6 of the Best (and worst).

6 Of the Best (andworst). 

As Iconstantly observe members training in various gyms, week in week out I havebegun to see a pattern emerging on exercises that work and ones that don’t. Ihave also spent countless hours myself, using exercises I saw in some musclemagazine or lifestyle mags like Men’s Health.

What I havefound however is that you only need a handful of exercises to have numeroustough, challenging workouts that get results. You can also spend 2 hours on thegym floor and achieve zilch.

 

Here is myshort but sweet list of my favourite ‘bang for your buck’ exercises coveringmost aspects of fitness and also ones I think are a waste of valuable time otherthan maybe a gentle warm up or cool down.

 

Best

1. Deadlift. Yes, the old favourite of picking a weight up off the floor. Pound for pound it is probably the most useful exercise to master for gym performance and also life away from the gym. It utilises most of the body’s musculature and also helps posture. It can be used with massive weights for strength gains and lighter weights for reps as fat burning.
2.  Squats. Alongside the deadlift for overall body use. It is a natural function of the body (getting on and off a toilet is a squat) and again it can be used with enormous weights or just with bodyweight for reps as a great fat burner.
3. Pull ups. This may not be in most peoples lists but I find only serious trainers can perform 1, never mind a handful. Pull ups can be used with bodyweight or added weight for advanced trainers or even scaled down with bands for beginners.
4. Clean and press. I couldn’t have a favourite list without one of the Olympic versions. Whether a full squat clean or a power clean, this movement is technical as well as physically challenging and can promote speed and power which will carry over to most sports and burn tonnes of calories too.
5. Boxing. I am not a fan of CV training but boxing training including bag work, pad work and skipping is fun as well as being hardcore. You get out of it what you put in and it is a great stress buster.
6. Rowing. Another CV method which can be used for endurance training (15 minutes plus) or interval work (20-120 seconds). Every energy system can be trained on the rower and it is ideal for injured people as it is non impact.

 

Just using theabove list you can generate many challenging workouts. Other exercises I liketo include are kettle bells drills, snatches, various press ups, gym ring workand dips.

 

Worst

1. X Trainer. Yes, everyone’s favourite and possibly the most overused piece of kit in every gym. Don’t get me wrong, they have their place. Great for injury rehab due to lack of impact and a good warm up/cool down option. Can also be good for obese people to begin the fat burning process but sooner of later you need to get some real work done. If you can read a magazine whilst working out for over 1 hour, it can’t be that tough!
2. Stepper. Again, does have its place but women doing 1 inch fairy steps does not seem like training to me. Good for making your calves burn and working up a sweat but not much else. Most women hold all their weight on their arms anyway so more of a triceps workout than legs.
3. Walking uphill on a treadmill while holding onto the console. This one still makes me chuckle. Just let go and see what happens! If you can’t walk without holding on, slow it down or lower the hill. Your heart will work harder and you will burn more calories anyway. If you want a really good fat burner, carry some weights while you walk too.
4. Shrugs. Much overused, mainly by men. Some guys (usually with big upper bodies and skinny, weak legs) spend ages with different types of shrug, rolling the shoulders back, forward, up and down. Dumbbells, barbell, machines, weight plates (all in one session). Start dead lifts and cleans and you wont need any shrugs.
5. Bicep curls and triceps kickbacks. Two isolation exercises, again used far too much. The arms are a small area on the body compared with legs and back but they seem to get more training time than both. Pull ups will train the biceps and presses (and dips) can train the triceps much better than kickbacks.
6. Inner/Outer thigh machines. Why do women spend so much time sat on these torture implements? Fat will not be burned off the thighs by squeezing your legs together a few times just as fat on tummy’s wont be burned by doing sit ups. Squat and lunge and you will have a better chance of wearing those shorts on your next holiday.

 

Myobservations above are made tongue in cheek to some extent as who is to say youcan’t get a hell of a workout on a X Trainer but from what I see, people chooseit because it is easy and they can read or watch television.

 

Good thingsin life come at a cost and this usually involves hardwork and perseverance.

As Dan Johnsays, the 3 best ways to exercise are as follows 1) pick something heavy offthe floor, 2) put something heavy above your head 3) pick up something heavyand carry it for time or distance. Try these 3 things one day and see how youfeel afterwards.