The Essential 7 Exercises

Have you ever been in the gym wondering if you are doing the right exercises or if you're missing any exercises? As numerous as the exercises are, there are only a so many movements the human body can perform.

Here are the essential 7 movements to keep in your exercise program:

1.) Squat
2.) Hip Hinge
3.) Lunge
4.) Upper body push
5.) Upper body pull
6.) Rotation
7.) Gait

Within the guidelines of these essential 7 movements you can choose an array of exercises. Here are some of my favorites that I use for my clients whether they're looking to gain muscle, tone, build stamina and strength, or just feel better.



Squat

Any variation of squat will work your quads, hamstrings, adductors (inside thigh), abductors (outside thigh), back muscles, and glutes (if you go low enough). Some variations even get your abs heavily involved!

1.) Bodyweight Squat - This is the first exercise I use for almost all my clients! It's that important! You can use a chair, ottoman, or small box as a target to sit on and get the right depth. Stand tall with feet about shoulder-width stance, keep your knees away from each other and in line with your toes as you sit back on to the chair or ottoman.

2.) Goblet Squat - This is usually the next step from a bodyweight squat. Grab a dumbbell, hold it under your chin, and sit back on to a chair or low box. 

3.) Back Squat - This is a staple in most programs especially for athletes. This should absolutely be done in a squat rack or power rack (the big cage in the gym). With the barbell on your back squat just like the above squats, keeping your knees in line with your toes.

Position the bar mid shoulder not on the neck

 


Hip Hinge

Hip Hinge is fancy trainer talk for bend at the waist, NOT the back. There will be no rounded backs in FitChurch! Hip hinge exercises work primarily the back, glutes, and hamstrings.


1.) Deadlift - Place a barbell on the floor, stand tall, while keeping a long spine, bend a the waist and pick up the bar.

Be sure to keep your midsection tight and straight

 

2.) Rack Pull - This is simply a deadlift off the bars in the power rack. This is usually where I start people deadlifting. It's just like a deadlift only, instead of having the bar on the floor start with the bar higher by setting the safety pins in the power rack.

3.) Romanian Deadlift - This is another great place to start learning how to hip hinge. Start with the bar in your hands. While keeping a long spine, bend at the hips as you push your butt back like you're going to wipe a chalkboard with it.

I would also consider glute bridges in this category.



Lunge

This is essentially like a squat on one leg. It will work the quads, hamstrings, adductors (inside thigh), and glutes.


1.) Step Up - This is a simple one. Grab a hefty box or set of stairs. Step up then step down in reverse. Repeat.

2.) Reverse Lunge - Stand tall. Imagine your feet are on railroad tracks and slide one foot backwards. Return to the start.

3.) Side Step - We often forget side to side movements. This will hit the glutes like no other! Stand tall, step sideways into a lunge. Return to the starting position.

Upper Body Push

There are really two different push exercises; horizontal pushes and vertical pushes. Horizontal pushes involve pushing away from your chest against resistance (think bench press), vertical pushes involve pressing something overhead against resistance (think shoulder press). Horizontal pushes all work the chest, shoulders, and triceps where as vertical pushes work primarily the shoulders and triceps, as well as other muscles around the shoulder blades.

 
1.) Push Up - The go-to exercise to start! Simply lay down on the floor and push yourself back up while keeping your torso rigid and straight. Start on the knees and progress to toes then feet up on a bench or chair.

Keep your weight shifted forward like you're balancing on your arms.

Notice the elbows don't flare out to the side. Shifting weight forward will take care of this.

2.) Bench Press - This is the standard in the gym. Use either dumbbells or a barbell. Lay down on your back on a bench, with a firm grasp on the weight lower it to your chest then press it back up.

Just like the push ups, elbows are tucked.

3.) Shoulder Press - The shoulder press is a great exercise to strengthen and tone the shoulders and triceps and even keep healthy shoulders... healthy! While sitting or standing tall with a tight torso, take dumbbells or a barbell from the front of the shoulders and press straight overhead.

Again, elbows are tucked.

