If You Only Do Two Exercises For The Rest Of Your Life, These Are Them
There are thousands of ways to train your body, and new exercises are invented daily. With all the choices, strength training programs, and workout ebooks, it can be hard to know which exercises to prioritize and which to forget.
From a minimalist perspective, if you only choose two exercises for the rest of your life, what would you choose?
Most people think of push-ups and pull-ups, but those only target a relatively small amount of your body. Most of us hold two-thirds of our body weight below our waist. Excluding your abdominal muscles, all of the largest muscles in the body are below the waist. Therefore, if you want to get the most bang for your buck when exercising, you should never skip leg day.
Therefore, for any exercise to be considered the best, it must, in some way, challenge your lower body. When you think of lower body exercises, squats and deadlifts come to mind. As they should, squats are the most popular anterior chain lower body exercise, and deadlifts are the most common posterior chain lower body exercise.
Meaning that squats target the muscles on the front side of your body, and deadlifts target the back side. Both target the glutes, but we'll touch on that later in the article. However, while both traditional back squats and deadlifts are great exercises, neither are the best in class for targeting the whole anterior or posterior chain, respectively.
Instead, the front squat and kettlebell swing are the best in class. So why are they better than two of the big three exercises? Let's start with the front squat:
Why is the front squat better than the traditional squat?
All forms of squats are incredibly beneficial. In fact, if I could only do one exercise with a client for the rest of their lives, squats would be it. The benefits of squatting, along with the practical applications of the movement, make it a workout in itself.
The front squat or goblet squat variation makes squats even better. Traditionally weighted squats are performed with a barbell on your back, which is excellent for lifting the maximum amount of weight possible. The movement is highly efficient when the barbell is perfectly in line with your center of mass and held up by your upper back—allowing you to lift greater weight than any other squat variation.
However, the front squat is superior in terms of strengthening the entire body. Loading your front side makes the muscles in your body responsible for posture work much harder. If you are working out to get a six-pack, a front squat will help you achieve that goal faster than a back squat.
These exercises are very similar and target the same muscle groups, but a front squat challenges your core, quads, and mobility far more than a back squat and is much more practical.
Think about your daily life. Have you ever had to lift anything up? When was the last time you had to lift anything on your back, unless you've been chicken fighting in a pool lately? We lift all real-life items in front of us, so it is best to practice a squat the way you'd use it!
Why is the kettlebell swing better than a deadlift?
Both the kettlebell swing and the deadlift use the same muscles. In fact, every hinge movement works your posterior chain in a similar way. Single-leg RDLs, good mornings, and pull-throughs are other solid examples of posterior chain exercises.
A deadlift teaches you to lift things properly in your daily life and is an indispensable exercise. On the other hand, the kettlebell swing teaches you to apply those mechanics in a useful way.
Most people don't have a reason to lift more than 50 lbs unless you have an extremely physically demanding job or are trying to build big muscles; you probably don't, either.
However, most people want to maintain their athletic ability as they age. So whether you like to play intramural sports, golf, throw your kids in a pool, or just move quickly, the kettlebell swing will be more beneficial.
Both exercises will help you build strength, increase bone density, and lose weight. While the kettlebell swing will help you develop and maintain power.
Power is work over time, meaning how fast you can move your lower body. Whether you'd like a longer drive in golf, a quicker hip thrust wink wink, or to simply be all-around more athletic, the kettlebell swing will help you achieve that.
In addition, kettlebell swings target your shoulders a bit more than deadlifts. When you look at a person, you subconsciously determine how athletic they are by their shoulders to waist ratio. That V shape is some people's main goal from working out, the kettlebell swing will help you achieve that faster than any other exercise.
In reality, you can't go wrong with any hinge movement, and as a personal trainer, it is hard to write an article that doesn't suggest you should deadlift. But if you really only have time for two exercises, the front squat and deadlift should be the ones you choose.
You can accomplish both with just one piece of equipment, a kettlebell! If you are looking for a kettlebell for your home, Rogue Fitness makes the best ones.
If you are trying to stay in shape at home there are no more efficient ways to spend your exercise time than with front squats and kettlebell swings.
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