Most everyone has an opinion about what comprises the perfect workout, from the writers at fitness magazines and blogs to your local Johnny Bravo. But what’s ideal for you may be a nightmare for Johnny, like LEG DAY, or vice versa. It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the options—and to do nothing as a result is not an effective solution.
Instead of getting flustered by it all, get to know the universal components of an effective workout plan: These eight multi-joint, multi-muscle exercises incorporate essential everyday movements. Together, they form a sound foundation for almost any fitness regimen.
How many of these have you already done?
- Squat: Move from an upright position with or without a weight supported across your back.
- Deadlift: Use your back and legs to pull a weight off the floor to thigh level.
- Overhead Press: Use your arms and shoulders to push a weight vertically over your head.
- Push Press: In addition to using your arms and shoulders, you’ll also use your legs to provide extra momentum as you raise the weight over your head.
- Push Up: In this body-weight exercise, you’re pushing your torso up off the floor with your arms, chest and shoulders.
- Pull Up: In the ultimate body-weight exercise, you’re drawing from your upper-back and arm strength to fight gravity and raise your body to an overhead bar.
- Dip: For this body-weight exercise, you assume a seated position off the bench, with your arms behind you, to raise and lower your body; the focus is on the triceps.
- Step Up: Leading with one leg, you elevate your entire body onto a raised platform. It’s like climbing one step of a giant staircase.
Putting it all Together
Taken as a whole, these exercises will hit all of your major muscle groups and ensure that you’re getting a complete workout. But knowing which exercises to do is only one part of setting up a program. You also need to be thinking about how you’re going to do these exercises. Specifically:
- How many sets will you be doing?
- How many reps per set?
- How much weight – in terms of percentage of your one-rep max – will you be working with?
- Which exercises will you be doing on which days?
- How many times are you going to do each exercise per week?
Of course, no one expects you to know how to build these exercises into your regimen while also figuring out the answers to these questions–that’s where REPTS’s Program Design service comes in: You get essential exercises into your program—and perform them with your specific goals in mind. Whether you’re working out on your own or with a trainer, you’ll do well to work these essentials into your program–and REPTS is always ready to help.
