The big 6 – the money exercises YOU should be doing
Patrick Dale
We are all for hammering home the basics here at More-Athletic Magazine. Pat Dale takes his turn to reel off a few of the most effective exercises there are, the ones we should all be doing, the ones many avoid because they are hard or they just dont know how. Heres Pat's big 6...
If I had a pound for every time someone asked me what the best exercise was for (insert any muscle group name here) I’d be filthy stinking rich. As people don’t tend to give me money when I tell them the best exercises they should be doing I decided to write them down and tell you – for free!
To make it onto my list of the big 6, exercises have to tick the following boxes...
• Utilise large muscle groups
• Have carry over to real life activities
• Serve a variety of training goals
• Stand the test of time (no fashionable exercises here!)
• Need basic training equipment
• Produce the required results
So with no further ado, here are my big 6, most bang for your buck, exercises.
1) Deadlifts
Deadlifts should be the cornerstone of everyone’s workout. There is no better exercise for developing the posterior chain of hamstrings, glutes and lower back. It has tremendous carry over to just about any physical activity from running to jumping to opening a 6-pack of whoop ass on someone in the ring. Deadlifts build real world muscle. Forget your leg curls and hip extensions, deadlifts do it all. And, if you want a toned behind, deadlifts are the best butt blaster of all so spread the word and hopefully I’ll being seeing a lot fewer saggy butts this summer!
2) Squats
If deadlifts are the king of the posterior chain, then squats are the opposite. Where deadlifts build hamstrings squats build quads. Both squats and deadlifts work the glutes also but let’s not worry about that too much – the glutes are the power zone for most sportspeople so who cares if we have two great exercises for that area? Back squats and front squats are both fantastic variations of this king of exercises so it doesn’t matter which one you do so long as at least once a week you get that bar on your shoulders and squat. By the way, 90 degrees at the knee of go home buddy! Squats are like rich people’s pockets – the deeper the better.
3) Bench Press
I know, not the most functional exercise going - how often do you have to push something at arm’s length when you are flat on your back – but when it comes to developing pure pushing power, the bench press and its variations are a big money exercise. From fighters to rugby players to guys wanting to look good on the beach, the bench press is a must. The only problem with the bench press is most guys’ hang up with how much they can lift. Who cares? Especially as most people you see in the gym have such terrible form that their bench press is actually a full body laying down power clean! There is a word for that sort of lifter...it’s loser!
4) Weighted Chin Up/Pull Up
If you can bench a tonne, you got to be able to pull a tonne too. If you can’t bench and chin similar amounts of weight then you have a serious strength imbalance between your pushing and pulling musculature which will affect both your appearance and your performance. It’s not ever so important if you go underhand or overhand with this exercise, so long as for every set of benching, you do a set of chins. Strap some weight on and do them heavy-duty style or rep out with bodyweight. Can’t do chins? Nor could my girlfriend 6 months ago but now she can do 6 sets of 6 reps no worries. Are you going to let my girlfriend beat you? Are you? Go and do some chins and you’ll probably find they are not only the best lat exercise on the block but the best biceps exercise too.
5) Push Press
The push press is kind of a quarter squat into a standing overhead barbell press and despite what you might be thinking, it’s not cheating to use your legs. The whole point of the push press is it teaches you to use your whole body as a single synergistic unit with all your muscles and joints working together. The force that is initially generated by the legs is transmitted through the core and up to the upper body before being driven up and through the arms. It’s like poetry in motion. The push press is a monster shoulder exercise allowing you to lift greater loads than normal but don’t just drop the weight back to your shoulders...lower it under control and make the most of the eccentric portion of the exercise. The push press is a great total body exercise that will give you functional strength and power and it’s very cool when you get some big scary loads overhead...freaks out the gym instructors that’s for sure!
6) Wide Grip Bent Over Row
The wide grip bent over row might not seem like a big exercise but trust me, when it comes to keeping your shoulder girdle balanced, maintaining your posture and preventing nasty rotator cuff injuries, the WGBOR earns its place on the list. With this exercise, heavy loads aren’t as important and good technique. Pull the bar right into the chest so it hits you in the same place as when you are bench pressing. Use the same width grip as your bench press. Keep the wrists straight. Lead with the elbows. Don’t sway and keep your spine neutral. There’s a lot going on with the WGBOR but think of it as therapy – a prehab exercise if you will. Make time for WGBOR or make time to have knackered shoulders and a posture like a hunch back. Your choice.
Putting the big 6 into your week
The easiest way to get the big 6 into your workouts is to build your week around them. If you spend 80% of your time on the big 6, the rest of your training is just the icing on the cake.
Option 1 twice a week training
Monday – Squats, bench press, WGBOR
Add in some arms and core if you really want to
Thursday – Deadlifts, push press, weighted chins
More arms and core if you have the energy
Option 2 three times a week training
Monday - Squats & Chins
Add some biceps and core to round out your workout
Wednesday – Push press & WGBOR
Maybe some side lateral raises and calves to finish off this session
Friday – Deadlifts & Bench press
End your workout with some triceps and core before the weekend
Sets and reps are goal dependent. Try 5 sets of 5, 8 sets of 3, or 4 sets of 10...whatever suits your needs. Just make sure you hit the big 6 and you’ll be on the right road to getting bigger and stronger than ever before – and certainly more than the tosser doing bicep curls in the squat rack!
About the Author
Pat and this magazine were made for each other. Pat writes a blog - NoFrillsFitness, trains his ass off and loves what we call ‘proper fitness’. He is a highly experienced fitness lecturer, running solar-fitness in Cyprus. What a place to go to qualify as a personal trainer! Pat will use this mag to let off a little steam – to talk fitness without the need to hold back or be polite. If you don’t like it….don’t use the squat rack for Bicep Curls! His site Solar-Fitness.com
