Plain Old Exercises that Just Plain Work

 These exercises may not look impressive, but they get the job done.

If you’re looking to shed pounds, gain muscle mass, increase your strength, and improve performance, it’s time to focus on the right kind of exercises. Louisville Fit Body BootCamp believe that you should not waste your time doing impressive-looking exercises that don’t yield the impressive results you desire. Hone in on the tried-and-true exercises that have served countless people well over the years.

Next time you’re at the gym, focus your time and energy on these.

Make It Compound

Compound exercises are what you want to do during the majority of your workout. These exercises incorporate multiple muscle groups and joints in a range of motion so you’re working multiple muscle groups in a single movement. This burns more calories and builds more muscle than if you spent your time doing simple isolation exercises, such as bicep curls and triceps extensions, which only work one muscle and use one joint at a time.

Want to know what you should build your routine around in order to get the results you desire? Compound exercises. No, they don’t require fancy machines and you won’t see them advertised on television. What they will do is provide the strength and body development you want.

Some Examples

Ready to get your routine compounded? To get started, you’ll want to go with squats, lunges, bench presses, deadlifts, pull-ups, rows, dips, and overhead presses. A personal trainer in Louisville explains how to safely and properly perform a few of the most popular and effective compound exercises.

The flat bench press is an effective way to work your back, chest, and triceps all at once. Lie on your back on a bench with your feet on the floor and grasp a barbell with your hands in an overhand grip about shoulder-width apart. Inhale and lower the bar down to your chest so your elbows are parallel to the ground. Exhale and raise the bar back to its starting position. Moving your hands farther apart or closer together will work new muscles. Doing the bench press on an inclining or declining bench will increase the intensity.

Target your glute and multiple leg and back muscles with the squat. Hold a barbell and rest it behind your head on your shoulders. With your feet placed slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and your toes pointed outward, keep your back straight, bend at the hips as if sitting in a chair, and lower your body until your thighs are parallel to the ground. Then, raise your body back to starting position and repeat. Work different muscles by moving feet inward or outward and increase intensity by adding weight to the bar.

Get impressive results by working your back, shoulders, biceps, and abdominals all at once with the bent over row. Bend your legs slightly and hold the barbell with an overhand grip wider than shoulder-width. Bend over at about 45 degrees, inhale, and lift the bar toward your lower chest. Lower the bar back down and exhale.

The fourth compound exercise you’ll want to include in your workout routine is the simple push-up. This plain-and-simple exercise works not only your arms, but also your core, chest, and shoulders at once. Place your hands a little wider than shoulder-width on the floor and either place your toes or knees (easier) on the floor. Push up on your hands and keep your body in a straight line. Bend at your elbows and lower your body until it almost reaches the floor. Lift your body back up and repeat. Increase the intensity by placing your feet on a step. Work new muscles by placing your hands closer together or farther apart.

Rep & Weight

The fitness professional at Louisville fitness center recommend that you work your way up to 12 to 15 repetitions for each compound exercise and maximize your calorie-burning potential by increasing the number of repetitions and periodically adding weight.

“I do squats until I fall over and pass out.”—Arnold Schwarzenegger

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