4 Fundamental Exercises
With all the exercises you've probably seen on your social media feed, you're probably confused as to which exercises are worth doing. You know that staying active throughout the day is good for your physical and mental health, but did you know there are specific exercises you should be doing regularly? By doing them, you may even get closer to achieving your fitness goals. The best part is you can modify these exercises depending on your fitness level as you make them part of your everyday routine. Below, four of the most important exercises that we should include in our daily active routine and the reasons for which they became cornerstones at Giorgia fitMindset.
1. Deadlifts - kettlebells class
The deadlift is a compound exercise that has you lifting heavy weight off the floor by bending at the hips and standing back up. The deadlift is a great exercise because it helps strengthen the core, back, shoulders, arm muscles, as well as your glutes, quads, hamstrings and calves. It’s an essential exercise that stimulates both the upper and lower body simultaneously, allowing more muscles to be engaged at the same time. As a result of doing deadlifts, your posture will also improve because of the way it targets your back muscles and shoulders. One common mistake people make when performing deadlifts is squatting (and bending the knees too much) instead of hinging at the hips. Another mistake is arching or rounding the back instead of engaging the upper body and core muscles. This can lead to a lower back injury because of the pressure it causes on your back. You also need to be mindful to not overextend your neck and head and should keep it in a straight line.
2. Push-ups - Total body or Tabata class
The push-up is beneficial for building up your upper body strength and targets your chest, triceps, back and shoulders. Although it's a well-known exercise, it's also one that is commonly done incorrectly -- even by experienced exercisers. The nice thing about the push-up is that it can easily be modified to fit your skill level. Some modifications include doing a push-up against the wall, or with your hands elevated on an incline to make it more challenging. Once you've mastered the push-up from these angles, you can take it to the floor and practice them through changing up the tempo or your hand positioning. Everyone should include push-ups in their workout because they are a functional exercise that translates into real-world situations. Specifically, the push-up trains the functional movement pattern of horizontal pushing, or the ability to push objects away from you.
3. Pallof press - Elastic Band class
The Pallof press is an anti-rotation movement that limits the rotation of your spine. It's considered a core strength training exercise that can be easily done using a cable machine or resistance band. Your transverse abdominis, or your internal belt, helps secure your low back as a deep muscle in your core. By activating it more and becoming stronger, you'll be able to increase your strength in compound movements and increase activation in your rectus (your six-pack).There are variations that allow you to efficiently workout your core. To perform this motion you'll need a resistance band tied to a stable handle.
4. Inverted row - Masterclass exercise
The inverted row is an exercise that both beginners and advanced exercisers can do to strengthen their upper back. It also improves scapular retraction, which can help prepare you to do pull-ups if your goal is to master them. Typically the inverted row can be done using TRX suspension straps or using the bar from a barbell positioned on a rack above you while you're in an angled horizontal position. Your arms should fully extend above you, while keeping your body hovered above the floor.
