In order to get the best results in the shortest amount of time, exercise selection is key. If you waste your time doing the wrong exercises, you’re not going to get the results you want.
Instead, you’ll be spinning your wheels, wondering why you’re not getting the results you want, despite all the effort you’re putting in.
Below are 5 exercises we use at GameChanger to make sure you are getting the most our of your fitness program.
#1 – Squats
Squats are an amazing exercise that challenge the entire musculature legs like no other. Glutes, hammies, quads – you name it. If you were stuck with using only one lower body exercise for the rest of your life, SQUATS would be the right choice.
Not only are they one of the best exercises for leg strength, but they are ESSENTIAL to human movement. People were created to squat! People in the African and Asian continents are a great example of this – people in these parts of the world don’t sit to relax they SQUAT.
#2 – Bench Press
One of the largest, strongest muscles in the upper body is the chest. It allows us to push away forcefully, carry large heavy objects in our arms, amongst other useful movements.
The bench press strengthens and develops the chest muscles due to the fact the chest is the primary mover in this exercise. On top of that, the bench press also targets the triceps and front delts, as well as the rest of the upper body indirectly because of the amount of stabilization needed during this lift.
The bench press is one of biggest bangs-for-your-buck for the upper body!
#3 – Rows
While the bench press targets some of the largest, strongest muscles in the upper body, the row (which is the opposite movement) is just as essential.
Why? Because the muscles on the front side of our body become over-developed due to everyday living: driving, computer usage, desk work, and the bad posture associated with these activities.
Rows target the muscles of the upper-back, as well as the rear delts and biceps, providing a bit of symmetry for all the work that the front side of our upper-bodies perform. Rows, when combined with the bench press, provide almost all of the work your upper-body needs to be strong, healthy, and balanced.
#4 – Deadlifts
We all knows that one guy – maybe that uncle who works in a factory, or that Army friend of yours – who is always called on for help whenever somebody needs help with moving furniture in and out of the house. This kind of person is simply built for picking up heavy objects off the ground.
You may not have been born with that same gift, but you definitely can TRAIN to be able to do the same thing. Deadlifts are an exercise that have you use your entire musculature to pick up heavy weight off of the ground.
They directly target the posterior chain (the glutes, hamstrings, erectors, etc.), but really, the ENTIRE BODY is involved in the deadlift. If there is one exercise to live and die by, it is the deadlift.
#5 – Planks
Everyone wants a nice set of washboard abs, but no one seems to be doing the right thing to achieve them.
First, abs are revealed through dieting, which is a discussion for another time. Second, countless sit-ups and crunches do not even train the abs in the way they were meant to be used: to stabilize the core.
The right way to train them is through stiffness, rigidity, and good posture. Our hips and shoulders produce force, and our core transfers it from the upper-body to lower, and vice versa.
We train this using PLANKS.
Planks involve you staying stiff and immobile in a position that requires good posture. Your abs will be fighting the whole time to keep you from falling out of this optimal position.
And that’s it folks! If you aren’t using these 5 exercises in your program, you aren’t training your body completely, nor are you using your time as efficiently as possible.
~ Coach Mark
