So often people ask me, "what's the best exercise for ______?" This question merits a response because after all, some exercises are superior to others depending on what you want to accomplish. For the purposes of this message I want to place focus on three (3) exercises that I consider superior movements. Allow me to qualify or explain that statement. I've chosen these three exercises based on the following criteria:
1. I believe "the best" movements must be dynamic, compound exercises that incorporate as much of your body as possible.
2. I believe that statement #1 is false if your goal is body-part specific or isolation training. This article is not about either.
3. I believe "the best" movements should be superior to most (if not all) other exercises performed in a single plane of motion.
4. Considering #3, I think there needs to be 3 "best" exercises, 1 that maximizes your body's potential in each of the 3 planes of motion.
5. I believe "the best" movements should be simple enough to be learned (if not perfected) in a short period of time. There are of course a great number of amazing exercises. However, many require detailed coaching and extensive practice to perfect. This article is not considering exercises of this nature.
6. I believe "the best" movements should be really cool looking while you are doing them so people think you're awesome!
Exercise #1 - Cable Wood Chop (Twist)
We're going right into the Transverse (Horizontal or Axial) plane of motion. By twisting we are incorporating a ton of core muscles and are allowing the musculature that supports rotational motion to be used, maximized and trained.
I say "Cable Wood Chop" for a couple of reasons. Personally I love all kinds of medicine ball twists using a powerful throw of the medicine ball against a wall, catching it, then resuming the twist. Or, just holding on to the ball and performing the chopping motion is great! But, because a cable offers the additional component of constant tension I am opting to use it instead of a standard wood chop using a medicine ball. Therefore a cable provides constant tension and allows you the opportunity to control load, rep speed and intensity to suit your purposes. This video shows a cable wood chop ranging from high to thigh height. You may also follow a range of motion from up high to ankle level if it suits your training purposes.
Exercise #2 - Kettlebell Swing
This mainstay exercise is all over the place these days! It's very versatile because it can be done using a kettlebell, a dumbbell, a cable, a big rock (photo at right), a small child (not recommended) whatever you want to use as a weight will work as long as it'll fit comfortably between your legs when you swing it. This exercise is performed in the same plane of motion we walk and run in so it's the plane of motion we use most often - the sagittal plane.
I like this movements because you can prioritize various areas of your body as your perform the movement. You can even do this within a single set without stopping to switch focus. For example, you can begin by exploding very intensely through your hips and thighs using a lot of the muscles in those areas to perform the exercise. As they fatigue, you can begin to use them less and start using your lower back and shoulders more by putting more effort into your upper body's performance of the movement. Dynamic motions like this have a tremendous effect on our bodies and create "real life" training situations that have a direct or nearly-direct application to our daily lives.
Exercise #3 - Lateral Lunge
The lateral lunge at first glance is just a lower body exercise. However, once you try it, you'll soon realize that all the muscles that support good posture, breathing and trunk stability are also engaged in a static (no movement) hold or in a manner that uses them in a very short range of motion making this exercise a very challenging, almost full-body movement.
We're working in the Frontal (or Coronal) plane of motion with this movement. This plane of motion is very challenging for most of us to exercise in when using multi-joint motions, so be patient and work on your form and soon you'll have it down to a science.
Practice is the key to this exercise, and flexibility will also play a major role, but if your goal is fitness improvement then working on these things to make your lateral lunge more precise should be a welcomed challenge.
So there you have the 3 "Best Exercises" from me, your humble fitness professional. Of course a simple Google search for best exercises will show you a huge number of great movements that are probably all wonderful in their own right, but the main idea that most of these articles and professionals overlook is one that is basic and fundamental in my line of thinking and that is: Training all three (3) planes of motion is important and essential to developing a complete and highly functional body. Tri-planar training as we refer to it as is simply the way your body lives each and every day. It just makes sense to train in all three planes of motion and it seems to me that "the best" exercises should be representative of these three planes of motion.
So there you have it my fitness friend! I hope you get something from this that will benefit your training and your life.
1. I believe "the best" movements must be dynamic, compound exercises that incorporate as much of your body as possible.
2. I believe that statement #1 is false if your goal is body-part specific or isolation training. This article is not about either.