Upper Body Pull

When you think upper body pull think row, pull ups, etcetera. These exercises work the lats (back), upper back around the shoulder blades, rear shoulders, biceps, and forearms. Just like with the horizontal pushing and vertical pushing, there are horizontal pulls and vertical pulls. For horizontal pulls, you pull toward your chest against resistance. For vertical pulls, pull toward your chest from overhead. 




1.) Seated Row Row Row... (I'll let you finish the song) - Rowing is hands down my favorite exercise for shoulder health and working the upper back that is so important for posture! I'm not a big fan of sitting when exercising but the seated row is a great place to start. You'll find this machine at most gyms. Sit tall with relaxed shoulders, firmly grab those handles and pull toward your chest. The key here is to squeeze your shoulder blades together like you're trying to crack a walnut.

Squeeze those shoulder blades together!

2.) One Arm Dumbbell Row - With one knee and one hand on a bench, firmly grasp a dumbbell and pull it to your chest. For full benefits, get the shoulder blade on the pulling side moving! Allow it to relax slightly as you lower the weight and pull it back as you pull the weight back.

3.) Lat Pull Down - I would have chosen assisted pull ups but not every gym has the luxury of an assisted pull up machine. However, most facilities do have a pull down machine. This is the one with the bar hanging high on a cable. While holding the bar with an even grip, have a seat. Pull the bar to your upper chest while thinking about pulling your chest up to the bar. It is okay to lean back a little while doing this exercise as long as you don't swing.

Rotation

Rotation primarily involves abs work. The buzz word here is "core." You can also include anti-rotation exercises here to teach your torso to NOT move under load. Rotation or anti-rotation exercises work the obliques, the abs, and even small muscles in the lower back. 


1.) Pavel Press - Outside of planks, the Pavel Press is a great way to teach how to hold your torso tight. This will not only tighten your stomach but help improve posture and help support your back. Set a cable or resistance band to our side about chest height. With the band or cable to your side, grab the handle in a partial squat position. With a braced torso, extend your arms straight in front of you. The key is to resist the pull of the weight.

Keep a tight torso and resist the pull of the band

2.) Up-Down Planks - This is another anti-rotation exercise. Start in a push up position on your hands, lower one elbow to the floor then the other. Raise yourself back up to your hands one at a time. The key is to keep your torso tight and straight.

3.) Crunches - Sometimes rotation isn't the best idea. When I plan clients' exercises I lump ab exercises in general with rotation exercises. A great exercise to get those abs turned on and working is the crunch. While lying on your back and feet flat on the floor, reach toward your knees so your shoulders lift off the floor and you feel your abs tighten. To progress from here, reach straight overhead instead of toward your knees.

Gait

Gait is quite simply, walking. This will work your entire body. I use it for planning cardio.


1.) Farmer's Walk - Pick up two dumbbells and walk. It's that simple. Again, stay tall and tight. This is a great exercise for your obliques especially if you only carry one dumbbell on one side.

2.) Walk, Jog, Run - Every now and then, when stress gets you down, go for a walk or jog and blow off some steam. Enough said.



What a Week Might Look Like

Monday

Goblet Squat 2 sets of 12 reps
Bench Press 2 sets of 12 reps
Seated Row 2 sets of 12 reps
Palloff Press 2 sets of 12 reps

Wednesday

Rack Pull 2 sets of 12 reps
Shoulder Press 2 sets of 12 reps
Lat Pulldown 2 sets of 12 reps
Crunches 2 sets of 12 reps

Friday

Step Ups 2 sets of 12 reps
Push Ups 2 sets of 12 reps
One Arm Dumbbell Row 2 sets of 12 reps
Farmer's Walk 2 sets of 12 reps
   


Summary

These are just the essential exercises. Almost every routine should include at least one of each of these sometime in the week. Once you get used to keeping these in your routine, feel free to add extra exercises for any area you want to work on a little extra. This could be a triceps extension and a biceps curl at the end of each workout to get a little extra arm muscle and shape. Whatever you do, keeping these essential 7 movements as the core routine will serve most people very well.  


Love God, love people.

-Chris