In the fast-paced world we live in, finding time for a workout can be challenging. It’s one thing to go to the gym three or four times a week; it’s quite another thing to actually do the right things when you get there. The truth is that a lot of people are consistent with their routine, but they’re still forgetting the fundamentals that virtually guarantee more muscle, more fat loss and faster results. Worse, by ignoring these fundamental movements that every great workout program has, they’re risking injuries and plateaus.
Whether you’re at home, in a hotel room, or enjoying the outdoors, these 10 simple fundamental movements of all exercises offer a versatile and accessible way to stay active and maintain your fitness goals. Incorporate them into your workout routine, and experience the benefits of regular physical activity wherever life takes you.
Don’t let that be you. Instead, study the 10 fundamental movements of all great exercise routines to ensure that (1) you’re doing the most you can to build the body you want and, (2) you’re avoiding a breakdown.
Top 10 Fundamental Movements of All Great Exercises
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1 OF 10
1 of 10
Gorodenkoff
A Squat
Every great workout routine needs a squat. Sometimes called the “King of Exercises,” the squat develops a strong, powerful lower body, while activating every leg muscle—even your calves have to flex to help you drive from the bottom. Better still, there are dozens of variations like the goblet squat or the overhead squat to emphasize speed, coordination, or strength. Also, because it lights up so many muscles, your body will produce more growth hormone to repair itself and build more fibers.If you have an injury that prevents you from squatting, however, we understand—follow this guide to add mass to your legs without the pain.
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Edgar Artiga / M+F Magazine
A Deadlift
The squat and deadlift are the bread-and-butter of workouts. They’re both the foundation of any intelligent strength program and you can’t have one without the other. All you have to do is put a heavy weight on the ground and lift it.The deadlift strengthens the powerful muscles in your hamstrings, glutes, and upper-back (the main drivers of the exercise); it even builds your arms as you hold onto hundreds of pounds of iron and develops a strong, stable core. Pulling a lot of weight on the deadlift will pack on size quickly and stimulate more total-body growth.
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Edgar Artiga / M+F Magazine
A Lunge
A lunge combines massive leg strength with total-body control. You’ll sculpt enormous quads and boost your endurance while developing your motor control. Also, because it mimics running mechanics, it’s incredibly sports-specific and lets you target each leg separately so you can prevent imbalances and injuries.
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gradyreese / Getty
A Heavy Row
Show me a man who does a lot of heavy rows and I’ll show you a man with an impressive upper-body and healthy shoulders.Heavy rows like barbell rows, T-bar rows, and single-arm dumbbell rows will add mass to your traps and lats, boost your grip strength, grow your biceps and forearms, and even improve your posture. Pulling a lot of weight will give you a strong foundation to push a lot of weight, too.
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antoniodiaz / Shutterstock
A Heavy Push
To build a powerful and massive upper-body, you need heavy pushes. Exercises like barbell bench presses, overhead presses, and incline presses pack on a lot of muscle around your chest, shoulders, and arms.With the overhead press, for example, you’ll strengthen muscles throughout your entire kinetic chain. You generate force from the ground, through your core and spine, and out through your upper-body and arms—that adds slabs of muscle to your frame while demanding total-body activation.
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Friends Stock
A Great Warmup
You make or break your workout before you even touch a weight. To guarantee maximal performance with every workout, you need to warm up your body effectively. Bad warmups, however, leave strength gains on the table because you’ll never train at your highest potential.Instead of just doing a quick jog on the treadmill to break a sweat, use movements that prepare your body and nervous system for a hard workout, eliminate your weak-links, and improve your movement quality. Follow these warmup exercises for a great blend of activation drills to improve your mobility, posture, and strength.
7 of 10
gilaxia / Getty
Cardio
Every guy needs cardio. Cardiovascular work improves your heart health, increases your recovery between sets and workouts, and clears waste from your muscles via your blood stream to alleviate soreness. But a lot of guys still think cardio will “burn their muscle” and kill you strength.It could. If you use the wrong type, that is. If you’re afraid of losing your strength, do slow, easy, and relaxed long-distance cardio—you’ll spare your Type-II (fast-twitch) muscle fibers and create the changes within your cells for more work capacity. What if you’re trying to pack on muscle and skyrocket your strength? Do sprint intervals with just 10 seconds of work and 60 seconds of rest to build your anaerobic endurance. Now, you’ll be able to do multiple sets of heavy weight without as much fatigue.
8 of 10
PeopleImages / Getty
Core Exercises
All great workout routines have ab exercises. Your core provides stability for your entire body, transfers force and power from your lower-body to upper-body, and keeps your spine and vital organs safe. But to sculpt your six-pack, skip the old-fashioned moves like sit-ups and crunches, which are actually bad for you; instead, use exercises that maintain a neutral spine like planks, paloff presses, chops, lifts, and rollouts.
