Gentlemen, if you’ve been going to the gym regularly and keeping up with a strong diet to complement your workouts, you’re already heading in the right direction when it comes to your health. However, are you making sure you’re engaging in the right exercises for your well-being?
Lifting weights and upping your bench press game might be on your radar now, but they only get better when you target all your major muscles and focus on your mobility, agility and flexibility. Add in promoting your overall strength and you’ve got the whole package.
Following a routine to maximize your performance and get the results you desire is great, however, in order to truly boost your health, there are specific exercises that target all your muscles and build overall strength.
Most Important Exercises for Men
The following exercises are a must to incorporate into your routine for your overall health and well-being.
1. Squats
Squats are an extremely important exercise for your entire body. Not only do you build strength, but you also target the major muscles of the body. Whether you do it with weights or no weights, squats are still effective and utterly beneficial.
Directions:
- Start by standing with your feet about hip-width apart and place your hands by your sides or in front of you.
- Push your hips back and bend your knees to lower down, making sure your knees are behind your toes.
- Lower down as low as you can go to squat and immediately push back up to come to standing.
2. Burpees
Burpees require you to get down and get back up, a daily movement that we should be able to do without any extra effort on our part. Incorporating this workout into your routine also gets your heart rate up and boosts strength.
Directions:
- Start in a high plank position with your shoulders stacked above your wrists and your hips in line with your shoulders. Lower down to perform a push-up.
- Jump your legs forward to the outside of your wrists and explosively jump up. Reach your hands overhead to clap when you complete the jump and make sure to land softly.
- Jump to plank, perform a push-up and repeat the exercise.
3. Push-Ups
Push-ups are excellent to improve posture and build strength. Performing push-ups also help you to improve your shoulder strength and work out your core muscles at the same time.
Directions:
- Start in a high plank position with your shoulders stacked above your wrists and your hips in line with your shoulders.
- Keeping your core tight and engaged, bend your elbows to lower your chest toward the floor.
- Immediately push back up to the starting position and repeat. You have the option to perform these on your knees.
4. Pull-Ups
Pull-ups target the opposite muscles from a push-up, including your back and lats. When you work out, it is always important to maintain balance and target all the muscles you have used during your exercise.
Directions:
- Hold on to the pull-up bar about shoulder-width apart and keep your core tight.
- Hang on the bar and bend your knees to lift your feet off the floor.
- Pull yourself up, pulling your elbows toward the floor and bring your chest up toward the bar.
- Bring your chin and chest up to pass the bar and lower back down. Repeat.
5. Deadlifts
Deadlifts are one of the most popular and effective exercises to do at the gym. Not only do deadlifts target every major muscle group in the body, but they also promote muscle building and overall strength.
Directions:
- Stand with your feet under the barbell, aligning it over your mid-foot.
- Bend to grab the bar with both hands, maintaining a shoulder-width grip.
- Bend your knees to lower down until your shins almost touch the barbell.
- Lift your chest up and straighten your lower back to come back up.
- Inhale to stand up with the barbell, squeezing your glutes as you pull the barbell up, followed by exhaling all your breath out at the top.
The content of this Website is for informational purposes only, is general in nature and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease, and does not constitute professional advice. The information on this Website should not be considered as complete and does not cover all diseases, ailments, physical conditions, or their treatment. You should consult with your physician before beginning any exercise, weight loss, or health care program and/or any of the beauty treatments.
References:
M. (2018, May 21). The 15 Most Important Exercises for Men. Retrieved from https://www.mensjournal.com/health-fitness/the-15-most-important-exercises-for-men/
Skipper, C. (2018, June 29). The 5 Best Exercises at the Gym, According to Personal Trainers. Retrieved from https://www.gq.com/story/5-best-exercises-according-to-personal-trainers
7 Exercises Men Should Do Every Day. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://health.usnews.com/wellness/slideshows/7-exercises-men-should-do-every-day
