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Strength training is the only form of exercise that can help you build muscle.

And you’ll need it if you want a toned and more defined physique.

Plus, muscle is functional and makes everyday life a whole lot easier. 

Consider this total body gym workout your introduction to strength training. 

How many times should I do this workout each week?

I recommend going through this workout twice per week, with at least 48 hours in between workouts.

For example, let’s say you do this workout on Tuesday morning.

You’d wait at the very least until Thursday morning to run through the workout again.

The ultimate total body gym workout

Your workout is as follows:

1. Barbell squats: 3 sets x 5-7 reps (tutorial)
2. Flat dumbbell bench press: 3 sets x 6-8 reps (tutorial)
3. Barbell hip thrust: 3 sets x 8-10 reps (tutorial)
4. Lat pull down: 2 sets x 8-10 reps (tutorial)
5. Leg curl: 2 sets x 10-12 reps (tutorial)
6. Cable rope tricep press down: 2 sets x 12-15 reps (tutorial)

Rest time between sets: 2-3 minutes.

If you’re sitting there thinking, “But that’s way too long, I need less rest so I can sweat, be out of breath, and get my heart rate up,” this is what you need to know…

None of those things mean you had a good workout.

A good workout happens when you lift as heavy as you possibly can and that can only happen if you take adequate rest between sets.

2-3 minutes is just a guideline too.

If you feel you need more rest to give it your all on the next set, then rest up and start your next set when you have the energy to give 100% max effort. 

1.) Barbell squat

Position yourself under the bar, lift the weight off, and back up slowly until you get to the spot where you’ll be performing your squats. 

Feet should be roughly shoulder-width apart or a little outside that.

And your toes should be pointed out slightly as well.

If you have a slight lean forward in your torso, you’ll target your glutes more.

If you’re more upright, that’ll hit more quads. 

Brace your core and squat down.

On the way back up, pretend you’re trying to make holes in the floor with your feet.

This will get you in the mindset of generating power to get the weight up. 

2.) Flat dumbbell bench press

Lay flat on a weight bench with the weight resting on your chest. 

Make sure you’re not flaring your arms out at 90 degrees.

Your arms should be positioned at around a 30-45 degree angle.

As you press the weight up, I want you to imagine you’re trying to touch your elbows together at the top of the movement.

This will place more emphasis on your chest and help you achieve a better muscle contraction. 

Lower the weight down nice and controlled.

Then, simply repeat for the desired number of reps.

3.) Barbell hip thrust

If you want to grow your glutes, I’d make this exercise a staple in your workout routine. 

Start in an upright position on the floor with your knees bent out in front of you.

Your shoulder blades should be right above the bench.

Roll the barbell up so that it’s right over your hips.

To perform your hip thrust:

• Keep your chin tucked
• Brace your core
• Push up through your heels like you’re trying to make a hole in the ground.
• Squeeze your glutes for dear life at the top of the movement and really get that muscle contraction.

At the top of the movement, your shin should form a straight vertical line.

Or another way to think about it is this: Your ankles should be directly below your knees. 

Thnk of your hip thrust as a scooping motion with your pelvis.

You’re not just moving the weight up and down.

You’ll feel it more in your back if you do that.

4.) Lat pull down

Sit down on the machine and adjust it to the setting that’s comfortable for you.

The starting position is with your arms exteded holding the bar. 

As you pull the bar down toward your chest, think of your arms as just hooks.

You want to be pulling through your elbows.

This will help you target your lats more effectively. 

Once you reach close to your chest (this is the bottom of the movement), slowly extend your arms and guide the weight back to the starting position. 

You don’t have to go all the way down to your chest, go to roughly chin height then slowly and with control return the weight to the starting position.

5.) Seated hamstring curl

Sit down on the machine and hold onto the andles that moast have if you’d like.

Curl the weight toward your until your shin is essentially a straight line up and down.

Slowly guide the weight back to the starting position and repeat for desired number of reps. 

6.) Cable rope tricep press down.

Stand with your feet roughly shoulder-width apart or slightly outside that. 

Have a slight bend in your knees. 

Set up the cable pulley so that it’s in the highest position it can be. 

You can use either a rope or cable bar attachment. 

Grab the attachment and make sure your elbows are close to your sides. 

Push your forearms down toward the ground.

At the bottom of the movement, your arms should be making a vertical line.

The key with this movement is to not allow the weight to swing up between each rep. 

Your elbows should be in a fixed position.

12-week dumbbell workout program

This total body gym routine is one of many workouts and programs on my blog.

I’ve scattered some of the other ones throughout this article but the one I’m about to share with you is by far the most comprehensive one I’ve created so far.  

It’s my free 12-week dumbbell workout program.

Downloading it means you won’t have to stress about what to do with your workouts for the next THREE MONTHS. 

Everything is laid out for you in this structured program–

The different exercises you should do, the number of sets, the number of reps, and all that good stuff. 

You get options too.

You can choose between a 3 and 4-day-a-week workout routine and I’ve also included three bonus core workouts for you to do!