Read 23 times since Monday, January 23, 2012
The general awareness of what constitutes good exercise selection is low. One of my challenges as a Glasgow personal trainer is to convince new guys in my gym that there are better options than curls and lateral dumbbell raise. Here are 5 great exercises that guys should use to get their bodies ready to be put on public display.
The first exercise all guys should be doing is deadlift. It works the low back, glutes, hamstrings, the upper back and shoulders making it great for your posture. Working this much muscle also provides a really strong cardiovascular effect, especially when done for slightly higher reps, as well as increasing the levels of healthy muscle building hormones.
To target the upper back you should perform pull ups. If you are not strong enough to do them you should invest in some resistance bands and use them to help until your strength level allows you to do them without assistance. At this point you can start adding weight using a hip belt and dumbbell. Upper body pulling movements also work the biceps and forearms really hard so you don't need any specific arm work.
The bench press is often seen as "the" upper body exercise I think there are better options. Weighted press ups, which are far easier on your shoulders and force your core muscles to maximally contract, provide a much better return for your efforts. Just elevate your hands and feet, load the movement with a dumbbell from a hip belt and go to work. Your shoulders and triceps will also get a ton of work which produces a strong, balanced physique.
For the abs I believe that the grappler twist is the best option. Just hold one end of a standard Olympic bar with the other end wedged in a corner and lift it from one hip to the other, keeping your arms and legs straight and turning through the hips as the bar moves. You can add weight to the top of the bar to increase the workload.
For cardio I would always go with a skipping rope because it is cheap, portable, challenging and as effective, probably more so, than any other cardio option. People tend to shy away from the rope because it is not instantly easy. Huge mistake! Stick at it for a couple of weeks and you will see why I recommend it over everything else. Iain Smith (MPhil/CSCS) owns Standout Gym, an independent warehouse gym in Glasgow, focusing on weight loss. He offers small group training as an affordable alternative to Glasgow personal training. Iain is a former international decathlete with 17 years coaching experience. www.standoutgym.com.
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