A to Z Workouts: The Complete Guide to Exercises from Arms to Legs

A-Z workouts refer to workout routines that cover exercises for each letter of the alphabet. This can be a fun and creative way to structure a full-body workout program that hits all the major muscle groups. In this article, we’ll go through sample exercises for each letter to create a comprehensive A-Z workout plan.

The sections will cover the following:

A – Abs: Crunches, planks, leg raises, etc.

B – Back: Pull-ups, rows, deadlifts

C – Cardio: Running, cycling, jump rope

D – Delts: Shoulder presses, lateral raises, front raises

E – Explosiveness: Jump squats, box jumps, burpees

F – Full Body: Compound exercises like squats, push-ups, pull-ups

G – Glutes: Hip thrusts, donkey kicks, bridges

H – HIIT: High-intensity interval training

The goal is to provide a diverse selection of exercises that target all the major muscle groups for a complete workout from A to Z. With a little creativity, you can develop a fun and challenging routine using this structure. The focus will be on bodyweight exercises, free weights, and simple equipment to make it accessible for home workouts. Let’s dive in and explore sample exercises for each letter!

A – Abs

Abs are a key muscle group that many people want to target in their workouts. Here are some of the most effective ab exercises:

Crunches

Crunches are a classic ab exercise that work the rectus abdominis, the large muscle that runs down the front of your abdomen.

To do a crunch:

• Lie face up on the floor with your knees bent and feet flat. You can cross your arms over your chest or put your hands lightly behind your head without pulling on your neck.
• Contract your abs to lift your torso off the floor a few inches. Focus on using your core muscles rather than momentum.
• Slowly lower back down to starting position.
• Repeat for 10-15 reps.

Crunches can be done with variations like twisting the torso or using an exercise ball for added challenge.

Planks

Planks are an isometric exercise that builds core stability and strength.

To do a plank:

• Start in pushup position, balancing on forearms and toes. Keep your body in a straight line without sagging or piking your hips.
• Hold the position, keeping your abs engaged, for 30-60 seconds.
• Lower to your knees and rest for a few seconds.
• Repeat for 3-5 sets.

Over time, work up to holding the plank for longer durations. You can make planks more difficult by doing them on one leg or with your arms extended.

Leg Raises

Leg raises target the lower abdominals.

To do lying leg raises:

• Lie face up on the floor with legs extended and arms at your sides or under your hips for support.
• Keeping legs straight, slowly raise them up towards the ceiling, stopping before your back comes off the floor.
• Lower back down with control.
• Repeat 10-15 times.

For added difficulty, do hanging leg raises by grasping a pull up bar and lifting legs up while hanging. Work up to 3 sets of 10-12 reps.

B – Back

The back is a crucial muscle group to strengthen to improve posture and prevent back pain. Some of the best back exercises include:

Pull-Ups

Pull-ups are a compound exercise that target the lats, rear delts, biceps, and other upper back muscles. Grip an overhead bar with hands shoulder-width apart using either an overhand or underhand grip. Pull your body up until your chin clears the bar. Lower back down with control. Pull-ups can be done with different hand positions to emphasize different back muscles.

Bent Over Rows

Bent over rows work the middle and lower back. Hold a barbell with hands shoulder-width apart using an overhand grip. Bend knees slightly and hinge forward at the hips to bend your torso parallel to the floor. Keep your back straight and pull the barbell straight up towards your chest. Lower back down with control. You can also do one-arm dumbbell rows for each side.

Superman Holds

The Superman hold strengthens the entire backside from shoulders to hamstrings. Lie face down with arms extended overhead and legs straight behind you. Simultaneously raise your arms, legs, and chest off the ground as you contract your back muscles. Hold for 10-30 seconds before lowering back down. Work towards holding for 60 seconds.

Lat Pulldowns

Lat pulldowns allow you to isolate the latissimus dorsi muscles. Sit at a cable machine and grip the bar using an overhand grip that’s wider than shoulder-width. With your torso upright, pull the bar down to your chest by drawing your shoulder blades down and back, squeezing your lats. Slowly raise the bar back up.

C – Cardio

Cardiovascular exercise, or cardio, is essential for heart health and burning calories. Some of the most popular and effective forms of cardio workouts include:

Running

Running is one of the simplest yet most effective cardio workouts. It requires no equipment other than a good pair of running shoes. Running outside provides the benefits of fresh air and change of scenery. It burns a significant amount of calories, with the exact amount depending on the intensity and duration of your run.

