell passes high between the thighs

Common mistakes

  • Squatting the swing by bending the knees deeply: push your hips back and keep the shins nearly vertical.
  • Lifting the bell with your shoulders: if your arms are working, the hips are not driving it.

Swap for: Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift, Kettlebell Deadlift, Superman

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Grip, traps and trunk, loaded carry

Farmer's Walk

Forearms, Traps, Shoulders

Walking with heavy dumbbells trains the grip, traps, trunk and legs at once. It takes three sets at the end of a session and makes every pulling lift easier to hold.

How to do it

  1. Pick up two heavy dumbbells with your back flat.
  2. Stand tall with your ribs down and walk with short, quick steps.
  3. Set the weights down with a flat back when the time or distance is up.

Cues

  • Ribs down
  • Crush the handles
  • Quick steps

Common mistakes

  • Letting the shoulders round forward.
  • Walking so slowly the dumbbells start to swing.

Swap for: Dumbbell Suitcase Carry, Dumbbell Single-Arm Overhead Carry

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Put them together: example sessions

Each session below picks from the exercises above for one situation, with the sets, reps, rest and RIR filled in.

Session 1

Three days a week in a gym with a barbell

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts3× a week
  • Working sets32 a week
  • Per workout~35 min
  • EquipmentBarbells, Flat Bench, Dumbbells, Trap Bar +3

You can get to a gym three times a week, you know the main barbell lifts or are ready to learn them, and you want to build strength and size together.

Each day leads with a different heavy lift so no pattern is loaded hard twice in a row. Day A has 11 sets, Day B 9 and Day C 12, which puts each major muscle at about 9 to 12 hard sets a week.

Day A: Squat and bench
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Barbell Back Squat3 warm-up sets first 3 × 5–8 2 3 min
Barbell Bench Press2 warm-up sets first 3 × 5–8 2 2:30 min
Barbell Row 3 × 8–10 2 2 min
Farmer's WalkSeconds, not reps. 2 × 30–45 2 90 s

Open Day A: Squat and bench in the session builder

Day B: Deadlift and press
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Trap Bar Deadlift3 warm-up sets first 3 × 4–6 2 3 min
Barbell Overhead Press1 warm-up set first 3 × 6–8 2 2:30 min
Pull-Up 3 × 5–10 1 2 min

Open Day B: Deadlift and press in the session builder

Day C: Volume
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Goblet Squat 3 × 10–12 2 90 s
Flat Dumbbell Press 3 × 8–12 1 90 s
Lat Pulldown 3 × 8–12 1 90 s
Kettlebell Swing 3 × 12–15 3 90 s

Open Day C: Volume in the session builder

How to run it
Train Monday, Wednesday and Friday, or any three days with a rest day between. Run A, B and C in order.
How to progress
Add 5 lb to the squat, bench, overhead press and row, and 10 lb to the trap bar deadlift, when every set reaches the top of the rep range at the target reps in reserve. Add reps to pull-ups until you reach 10, then add weight.
Open in the session builder

Session 2

Two days a week and 45 minutes each

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets20 a week
  • Per workout~35 min
  • EquipmentBarbells, Flat Bench, Dumbbells, Trap Bar +1

Work and family leave you two gym sessions a week, and you want them to count.

With two sessions, each one trains every pattern: a squat or hinge, a press and a pull. Day 1 has 9 sets and Day 2 has 11, so the main muscles still get about 6 hard sets a week, which is enough to make steady progress when every set counts.

Day 1: Squat
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Barbell Back Squat3 warm-up sets first 3 × 6–8 2 3 min
Barbell Bench Press1 warm-up set first 3 × 6–8 2 2:30 min
One-Arm Dumbbell RowPer arm. 3 × 8–12 1 90 s

Open Day 1: Squat in the session builder

Day 2: Deadlift
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Trap Bar Deadlift3 warm-up sets first 3 × 5–6 2 3 min
Barbell Overhead Press 3 × 6–10 2 2 min
Lat Pulldown 3 × 8–12 1 90 s
Farmer's WalkSeconds, not reps. 2 × 30–45 2 90 s

Open Day 2: Deadlift in the session builder

How to run it
Keep two or three days between sessions, for example Tuesday and Friday or Monday and Thursday.
How to progress
Double progression on every lift: add reps up to the top of the range at the target reps in reserve, then add 5 lb (10 lb on deadlifts) and start again at the bottom.
Open in the session builder

Session 3

At home with dumbbells, a bench and a pull-up bar

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts3× a week
  • Working sets35 a week
  • Per workout~30 min
  • EquipmentDumbbells, Flat Bench, Pull-Up Bar

You train at home with adjustable dumbbells, a flat bench and a doorway pull-up bar, three days a week.

Dumbbells are lighter than a barbell, so each session uses higher reps and an extra set on the legs to make up the effort. Day A has 12 sets and Day B has 11; alternating them three times a week gives each muscle about 10 to 14 hard sets.

Day A: Squat and push
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Goblet Squat1 warm-up set first 4 × 8–15 2 90 s
Push-Up 3 × 8–20 2 90 s
One-Arm Dumbbell RowPer arm. 3 × 8–12 1 90 s
Farmer's WalkSeconds, not reps. 2 × 40–60 2 90 s

Open Day A: Squat and push in the session builder

Day B: Hinge and pull
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift1 warm-up set first 4 × 8–12 2 2 min
Flat Dumbbell Press 3 × 8–12 2 90 s
Pull-Up 4 × 4–10 1 2 min

Open Day B: Hinge and pull in the session builder

How to run it
Train three days a week, alternating A and B: A, B, A one week and B, A, B the next.
How to progress
Build reps to the top of each range on every set, then take the next dumbbell up. When the heaviest dumbbell is too light, slow the lowering to 3 seconds and add a pause at the bottom.
Open in the session builder

Make it fit you

Questions

What is the best full body workout for men?

Three days a week, each with a squat or hinge, a press, a pull and an optional carry, 3 sets each at 1 to 3 reps in reserve, with the weights going up over time. The three-day barbell plan on this page is that workout.

What are the 10 best full body exercises?

Barbell squat, trap bar deadlift, Romanian deadlift, bench press, overhead press, pull-up, barbell row, push-up, kettlebell swing and farmer's walk. Together they cover every movement pattern.

What is the most complete full body exercise?

The deadlift. It trains the legs, glutes, back, traps and grip in one lift and takes the heaviest loads you will handle. It still needs a press and a pull to round out the upper body.

How many days a week should men do full body workouts?

Three, with a rest day between, works best for most. Two is enough to keep progressing if each session is complete, and four is possible if the extra session is lighter.

Is full body better than a split?

For most men training three days or less, yes, because each muscle gets trained two or three times a week. With five or six days available, a split lets you spread the work more evenly.