9 of 10
Inti St Clair / Getty
Deloads
It’s exhausting (and dangerous) to crush your body at 100% intensity, all the time. To ensure consistent progress and prevent a crippling breakdown, you need to schedule rest periods into your workout routine.Here’s a simple method to deload: Drop your volume in half for just one week every 6-8 weeks while switching to more single-leg and single-arm exercises. You’ll still lift heavy weights to build muscle, but you’ll reduce the cumulative stress on your muscles and joints as well as the fatigue on your central nervous system.
10 of 10
Nestor Rizhniak / Shutterstock
Balance
Balance is the key undertone to any great workout routine. For example, if you train your chest, you need to train your back; if you blast your quads, remember to target your hamstrings and glutes. This will prevent any weak links, imbalances, and, uh, odd-looking physiques.Also, avoid training your upper-body 4-days-a-week while training your lower-body only once. This will result in more muscle growth and less injuries.
Every great workout routine needs a squat. Sometimes called the “King of Exercises,” the squat develops a strong, powerful lower body, while activating every leg muscle—even your calves have to flex to help you drive from the bottom. Better still, there are dozens of variations like the goblet squat or the overhead squat to emphasize speed, coordination, or strength. Also, because it lights up so many muscles, your body will produce more growth hormone to repair itself and build more fibers.
If you have an injury that prevents you from squatting, however, we understand—follow this guide to add mass to your legs without the pain.
A Deadlift
The squat and deadlift are the bread-and-butter of workouts. They’re both the foundation of any intelligent strength program and you can’t have one without the other. All you have to do is put a heavy weight on the ground and lift it.
The deadlift strengthens the powerful muscles in your hamstrings, glutes, and upper-back (the main drivers of the exercise); it even builds your arms as you hold onto hundreds of pounds of iron and develops a strong, stable core. Pulling a lot of weight on the deadlift will pack on size quickly and stimulate more total-body growth.
A Lunge
A lunge combines massive leg strength with total-body control. You’ll sculpt enormous quads and boost your endurance while developing your motor control. Also, because it mimics running mechanics, it’s incredibly sports-specific and lets you target each leg separately so you can prevent imbalances and injuries.
A Heavy Row
Show me a man who does a lot of heavy rows and I’ll show you a man with an impressive upper-body and healthy shoulders.
Heavy rows like barbell rows, T-bar rows, and single-arm dumbbell rows will add mass to your traps and lats, boost your grip strength, grow your biceps and forearms, and even improve your posture. Pulling a lot of weight will give you a strong foundation to push a lot of weight, too.
A Heavy Push
To build a powerful and massive upper-body, you need heavy pushes. Exercises like barbell bench presses, overhead presses, and incline presses pack on a lot of muscle around your chest, shoulders, and arms.
With the overhead press, for example, you’ll strengthen muscles throughout your entire kinetic chain. You generate force from the ground, through your core and spine, and out through your upper-body and arms—that adds slabs of muscle to your frame while demanding total-body activation.
A Great Warmup
You make or break your workout before you even touch a weight. To guarantee maximal performance with every workout, you need to warm up your body effectively. Bad warmups, however, leave strength gains on the table because you’ll never train at your highest potential.
Instead of just doing a quick jog on the treadmill to break a sweat, use movements that prepare your body and nervous system for a hard workout, eliminate your weak-links, and improve your movement quality. Follow these warmup exercises for a great blend of activation drills to improve your mobility, posture, and strength.
Cardio
Every guy needs cardio. Cardiovascular work improves your heart health, increases your recovery between sets and workouts, and clears waste from your muscles via your blood stream to alleviate soreness. But a lot of guys still think cardio will “burn their muscle” and kill you strength.
It could. If you use the wrong type, that is. If you’re afraid of losing your strength, do slow, easy, and relaxed long-distance cardio—you’ll spare your Type-II (fast-twitch) muscle fibers and create the changes within your cells for more work capacity. What if you’re trying to pack on muscle and skyrocket your strength? Do sprint intervals with just 10 seconds of work and 60 seconds of rest to build your anaerobic endurance. Now, you’ll be able to do multiple sets of heavy weight without as much fatigue.
Core Exercises
All great workout routines have ab exercises. Your core provides stability for your entire body, transfers force and power from your lower-body to upper-body, and keeps your spine and vital organs safe. But to sculpt your six-pack, skip the old-fashioned moves like sit-ups and crunches, which are actually bad for you; instead, use exercises that maintain a neutral spine like planks, paloff presses, chops, lifts, and rollouts.
Deloads
It’s exhausting (and dangerous) to crush your body at 100% intensity, all the time. To ensure consistent progress and prevent a crippling breakdown, you need to schedule rest periods into your workout routine.
Here’s a simple method to deload: Drop your volume in half for just one week every 6-8 weeks while switching to more single-leg and single-arm exercises. You’ll still lift heavy weights to build muscle, but you’ll reduce the cumulative stress on your muscles and joints as well as the fatigue on your central nervous system.
Balance
Balance is the key undertone to any great workout routine. For example, if you train your chest, you need to train your back; if you blast your quads, remember to target your hamstrings and glutes. This will prevent any weak links, imbalances, and, uh, odd-looking physiques.
Also, avoid training your upper-body 4-days-a-week while training your lower-body only once. This will result in more muscle growth and less injuries.
