Man, woman, beginner or advanced…any great trainer will tell you each of the exercises below will in some form have to be part of your weekly workouts in order to attain a healthy and conditioned state.
As a refresher, resistance training should be performed 2-3 times a week to achieve optimal results. When we are working out, muscles experience micro-tears or small traumas to the muscle that then result in inflammation or soreness in the 24-72 hours to follow a workout. After this, with proper rest and nutrition, the body bounces back stronger than before by healing and strengthening these micro-tears. It is key to catch the body 2-3 days after the last work out in order to keep progressing upward.
Use this guide as a checklist for current workouts. What are you missing?
1. Vertical pull– (ex. Lat pulldown or Pull-up) : An excellent way to develop back, shoulder and bicep strength, these exercises help to strength the backside of the body and bring it into balance with the front side of the body. Start with the pulldown and transition to the assisted pull-up. Work your way to ultimately pulling your own body weight.
2. Squat: A personal favorite, the squat is an awesome way to build leg strength, cardiovascular power, breathing technique, core endurance, as well as increasing bone density and sheer strength over the whole body. Start with body weight squats and leg presses and progress to dumbbell squats and barbell squats. Have a trainer analyze your technique as the perfect squat is a near impossible thing to achieve.
3. Horizontal press– (ex. Chest Press or Pushup): A key to upper body and core strength, and an old-time favorite, this exercise is important for strength in the chest muscles, front of the shoulder and triceps. If you sit at a desk all day, try not to over do the number of exercises in your program of this type as they can lead to aggravated inwardly rotated shoulders. Start with chest press machines or kneeling pushups, move to the dumbbells, barbells and body weight pushups.
4. Lunge/Step Up : My favorite way to torture a man, the lunge/step up are amazing ways to build cardiovascular stamina, train the quadriceps and gluteals, work on running patterns, range of motion and flexibility. With the exception of those rehabilitating knee, hip or ankle injuries, everyone should include these at least once a week or more in their workouts.
5. Horizontal pull– (ex. Seated Row or Dumbbell Row) : A fantastic way to train the upper and middle back muscles between the shoulder blades, the back of the shoulder and the biceps; the row for most folks should be performed twice as much as the press. Start on a row machine, move to dumbbells and barbells, and ultimately work your way up to body weight rows hanging from a barbell.
6. Deadlift : This is a hard one to get right on your own. There are several kinds which we will distinguish at a later date and they are all good for you if you are free of lower back issues or hamstring tension. Besides being an outstanding way to fire up your hamstrings and glutes, the deadlift puts your core parallel to gravity and against resistance. Reap the benefits of the deadlift by squeezing your core as you lift up and exhale. Start light until you feel your glutes, hamstrings and abs working and then progress the weight.
7. Vertical press– (ex. Military Press or Arnold Press) : The shoulders are a key element to overall strength in the upper body. The vertical press is a gateway exercise to many harder strength and power exercises. Skip this exercise if you have any shoulder impingement or herniated discs. Start with small dumbbells and progress your way up the dummbell rack.
8. Plank: Looking for spinal or core stability? The plank is your man. Start with 20-30 second planks and try to build up to 2 minutes. The plank can be done anywhere in the world, on almost any surface. No excuses. Get down and start counting.
Need more specifics? Forward your questions to liz.marmesh@gmail.com or comment below.
Happy essential exercising!!
