3 Exercises for Every Workout

I was on the road yesterday driving to a business appointment and I was thinking about fitness and exercise (I know that is weird but it's what I do). Anyway, I was thinking about which exercises are the most important and should be incorporated into every workout.

I went in a few different directions but came up with these three. I am not suggesting that you only incorporate these movements; my point is that every resistance training program must include these exercises or a variation of them.

Here they are with a brief explanation:

1. Lunge - This exercise utilizes all of the major muscles in your legs and mimics a functional movement - walking. It is relatively easy to perform and can be adapted to match your fitness level. I will sometimes use only my bodyweight for resistance or I will grab dumbbells to increase the difficulty. There are easily 12-15 different variations of the lunge, so pick one and incorporate it into your routine.

2. Push-up - Body weight exercises are a great way to measure your muscle strength and endurance and a push up is an awesome place to start. This movement utilizes the deltoid (shoulder), chest, and triceps. It will also indirectly fire the core muscles for stabilization purposes. One can use variations of the push up to increase or decrease the difficulty. For instance place your hands on a bench or chair to elevate your upper body to make it easier. Or put your feet up on the bench or chair to increase the difficulty. Find the way that is best for you and get started with the push-up!

3. Rowing motion - This can be done from a seated or bent over position. Rowing is the best way to develop the postural muscles. It strengthens your entire upper back and rear deltiods (shoulder) as it pulls the shoulders back into a good posture. A bent over row can be done with dumbbells or a bar while a seated row needs to be done with a machine.

I hope this helps you improve your exercise program. I am just finishing up the December workouts for PersonalPODTraining, they are looking great! All of our programs include these 3 movements and their variations.

Check out a short video sample at http://www.personalpodtraining.com/ , if you need help programming and would like a trainer to take you through each workout PersonalPODTraining may be right for you. Check out the FAQ page http://www.personalpodtraining.com/faqs.asp if you have questions.

Please add comments and pass on to anyone interested.