There are precious few exercises that will hit on everything—strength, flexibility, endurance, and power—all at the same time. If you’re looking for the most effective exercises, we’ve got five options that make a terrific total-body workout, all courtesy of NFL trainer Ryan Flaherty.
Best of all, these moves take the guesswork out of putting together a routine that maximizes gains and minimizes time spent sweating. Here are the most effective exercises to know.
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5. The Plyo Pushup
Why it’s so effective: There’s probably no greater strength-builder than the humble pushup—so amp up the power component by exploding upward out of the bottom of the exercise. Do a bunch of these in one set, and you’ll find out just how tough this exercise can get.
How to do it: Just like your standard pushup, but with more force on the push. (It’s the same idea as the clapping pushup, except without the clap.) Set your hands about shoulder-width apart in a pushup position. Make sure your shoulders are “stacked” over your hands, and that your elbows are tight to your body, rather than flared out. Explode up, enough to bring your hands off the ground, then land softly and evenly.
Why it’s so effective: No single move challenges your sheer power production and all-around mobility like the classic Olympic snatch. By bringing a barbell from the floor to above your head in one swift, smooth motion, you’ll need every ounce of total-body explosive strength—as well as the shoulder, hip, knee, and ankle flexibility to get underneath the bar as fast as possible.
As a result, the snatch takes extensive practice to do well, and years to master. Make sure to learn this from an experienced weightlifting coach, and use only a very light weight—a PVC pipe is probably best—when attempting it for the first time.
How to do it: Set up on a platform with a barbell on the floor. Squat over the bar with your feet about shoulder-width apart and your hands gripping wide on the barbell. Use a hook grip—put your fingers over your thumbs. Push your hips behind you, making sure to keep your back flat, chest high, and your gaze forward. (Your torso should be significantly more upright than you would be in a deadlift.) In one swift motion, fire your glutes and explode upward. Thrust your hips forward, extend your legs, and explosively bring the bar upward while simultaneously lowering yourself under the bar as it rises. As the bar goes overhead, lower yourself into a squat, catch the barbell, and lock out your elbows. From that position, you’ll essentially do an overhead squat as you rise into a standing position.
Why it’s so effective: Just by holding a weight overhead, you’ll challenge the muscular endurance and balance of your arms, shoulders, core, and upper back—no presses needed. And because lunges force your legs to work unilaterally (rather than in tandem, as with a squat), they’re perfect for eliminating strength imbalances and hammering the supporting muscles of your hips and core.
How to do it: Raise your arms straight over your head. Step one leg forward a few feet, lower yourself until your front knee is at a 90-degree angle—don’t let your back knee smash into the floor—then step back up. Repeat with your other leg forward.
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Why it’s so effective: There’s a reason this bodyweight move shows up in boot camps, CrossFit WODs, and cardio classes: Burpees demand total-body strength and huge reserves of cardiovascular endurance. And with all that jackknifing, you’ll need impressive hip and hamstring flexibility to do them well.
How to do it: Set up an overhead target—it can be a pullup bar or a ring—that you can reach with a hop. Squat down, put both hands on the floor in front of you, and pop your feet backward into a plank. Do a pushup, bring your feet back up underneath your hips, jump up, and hit the overhead target. That’s one rep. Do as many as you can in three minutes.
Why it’s so effective: The hex-bar deadlift (a.k.a. “trap bar” deadlift) engages 90 percent of your muscle—more than any other exercise—which makes it the single greatest way to improve your explosive power and raw strength, Flaherty says.
How to do it: With your feet hip-width apart, bend your knees and hips back and grip the middle of the handles. Keep your chest “proud,” with your back straight and your shoulders back. Take a deep breath, brace your core, and drive your heels into the floor as you lift the bar. Squeeze your glutes as you lock out your hips—don’t hyperextend—then lower the bar back to the floor.
https://www.mensjournal.com/health-fitness/5-singular-most-effective-exercises-man-can-do/
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