The Five Most Benefical Exercises
You are busy, and you don’t have hours to spend on your fitness. Why should you? There is so much more to life than being stuck in the gym.
With thousands of exercises to choose from, how do you know which ones will benefit you the most from the time spent? This book presents 5 simple yet challenging exercises that will build strength for your entire body. All of these exercises can be performed at home with a little creativity, but you’ll be able to challenge yourself a lot more with the equipment in a gym.
As we get started, there are a couple of things I want you to remember.
The best exercises for overall fitness mimic everyday life can be scaled or modified to any fitness level. There are notes for scaling each movement at the end of each section.
Every exercise presented here is an ab exercise. That means keeping your core tight and engaged during every exercise. They may not be the primary muscle group being trained in the exercise but having them engaged is necessary for each.
Weighted Step-ups
The dumbbell-weighted step-up works your legs from calves to glutes, upper back, shoulders, forearms, and hands. Your core will also get a good workout as you’ll need to keep your abs tight as you move so you don’t fall forward with the extra weight.
Choose a platform about knee height to step up on
Hold a dumbbell in each hand. These should be moderately heavy but not so heavy that you have to put them down after a few reps or so heavy that they pull your body drastically forward when stepping.
Step one foot up onto the platform and try to use that same foot to complete most of the work and stand tall on the platform. Ensure that the knee and hip are fully extended on top of the box before putting weight on the other leg.
Step down and repeat with the opposite leg.
Deadlift
Basically, the deadlift is picking an object from the ground and standing up with it. It is one of the most basic weightlifting movements but engages the whole body. While it is simple, there are a few keys to performing it safely and effectively.
Feet directly under your hips
Hands outside of your hips, wide enough that your knees can travel forward and back without being squeezed in because of a narrow grip.
Full overhand gip on the bar.
Shoulders are slightly in front of the bar.
The back is flat and stays that way through the entire movement.
Squeeze the bar off the ground with the hips and shoulders rising at the same time.
The bar should remain close to the body the whole time. Touching or almost touching the legs.
Feet stay flat on the ground.
Finish with total hip and knee extension and shoulders behind the bar.
Hollow Rock
The “Hollow” position is one of the basic positions in gymnastics. Through this position, many advanced gymnastic movements are initiated. The Hollow Rock combines a static hold of the Hollow position and a rocking movement that resembles a rocking chair.
Lie on your back on the ground
Raise your legs into the air until they are pointing at the ceiling
Tighten your abs and push your spine to the floor.
Slowly lower your legs until just before you can no longer keep your lower back touching the floor and hold this position. As you get more experience with this position you’ll be able to get your feet closer to the floor while continuing to keep your low back touching the floor.
Reach your arms directly overhead.
Lift your head and shoulders slightly off the ground, keeping your arms in line with your ears. You are now in the Hollow position and should resemble the rocker on the bottom of a rocking chair.
Lock in the position, and don’t let it change.
Rock your body forward and back like a rocking chair, maintaining the ridged structure of the Hollow position.
Push Press
The Push Press is a shoulder-strengthening exercise that uses the entire body. It can be performed quickly with lighter weights for a conditioning workout or with heavier weights to build strength.
Begin with the barbell in front of you at shoulder height.
Hands are just outside of shoulder width.
Elbows are slightly in front of the bar.
Begin by bending your knees and lowering your hips straight down about 3 inches. Do not let your chest tilt forward. Keep it bolt upright.
Quickly extend your knees and hips like you’re jumping.
As soon as your knees and hips are fully extended, pull your face back out of the way and press the barbell straight up over your head.
As the barbell passes your face, move your head back into its initial position.
Press up hard and lock out your elbows as the bar reaches the top of the movement directly over your head.
Lower the bar by moving your elbows out in front of you and returning the bar to your shoulders.
Burpee
The simple burpee is a fantastic conditioning tool often skipped over for more glamorous exercises. It isn’t fun, but the burpee can greatly improve your fitness. There are many variations of the burpee. We’ll be using the one that requires the most work to be performed but is technically easier than many of the other variations. It is simple yet very effective.
From a standing position, bend over and place both hands on the floor.
Jump your feet back into a plank-like position and lower your body so that your chest is touching the floor.
With your hands still planted on the floor, bring your feet back up under your hips.
Stand up
Jump and clap your hands over your head.
Getting yourself as low to the ground as possible and then getting as tall as possible however you can is all that is required.
Incorporating these five exercises into your routine can greatly enhance your overall fitness. They are designed to work multiple muscle groups and can be adjusted to fit any fitness level. Remember to focus on proper form and consistency, and you will start seeing improvements in no time. Stay dedicated, and enjoy your fitness journey!
