Best Exercises to Do
By admin on Aug 28, 2010 in Health and Fitness
Sometimes when you combing through piles of books, online workouts, and magazine articles it is difficult to figure out what the best exercises are to do.
And although it’s great to have a custom exercise program designed for you it’s not always an option. In these cases I highly recommend you skip the fancy Bosu ball movements and stick with the exercises that will give you the most “band for the buck.” What this means is that by choosing a certain group of movements to do you will cover every muscle in your body and get in a great workout.
The best exercises are called “compound movements” which require more than one joint to work, and therefore, increase the amount of muscle groups that are needed to complete that exercise. This will ensure you will be improving the intensity of the workout, as well as not stressing any one particular joint too much.
These compound movements/exercises include:
- Vertical and horizontal chest and shoulder presses (upper body)
- Vertical and horizontal pulls/rows for the back and shoulders (upper body)
- Squats (lower body)
- Deadlifts (lower body)
- Step-Up (lower body)
- Lunges (lower body)
So remember when you’re stumped on which exercises to include in your program be sure to refer back to this list!
Also, if you haven’t tried SELF’s, “Design Your Own Workout” Video tool be sure to check it out (you can even incorporate some of the exercises I mentioned!)
Stephen Cabral, CSCS, CPT, NS is the owner of Stephen Cabral Studio weight loss & personal training in Boston, MA, and also offers online fitness coaching.
Credits to:Nutrition Data: Dieting & Weight Loss Blog