Everyday before work I sit down and map out a crossfit circuit class for my Hulkies. I always try to throw in at least 3-4 new exercises for them to learn each day or make up my own combination exercises. For Mondays it's now officially upper body, Tuesdays it's lower body, Wednesdays are for working out our abs, and Thursdays are for full body circuits. With it being Tuesday, I wrote up a killer leg workout that left many Hulkies wobbly at the knees. Those Bulgarian split squats with pass through, holy Hell on Earth but you love to hate them just like you hate to love them. I then record my circuit in my trainer's book that I made because you know my love of lists meant I just had to make a listing for all my circuits.
Despite always wanting to bring in new exercises into my circuits, there are clearly three exercises I will always include -- they are what I consider to be the best fundamental compound exercises. So whether it's putting in one of my favourite of the three fundamental exercise or a variation of it, my Hulkies have come to learn exactly which exercises I proudly support and lean on to Hulk them out and lean them up.
My most recommended exercises of all times...
1. Squats
Squat it like it's hot because doing squats is makes your butt look hot. They ARE what differentiates a tush from a butt and from just plain old junk in the trunk. Squats work your entire lower body and add a kettlebell or dumbbell to it and you could also include your upper body.
My favourite -- the Goblet Squat
I particularly love this specific squat because it's next to impossible to cheat on it which means I as a trainer can so easily catch who is doing them and who is not. It's like a basic squat except for when you drop down, your elbows touch the inside of your knees. And while some members try to halfa$$ their squats (no pun intended), a no touch with a goblet squat means no squat completed.
2. Push-ups
Did you know there are over 82 different styles of push-ups?! Yuppers, that's right and they're not just for the boys in the army. Want those sexy shoulders for your beach-body tank tops, getting pushing up with some push-ups. It's a total upper body sculpture. The push-up may be a classic exercise, my father's father's father used to do them I'm sure, but it's a goodie and it's definitely here to stay at Hulk's.
My favourite -- Release Push-ups
These are great especially for beginners because there's that second or two of muscle tension release when your body touches the ground and your lift your hands. Ask any one of my Hulkies, they know exactly what a release push-up is because there's not an upper body work out that goes with out a healthy dose of release push-ups in it.
3. Plank
It's a killer core exercise that has so many variations just like it hits so many body parts. It's not just about the abs, it's also about the total core package. And while you can so easily get the form wrong with all the numerous other ab exercises or perhaps get too caught up in one ab exercise that maybe perhaps only works one part of your abs, like your obliques, the plank attacks your entire core. No oblique, upper ab or even any part of your lower abs get ignored and out of participating. It's a team-effort kind of exercise that's simply but super effective.
My favourite -- the Superman Plank
If you haven't already been introduced to the wonderful superhero plank -- the Superman plank -- than you've been living in the dark ages my friend because Superman planks are where it's at. Unfortunately many of my Hulkies haven't yet mastered this out-of-the-world superhero plank so we usually do planks with toe taps or toe touches but all those who try can vouch for it's intensity.
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