It’s amazing how much strength and conditioning has changed since the first time I picked up a barbell 20 years ago {and thanks, yes, feelin old!}. There’s good news and bad. The good is that new research and innovative training techniques have vastly improved our collective knowledge on how to build stronger, faster bodies. The bad news, alas, is that we sometimes glorify new training ideas just because they’re new, and NOT because they’re proven. In this article I will describe the utility of keeping the basics in your repertoire, even when newer, flashier exercises try to compete for your training time. Hmm, shiny!
The fitness information super highway is paved with good intentions but often littered with more style than substance. Fitness magazines have subscriptions to sell and they must cram each and every month with “new” and “exciting” exercises and routines. Likewise with websites and celebrity trainers promoting their latest workout DVDs. Where else can you learn about the rotating dumbbell push-up to side plank jackknife crunch? “It’s so functional!” the magazines scream. Don’t forget my golden rules about functional exercises. First – is it functional in general? Second – is it functional for you? Click here to read a more thorough article about defining functional fitness.
Here are the top 5 most important strength training exercises that should form the foundation of your routine. Squat, deadlift, press, row, plank. Are there more aspects of training that matter? Of course! This is not an article about reps, foam roll, macro-cycles, or the like. Strictly speaking exercise selection, these 5 are the framework upon which you should build your routine. These 5 work nearly every major muscle group in your body in a comprehensive and complementary way that will give you strong posture and stable joints. Whether you’re an elite athlete or a stay at home mom, keeping these moves in your fitness life will go a long way to keeping your body functionally balanced and less injury prone.
- Squat
- Deadlift
- Press
- Row
- Plank
Squats – The ability to do a good squat is a life skill. New research has shown us that doing front loaded squats and overhead squats provide more total body benefits than back loaded squats. Use lighter weights than you would with a back squat and focus on your form.
Deadlifts – You may not realize it, but we do hip hinges constantly in daily life and especially in our sporting lives. Deadlifts are in the hip hinge family. The ability to flex and extend your hips while keeping a neutral trunk is crucial to being able to lift things up and put them down. I lift things up and put them down. I lift things up……sorry. Gets stuck in your head. Hip hinges really help you learn how to lift things up with legs, without hurting your back.
Press –You have to have presses or pushes in your life. They help keep your chest, shoulders, and triceps, strong and working together. Push-ups are a great way to do presses because they let you use your trunk muscles as stabilizers. 2 birds, 1 set.
Row – Just as important as the press, the row is the complementary upper body movement pattern that works the back, shoulder, and biceps muscles together. Pushing/pressing is the yin. Rowing/pulling is the yang. Balancing the yin and yang on your upper body will help you you support your spine and prevent injuries.
Plank – Hands down, best move for your trunk. Yes, there are so many variations of plank. Some of them really are great for you. Some are just shiny. It depends on your current level of fitness. I know it’s hard to tell the difference if your day job isn’t lifting weights up and putting them down. The best way to tell is to check in with your feelings. No, silly, not asking if you’re happy or sad. Can you feel this movement working your abs? Can you feel your inner abs bracing and squeezing in? Can you keep your hips square and your upper back flat? Gimme that good pain feeling, maybe a little shaking by the end of the set. Sometimes with planks, the simpler the better, but you have to be feeling them. If you ever feel bad pain (twinges, sharp pain, pain in spine), stop immediately!
Form Trumps Shiny
I’d rather see somebody do these 5 moves with perfect form over and over again then see somebody do 20 shiny different exercises with sloppy form. Form is the trump card in the gym. If your form sucks, your workouts will not be as efficient and you’ll be more vulnerable to injury. Achieving great form in these basic moves assures you will be getting the most of your valuable training time as well as preventing injuries.
There are so many more variations of exercises compared to the olden days. Changing up your routine can be a really great way to help your body continue to develop adaptations, but you also have to remember to keep a solid rotation of the basic moves as well. Those 5 exercises above seem like a simple list but for those who execute them well, form the foundation of a solid routine. You can add all the shiny exercises you like, but remember to get back to basics first as your priority and keep these top 5 strength training exercises firmly planted in your routines.
