Experts say there is no magic to exercise: You get out of it what you put in. That doesn't mean you have to work out for hours each day. It just means you need to work smart.
That said, experts agree that not all exercises are created equal. Some are more efficient than others, whether they target multiple muscle groups, are suitable for a wide variety of fitness levels, or help you burn calories more effectively.
So what are the best exercises? We posed this question to four fitness experts and compiled a list of their favorites.
1. Walking
Any exercise program should include cardiovascular exercise, which strengthens the heart and burns calories. And walking is something you can do anywhere, anytime, with no equipment other than a good pair of shoes.
It's not just for beginners, either: Even the very fit can get a good workout from walking.
"Doing a brisk walk can burn up to 500 calories per hour," says Robert Gotlin, DO, director of orthopedic and sports rehabilitation at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York. Since it takes 3,500 calories to lose a pound, you could expect to lose a pound for every seven hours you walk if you did nothing else.
Don't go from the sofa to walking an hour day, though. Richard Cotton, a spokesman for the American Council on Exercise, says beginners should start by walking five to -10 minutes at a time, gradually moving up to at least 30 minutes per session.
"Don't add more than five minutes at a time," he says. Another tip: It's better to lengthen your walks before boosting your speed or incline.
2. Interval training
Whether you're a beginner or an exercise veteran, a walker, or an aerobic dancer, adding interval training to your cardiovascular workout will boost your fitness level and help you lose weight. "Varying your pace throughout the exercise session stimulates the aerobic system to adapt," says Cotton." The more power the aerobic system has, the more capacity you have to burn calories."
The way to do it is to push the intensity or pace for a minute or two, then back off for anywhere from two to -10 minutes (depending on how long your total workout will be and how much time you need to recover). Continue doing this throughout the movement.
2. Bent over row
As a spunky, young athlete, I was a go-getter when training and preparing for my respective sports. Usually, I would hit the gym with no plan at all. I loved pushing exercises (bench press, push-ups, shoulder press) and all the activities that would help me look good in a t-shirt.
Early on, I began to develop shoulder problems. The pain was prevalent in my shoulders, and I had issues even lifting my arms above my head.
All that time I had spent trying to perfect "thos' "cool' pushing exercises had become a detriment because I had not spent enough time strengthening the complimentary back muscles with pulling exercisI'veAs I've grown older and more experienced, I've looked back and learned how critical pulling exercises like bent-over rows are to developing strong, stable, and pain-free shoulders. By implementing this simple exercise into my routine, it has helped me breakthrough many other strength plateaus!
Below is just a shortlist of the benefits you will experience when including the bent-over row in your training routine.
Because the bent-over row stabilizes the midline through the lift and is static compared to a kipping pull-up, it does not add excessive strain to the shoulders.
It isolates the muscles in the back, lats, shoulders, glutes, and hamstrings, making it an ideal tool for strengthening and stabilizing the shoulder, strengthening the core, and building a neurological connection.
When these three items are used together, you can train and automate specific muscles needed for activation in other exercises.
By training the bent-over row (a horizontal pulling exercise), you will also increase the number of muscle fibers recruited in the back and lats compared to only training vertical pulling exercises such as pull-ups or lat pull-downs.
This is highly beneficial for preventing training injuries and increasing shoulder stability for daily activity.
Finally, because the bent-over row does not require as much torque on the shoulder as a kipping exercise, it is an excellent gift for someone training through an injury who cannot perform a full range of motion pull-up.
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