Hopefully, you’ve started strengthening your body with these basic and (if you’re ready) advanced core exercises. As we progress into some full body exercises, please remember that your core is involved in nearly every exercise, even if it’s just stabilizing your body.
Before we begin, I do want to clarify one major misconception in the fitness world. You can not spot train specific parts of your body. People will often say they want to get rid of their flabby underarms, their “love handles,” etc. While there are exercises to strengthen the triceps and the obliques (the muscles located in those areas of concern), you can’t make fat disappear only in certain areas.
Just to be clear: Fat is fat; Muscle is muscle. Fat does not magically turn into muscle when you exercise a certain area of the body. It takes dedicated exercise and clean eating habits to decrease your body’s overall fat percentage and increase its lean muscle mass.
So what’s the most effective way to do that? Full-body, compound moves.
Considering how often we use “no time” as an excuse to not work out, these types of moves just make sense. Doing more than one move in a given exercise is just working out smarter rather than longer.
Try these 3 compound moves for a full-body workout:
1. Squat/Bicep Curl/Overhead Press
Feet slightly wider than hips. Hold dumbbells with arms relaxed at your side, palms facing hips. Push butt back as you squat, keeping knees behind toes and chest lifted. As you stand, curl dumbbells towards shoulders, then press overhead with weights slightly forward of face. Lower weights to shoulders then slowly unfold back to starting position. (Palms stay facing body entire time).
2. Pushup/Renegade Row
On your knees or toes. With hexagonal dumbbells (so they don’t roll) or without. Lower chest toward floor. As you push up, lift one weight towards your hip leading with the elbow high and squeezing shoulder blades. Focus on keeping core tight with hips/chest square to the floor – no rocking or swaying.
3. Lunge/Tricep Overhead Extension
Lunge position: Front knee directly over ankle (never forward past the toes!). Thigh parallel to floor. Hold dumbbell(s) with both hands overhead, arms glued by ears. Bend elbows (weight lowering behind your back) as you lunge. Return arms straight as you rise from the lunge.
You can start with one set of 10 reps for each exercise, building up to four sets of 15 reps each. Always listen to your body, but also challenge it a little as well.
Let me know if you have any questions!
Everyday Faith + Fitness 