3. I believe "the best" movements should be superior to most (if not all) other exercises performed in a single plane of motion.
4. Considering #3, I think there needs to be 3 "best" exercises, 1 that maximizes your body's potential in each of the 3 planes of motion.
5. I believe "the best" movements should be simple enough to be learned (if not perfected) in a short period of time. There are of course a great number of amazing exercises. However, many require detailed coaching and extensive practice to perfect. This article is not considering exercises of this nature.
6. I believe "the best" movements should be really cool looking while you are doing them so people think you're awesome!
Exercise #1 - Cable Wood Chop (Twist)
We're going right into the Transverse (Horizontal or Axial) plane of motion. By twisting we are incorporating a ton of core muscles and are allowing the musculature that supports rotational motion to be used, maximized and trained.
I say "Cable Wood Chop" for a couple of reasons. Personally I love all kinds of medicine ball twists using a powerful throw of the medicine ball against a wall, catching it, then resuming the twist. Or, just holding on to the ball and performing the chopping motion is great! But, because a cable offers the additional component of constant tension I am opting to use it instead of a standard wood chop using a medicine ball. Therefore a cable provides constant tension and allows you the opportunity to control load, rep speed and intensity to suit your purposes. This video shows a cable wood chop ranging from high to thigh height. You may also follow a range of motion from up high to ankle level if it suits your training purposes.
Exercise #2 - Kettlebell Swing
This mainstay exercise is all over the place these days! It's very versatile because it can be done using a kettlebell, a dumbbell, a cable, a big rock (photo at right), a small child (not recommended) whatever you want to use as a weight will work as long as it'll fit comfortably between your legs when you swing it. This exercise is performed in the same plane of motion we walk and run in so it's the plane of motion we use most often - the sagittal plane.
I like this movements because you can prioritize various areas of your body as your perform the movement. You can even do this within a single set without stopping to switch focus. For example, you can begin by exploding very intensely through your hips and thighs using a lot of the muscles in those areas to perform the exercise. As they fatigue, you can begin to use them less and start using your lower back and shoulders more by putting more effort into your upper body's performance of the movement. Dynamic motions like this have a tremendous effect on our bodies and create "real life" training situations that have a direct or nearly-direct application to our daily lives.
Exercise #3 - Lateral Lunge
The lateral lunge at first glance is just a lower body exercise. However, once you try it, you'll soon realize that all the muscles that support good posture, breathing and trunk stability are also engaged in a static (no movement) hold or in a manner that uses them in a very short range of motion making this exercise a very challenging, almost full-body movement.
We're working in the Frontal (or Coronal) plane of motion with this movement. This plane of motion is very challenging for most of us to exercise in when using multi-joint motions, so be patient and work on your form and soon you'll have it down to a science.
Practice is the key to this exercise, and flexibility will also play a major role, but if your goal is fitness improvement then working on these things to make your lateral lunge more precise should be a welcomed challenge.
So there you have the 3 "Best Exercises" from me, your humble fitness professional. Of course a simple Google search for best exercises will show you a huge number of great movements that are probably all wonderful in their own right, but the main idea that most of these articles and professionals overlook is one that is basic and fundamental in my line of thinking and that is: Training all three (3) planes of motion is important and essential to developing a complete and highly functional body. Tri-planar training as we refer to it as is simply the way your body lives each and every day. It just makes sense to train in all three planes of motion and it seems to me that "the best" exercises should be representative of these three planes of motion.
So there you have it my fitness friend! I hope you get something from this that will benefit your training and your life.
Jared Meacham, MS.Ed., CSCS.
Jared is a fitness entrepreneur, writer and recognized weight-loss expert. He is owner of Precision Body Designs, LLC and is creator of the Body Fat Meltdown women's weight-loss program.
He is also creator of the Dirty Fitness Training Program - 60 unique workouts designed to maximize all 5 components of physical fitness in just 75 days.
Jared is a fitness entrepreneur, writer and recognized weight-loss expert. He is owner of Precision Body Designs, LLC and is creator of the Body Fat Meltdown women's weight-loss program.
He is also creator of the Dirty Fitness Training Program - 60 unique workouts designed to maximize all 5 components of physical fitness in just 75 days.
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