Cycling

Both outdoor and indoor cycling are fantastic for cardio. Outdoor cycling allows you to enjoy nature while getting your heartbeat up. Indoor cycling classes provide structure and accountability. Cycling works the glutes, quads, hamstrings, and core while providing a zero-impact cardio workout. It’s easy to modify resistance and pace to create the intensity you desire.

Swimming

Swimming is a stellar form of cardio that works your entire body while easing stress on your joints. The cool water can also help you push harder and longer than other workouts due to the body heat reduction. Swimming engages all the major muscle groups and provides phenomenal calorie burn.

HIIT

HIIT (high-intensity interval training) refers to short, intense intervals mixed with active rest periods. HIIT can apply to nearly any exercise, including sprinting, cycling, jumping rope, stair climbing, and more. HIIT workouts build cardiovascular fitness and boost calorie burn in a short time frame. Popular HIIT workouts include Tabata, CrossFit, and bootcamp style classes. HIIT trains both the aerobic and anaerobic systems.

In summary, running, cycling, swimming, and HIIT style workouts are exceptional forms of cardio exercise with unique benefits. Incorporating a variety of these workouts into your routine will build cardiovascular health and endurance while torching calories.

D – Delts

The deltoid muscles make up the rounded caps covering your shoulder joints. Working your delts directly gives your shoulders that appealing rounded shape. There are three sections of the deltoid:

• Anterior (front) deltoid
• Lateral (side) deltoid
• Posterior (rear) deltoid

To target all three heads of the deltoid, incorporate overhead presses, lateral raises, and front raises into your workout routine.

Overhead Press

The overhead press directly works the anterior and lateral deltoid heads. To perform:

• Stand holding a barbell or dumbbells at shoulder height. Hands should be slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, palms facing forward.
• Press the weight straight overhead until arms are fully extended.
• Slowly lower back to start position.
• Repeat for reps.

Overhead press allows you to move heavy weight to really challenge those delts and build size and strength.

Lateral Raise

The lateral raise directly targets the lateral deltoid head. To perform:

• Stand holding dumbbells at your sides with palms facing inwards.
• Raise the dumbbells out to your sides until arms are parallel with the floor, keeping a slight bend in the elbows.
• Slowly lower back to start position.
• Repeat for reps.

Lateral raises really isolate and fatigue those side delts for excellent definition. Go lighter weight here for strict form.

Front Raise

The front raise works the anterior deltoid head. To perform:

• Stand holding dumbbells in front of thighs with palms facing back.
• Raise dumbbells straight in front of you until arms are parallel with floor.
• Slowly lower to start position.
• Repeat for reps.

The front raise rounds out your delts by directly working that front section. Again, go lighter here focusing on form.

By incorporating overhead presses, lateral raises, and front raises into your routine, you’ll sculpt strong, rounded delts in no time. Just remember to use proper form and weight to avoid injury.

E – Explosiveness

Explosive exercises like plyometrics are a great way to build power, strength, and speed. They involve quick, powerful movements that engage muscles forcefully to increase muscle recruitment. This helps develop fast-twitch muscle fibers which are used for explosive strength.

Some excellent plyometric exercises include:

• Jumping squats – Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, send hips back and bend knees to lower into a squat. Explode up with force, jumping as high as possible. Land with soft knees and go right into the next rep.
• Burpees – Start standing, drop into a squat and kick feet back into a push-up position. Do a push-up then jump feet back in towards chest and explode up, jumping with arms overhead.
• Box jumps – Face a sturdy box or platform. Dip down into a quarter squat, swing arms behind you then swing them forward and explode up onto the box, landing softly on the balls of your feet. Step back down and repeat.

Plyometrics are high-impact, so it’s important to start with low reps and have good form. Perform these exercises on soft surfaces and make sure to land softly, avoiding excessive impact on joints. Warm up properly before explosive moves.

Adding plyometrics into your routine 2-3 times per week will boost athletic performance, leg power, and overall conditioning. Just a few sets of 10-15 reps can be very effective. Explosive moves like these are a great way to take your workouts to the next level!

F – Full Body

Full body workouts are designed to train your entire body in one session by using exercises that engage multiple muscle groups at once. This type of training is efficient, allowing you to get an effective total body workout in less time compared to training muscle groups separately. Full body workouts are great for building overall fitness and strength.

Some of the best full body exercises include:

Squats

Squats are considered one of the best full body exercises. They target the quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, calves and core. To perform:

• Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, toes slightly turned out.
• Engage core and send hips back like sitting in a chair.
• Push through heels to return to start position, squeezing glutes at the top.
• Keep chest up, core braced and weight in heels throughout motion.

