My Top 5 Exercises

As you know by now, I think that moving weight is an important part of health and longevity. Strength is one of the most important factors in how capable we are in our everyday life regardless of age, and if you stay strong, your golden years might actually live up to the name. If you are not lifting weights, or regularly participating in an activity where you have to pick up heavy objects, then I highly recommend getting involved. 

There are a few exercises that I place at the top of the list, and I wanted to share some of them with you. Now as a disclaimer, not all of these are appropriate for all people, and if you have never done them before, find someone that can show you the correct technique! So here are my top 5 exercises, I hope that you will try out at least one the next time you are at the gym!

The Turkish Get Up

This is the ultimate total body movement, and what is best, you don’t even need weight to make it a great move! I would recommend starting with no weight, and make sure you have perfect technique before adding on the 4kg Kettlebell. If the full get up is too much, start with the Half Get Up and work from there.

Single Leg Deadlift

I had a hard time finding a video that gave decent instructions on this one, so I will walk you through it. Start with the weight in hand, held at your side. Keeping one leg almost straight (let the knee stay relaxed), bend at the waist and press your other food back. You should be keeping your abs and butt tight during this move as to protect your back. Try to keep your hips and shoulders level so that one side is not higher than the other. Bend until just before your back can no longer be held straight, then squeeze your butt and extend your hip. Remember to stay in control, and if you need to, have a wall close by for balance.

NOTE: If you have not done standard deadlifts before, start there. Deadlifting variations are some of the best exercise you can do for overall strength, while also training the much neglected posterior chain (back, butt, hamstrings). For those of you that know the deadlift, try out the single leg as it will challenge your knee stabilizers and core to a greater extent.

TRX Row

In our society, we spend most of our lives in a seated, slouched position. This exercise can help undo the rounded shoulder look, while helping to strengthen the back and working to prevent shoulder injuries. If you do not have a TRX, you can use a barbell on a rack to do inverted rows, or use a dumbbell for bent over rows. 

TRX BodySaw

This is one of the best core exercise I have found, though I usually do not include the pike. This is an advanced exercise, so if you are still a beginner, try out a TRX Roll Out first, and work your way up.

Kettlebell Swing

The Kettlebell swing is both a power and metabolic move, meaning that it will help to increase your strength, power and core, while also increasing your cardiovascular capacity…what more could you want! Add this to your warm-up or to your conditioning and you will see instant improvements.

I hope you will try these exercises or at least their regressions—they are some of the best movements you can add to your routine. Have fun with your exercise, keep playing around and try new things. The brain likes to be challenged, so it is important to mix up your work and not let yourself get stuck in the same old routines. Good luck and happy training!




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