A Beginners Guide to Fitness
Part 2
5 exercises you must do
New to the gym? Unsure of what exercises are good, bad, ugly? You will surely be bombarded by an array of machines, weights, balls, bars, dumbbells, gadgets and toys when you first start your new gym routine, you may feel like turning around and walking straight out; But don't let the enormous exercise selection turn you away, read our 5 favourite exercises for newbies.
At Synergy Fitness Systems we recommend you warm up before any exercise and we have put together a great dynamic warm up - see it here
Squats
First up, the squat, a fundamental movement pattern you should be proficient at doing. The squat can be extremely effective in making you stronger and leaner, but if done incorrectly, can also be an easy way to injury; especially injury at the knees, hips and lower back. See what a squat looks like here
Rowing variation
By rowing, I mean any type of exercise where you are pulling. As humans, we are very good at forcing ourselves into bad posture, especially with hunched over shoulders. Therefore, it is important to correct this and an easy way to help correct bad posture is to strengthen your muscles in your posterior chain (your back). This will help to pull you upright again. My favourite rowing exercises are the Single arm row and TRX row.
Plank
This is the go to core exercise for a beginner. An essential exercise to improve core stability. If you improve your core stability, it helps you to transfer force from your lower to upper extremities and vice versa, very important for avoiding injury especially in the back. Form is key with this exercise so see it here.
Hip hinge (Dead lift, Kettlebell swing etc.)
You've probably heard of the dead lift and kettlebell swing exercises, but have you heard of the hip hinge? This is where you safely bend from your hips, rather than bending from your waist, massively increasing the risk of lower back injury. The hip hinge is a key movement you need to learn to perform many exercises correctly, safely and keep you free from back injury. See a video here showing how to learn the hip hinge from Tony Gentilcore.
Single leg work
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5 exercises you must do
New to the gym? Unsure of what exercises are good, bad, ugly? You will surely be bombarded by an array of machines, weights, balls, bars, dumbbells, gadgets and toys when you first start your new gym routine, you may feel like turning around and walking straight out; But don't let the enormous exercise selection turn you away, read our 5 favourite exercises for newbies.
At Synergy Fitness Systems we recommend you warm up before any exercise and we have put together a great dynamic warm up - see it here
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| Don't let your knees come inward like the left picture |
First up, the squat, a fundamental movement pattern you should be proficient at doing. The squat can be extremely effective in making you stronger and leaner, but if done incorrectly, can also be an easy way to injury; especially injury at the knees, hips and lower back. See what a squat looks like here
Rowing variation
By rowing, I mean any type of exercise where you are pulling. As humans, we are very good at forcing ourselves into bad posture, especially with hunched over shoulders. Therefore, it is important to correct this and an easy way to help correct bad posture is to strengthen your muscles in your posterior chain (your back). This will help to pull you upright again. My favourite rowing exercises are the Single arm row and TRX row. Plank
This is the go to core exercise for a beginner. An essential exercise to improve core stability. If you improve your core stability, it helps you to transfer force from your lower to upper extremities and vice versa, very important for avoiding injury especially in the back. Form is key with this exercise so see it here.
Hip hinge (Dead lift, Kettlebell swing etc.)
You've probably heard of the dead lift and kettlebell swing exercises, but have you heard of the hip hinge? This is where you safely bend from your hips, rather than bending from your waist, massively increasing the risk of lower back injury. The hip hinge is a key movement you need to learn to perform many exercises correctly, safely and keep you free from back injury. See a video here showing how to learn the hip hinge from Tony Gentilcore.
Single leg work
Most of us are unbalanced muscularly. We lean on one side more, have dominant kicking legs, use one side of our body more than the other every single day. This imbalance can cause no problems at all, or more often than not can cause problems right the way up the kinetic chain. Problems in the form of joint pain, muscle tightness and injury. That's why including unilateral (single) leg exercises into your training program will help to balance out the body and allow you to become more efficient in your movement, training or sport. We use many different single leg exercises at Synergy Fitness Systems but our favourite include Box step ups, the rear foot elevated split squat (RFESS) and the Romanian deadlift (RDL).
Note: the RDL can be done as a double or single leg exercise.
So be sure to try out these top 5 exercises to set you on the right track on your new fitness journey.
If you want to know 5 exercises to avoid as a beginner, then make sure you sign up to the newsletter for Part 3 of the Beginners guide to fitness
So be sure to try out these top 5 exercises to set you on the right track on your new fitness journey.
If you want to know 5 exercises to avoid as a beginner, then make sure you sign up to the newsletter for Part 3 of the Beginners guide to fitness
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