Deadlifts

Deadlifts work almost every major muscle by hinging at the hips and lifting weight off the floor. Muscles worked include the back, glutes, hamstrings, quads, core and grip. To perform:

• Stand behind bar with feet hip-width apart and knees slightly bent.
• Bend at hips and grasp bar with arms just outside legs. Engage core.
• Lift bar by driving through heels, keeping back flat.
• Return weights to floor by hinging at hips and controlling descent.

Push-ups

Push-ups engage the chest, shoulders, triceps, core and legs. To perform:

• Place hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
• Keeping body in straight line, lower chest to ground by bending arms.
• Push back to start position by straightening arms.
• Engage core throughout movement.

Full body training is an efficient way to boost overall fitness. Compound exercises like squats, deadlifts and push-ups work multiple muscle groups at once to burn calories and build total body strength.

G – Glutes

The glutes, also known as the butt muscles, are a group of three muscles: the gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, and gluteus minimus. They play an important role in movement and stabilizing the hips and pelvis. Strong glutes can help prevent injury and improve athletic performance. Some of the best exercises to target the glutes are:

Squats

Squats are considered one of the best exercises for building and toning the glutes. They work all three glute muscles as you lower down into the squat and drive back up. Variations like barbell back squats, goblet squats, sumo squats, and squat jumps can all effectively target the glutes. Focus on going low with good form to fully activate the glutes. Add weight as you get stronger for an even greater challenge.

Lunges

Lunges target the glutes in a unilateral movement, working each leg independently. Forward, reverse, walking, and side lunges will all hit the glutes hard. Make sure to take a big enough step and keep your torso upright to fully engage the glutes. You can hold dumbbells to make lunges more challenging. Explosive jump lunges also up the intensity.

Hip Thrusts

Hip thrusts isolate the glutes since you are pushing your hips up against resistance. They target the glutes more directly than squats or lunges. You can do hip thrusts with just bodyweight or while holding a barbell or dumbbells across your hips. Make sure to drive through your heels and squeeze your glutes at the top. High reps will really burn out the glutes.

Targeting the glutes 2-3 times per week with challenging weight and high reps will help build strength and muscle. Combine glute exercises with squats, lunges, and hip thrusts for a well-rounded workout. Strong glutes support overall fitness.

H – HIIT

High intensity interval training (HIIT) has become a popular form of exercise in recent years for its ability to burn fat and build muscle efficiently through short bursts of intense activity. HIIT workouts alternate short periods of anaerobic exercise with less intense recovery periods. A typical HIIT workout may involve 30 seconds of all-out effort followed by 60-90 seconds of lower intensity active rest, repeated for 10-30 minutes.

Some benefits of HIIT include:

• Increased calorie burn – By pushing your heart rate up for short intervals, your body continues burning calories at an elevated rate even during recovery periods. Studies show HIIT can burn 25-30% more calories than other workouts in a shorter time period.
• Improved cardiovascular fitness – The intensity spikes during HIIT improve VO2 max and heart health.
• Efficient strength and muscle building – The intense exertion of HIIT prompts your body to adapt through improving anaerobic capacity and building lean muscle mass.
• Fat burning – The metabolic demands of HIIT result in greater fat burning, especially visceral belly fat.
• Time efficiency – Typical HIIT workouts are done in under 30 minutes. The high intensity spikes eliminate the need for longer exercise sessions.

Popular HIIT workouts include sprints, cycling, jump rope, rowing, and bodyweight exercises like burpees, jumping jacks, and mountain climbers. It’s important to tailor HIIT workouts to your fitness level and gradually increase intensity over time to prevent injury. Proper recovery between HIIT sessions is also key.

Conclusion

A full body a-z workout plan that hits every major muscle group from abs to glutes has many benefits. By working all the major muscle groups, you build overall fitness, strength, endurance, and balance in the body. A balanced full body routine prevents overuse injuries by avoiding overtraining specific muscles while neglecting others. It’s an efficient way to get a complete workout in less time compared to isolating muscle groups on different days. Full body workouts are great for weight loss as they burn calories and boost metabolism by using lots of muscles at once. They can be adapted for any fitness level by adjusting weights, reps, and rest periods. A complete a-z workout plan allows you to hit every muscle in creative ways with a variety of exercises for maximum results. The convenience, efficiency, and effectiveness of full body workouts make them an excellent choice for overall fitness.