What you will learn in this blog post: HOW TO BUILD A STRENGTH WORKOUT ROUTINE THAT STRENGTHENS YOUR WHOLE BODY PROPERLY
If you don't work with a trainer or coach at the gym, it can be confusing deciding what exercises you should do to get a well-balanced workout that strengthens the entire body properly.
But once I break this down for you, it won't seem so complicated!
First, we break down the body into 3 general areas
→ Upper body
→Lower body
→Core
Your upper body consists of your shoulder, arms, chest and upper back
Your lower body consists of your hips, thighs and lower legs
Your core includes your torso and lower back
Second, we break down exercises/movement patterns...
Now that ↑ is probably where it sounds super complex and daunting. BUT guess what? We break all movements up into only 2 categories
→PUSHES
→PULLS
Yup! That is it! Of course there are more complex movements out there that add in rotation and such... but at its most basic core all movements are some type of PUSH and some type of PULL. The complexity is usually when it combines the two together.
AND the important part, if you balance out your pushes and pulls you will be giving your body healthy balanced strength and movement to be faster, stronger, and injury free.
SO when we combine each body region with each movement category we get...
→Upper body push
→Upper body pull
→Lower body push
→Lower body pull
→Core
If you routinely complete exercises in each of the above 5 categories, you will be strong, powerful, and much less likely to injure yourself!
Now what is the best way to balance those exercises out?
It could be within a workout, within one superset of your workout, or it could even be within a week.
For instance:
Within a work out (you get all movement done within one session)
25 minutes of:
One upper body push
One upper body pull
One lower body push
One lower body pull
One core exercise
Within a superset of your work out (all movements done within your session but broken up into smaller supersets)
4 rounds of superset 1:
One upper body push
One lower body push
4 rounds of superset 2:
One upper body pull
One lower body pull
Core finisher
Within your week (by the end of the week you have worked on all movements)
Monday:
Focus on upper body pushes and pulls
Wednesday:
Focus on lower body pushes and pulls
Friday:
Focus on conditionings and core
And those are just 3 ideas to get you started! The options and combinations are endless!
So what are the specific exercises that constitute pushes and pulls? Here are some basic exercises to get you started...
Upper body pushes:
→ Push ups
→Chest press
→Overhead press
Upper body pulls:
→Dumbbell rows
→TRX rows
→Chin/pull ups
Lower body pushes:
→Squats
→Lunges
→Step ups
Lower body pulls:
→Deadlifts
→Kettlebell swings
→Bridges
Core:
→Front planks
→Side planks
→V-ups
The above is a great place to start... BUT if you want to know even more exercises for each exercise category (plus demo videos), more ways to put together your workouts, and exercises for injury prevention...
Grab this
In your guide you will learn
✔ The right & wrong way to build balanced strength workouts
✔ 6 ways to make your old workout feel fresh and new!
✔ 15+ necessary exercises to improve flexibility and prevent joint injuries
✔ Plus some BONUS surprises!
And continue to follow along our blog as we dive deeper into how to properly build balance in your weekly workouts...