The Six Best Exercises of All Time
Jim Willett
March 06, 2008
Each of us is different in the way our bodies respond to exercise; things like gender, genetics, body type and diet all play a big part. However, in my opinion there are some "must do" exercises that should be incorporated into almost everyone´s routine. Of course you should always visit a doctor before you embark on a fitness program. The following exercises are in no particular order.
Skipping:
This is a fantastic way to integrate cardio into your workout program. For a nominal investment—you can get ropes for as low as $5—your cardio machine goes anywhere with you. It is fairly low impact and improves coordination, agility, and quickness. Simply start off with 60 second intervals and work your way up or, you can do what I do and add skipping between sets of resistance training to make it a big time calorie burning circuit.
The Lunge:
There are many variations of lunge, all of which are great, but my personal favorite is the walking lunge. It is a very functional exercise that will help improve all aspects of your life. Lunges work the entire lower body! Yes, even some core.
The Dead Lift:
This is the most challenging of the exercises in terms of technique. I would suggest starting off with a stiff legged dead lift with little to no weight and get the form perfected before moving on. This is a very effective exercise for your hamstrings, glutes, and lower back. If done properly you will even see an improvement in flexibility.
The Pull-Up:
There are no other exercises that hit the upper body quite like a good old fashioned chin up. If you can do your own body weight great, but if not then start with an assisted version and work your way up. Use a different hand position often to give yourself variety and so that your body doesn´t adapt.
The Push-Up:
This age old exercise is still one of the best—even in the era of fancy machines. There are many types of push-up beyond the basic. Elevate your feet (i.e. on a bench) to make it more difficult, or elevate your torso (i.e. feet on the floor, hands on bench) to make it easier. For a great core workout try it using a ball.
The Leg Raise:
This is a killer ab exercise. You can always doing them lying on the floor, but I prefer to do a hanging leg raise. In fact, I will often do them using the corner of the kitchen counter (where the counter makes an L) by straightening my arms and propping my weight onto my hands. Make sure to control the movement for better results and to protect your back.
These exercises make up the bulk of my fitness program, but I do incorporate other things in for variety and balance. I try to make every workout completely different. Even taking just six exercises you can have hundreds of variations of workouts. You can change; number of reps, sets, tempo (how fast or slow you do a rep), order of exercises, active recovery (skip between sets), or circuit training (moving from one exercise to the next).
For more info visit us at www.fabscyberfitness.com
Skipping:
This is a fantastic way to integrate cardio into your workout program. For a nominal investment—you can get ropes for as low as $5—your cardio machine goes anywhere with you. It is fairly low impact and improves coordination, agility, and quickness. Simply start off with 60 second intervals and work your way up or, you can do what I do and add skipping between sets of resistance training to make it a big time calorie burning circuit.
The Lunge:
There are many variations of lunge, all of which are great, but my personal favorite is the walking lunge. It is a very functional exercise that will help improve all aspects of your life. Lunges work the entire lower body! Yes, even some core.
The Dead Lift:
This is the most challenging of the exercises in terms of technique. I would suggest starting off with a stiff legged dead lift with little to no weight and get the form perfected before moving on. This is a very effective exercise for your hamstrings, glutes, and lower back. If done properly you will even see an improvement in flexibility.
The Pull-Up:
There are no other exercises that hit the upper body quite like a good old fashioned chin up. If you can do your own body weight great, but if not then start with an assisted version and work your way up. Use a different hand position often to give yourself variety and so that your body doesn´t adapt.
The Push-Up:
This age old exercise is still one of the best—even in the era of fancy machines. There are many types of push-up beyond the basic. Elevate your feet (i.e. on a bench) to make it more difficult, or elevate your torso (i.e. feet on the floor, hands on bench) to make it easier. For a great core workout try it using a ball.
The Leg Raise:
This is a killer ab exercise. You can always doing them lying on the floor, but I prefer to do a hanging leg raise. In fact, I will often do them using the corner of the kitchen counter (where the counter makes an L) by straightening my arms and propping my weight onto my hands. Make sure to control the movement for better results and to protect your back.
These exercises make up the bulk of my fitness program, but I do incorporate other things in for variety and balance. I try to make every workout completely different. Even taking just six exercises you can have hundreds of variations of workouts. You can change; number of reps, sets, tempo (how fast or slow you do a rep), order of exercises, active recovery (skip between sets), or circuit training (moving from one exercise to the next).
For more info visit us at www.fabscyberfitness.com
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