There are hundreds, possibly thousands, of exercises to do at the gym, it’s hard to know where to start. We asked members of Under Armour’s training team to clue us in to their favorites.
My personal pick is the TRX lunge. Stand facing away from the anchor point, with the TRX at mid-calf height, and place your left toe into the foot cradles. Begin in a half-kneeling position with your back knee one foot behind your front heel. Squeeze your glutes and come to a stable stand. Bend both knees and lower your back knee two inches below the starting point and return to a stand.
Try some of these trainer-approved moves the next time you hit the gym for greater strength, stability and mobility.
1. 1-LEG, 1-ARM DUMBBELL HANG SNATCH TO LUNGE
The move: Begin by standing on your left foot with the dumbbell in your right hand. Hinge at hips and then extend the hips, knees and ankles. Once the dumbbell reaches chest height, the hips should be flexed as the dumbbell goes overhead. Follow through with a lunge forward onto the right foot.
— Rich Hesketh, athletic development coach at DECAMAN Athletics
2. TRX SQUAT ROW COMBO
The move: With the suspension trainer at mid length, begin by standing facing the anchor point. Lean back to a shallow angle and drop your hips as low as possible. Brace your core and stand back into a plank. Engaging behind the shoulder blades, complete a TRX row and then repeat.
— Marc Coronel, owner of Open Mind Fitness and master instructor for Trigger Point
3. HEAVY ROPE HIP TOSS
The move: With an overhand grip on the heavy rope (the handles should be pointing toward the ceiling) begin with both hands at one hip. Lift both handles up and over the midline while pivoting the back foot and slam the ropes down on the other side. Repeat.
— Michael Piercy, 2017 IDEA Personal Trainer of the Year and owner of The Lab Fitness
4. FARMER WALK
The move: Select two heavy implements: dumbbells, kettlebells or short, loaded barbells and place them about 18-inches apart. With a neutral spine, squat down and grab both weights with a firm grip. Extend your hips, anchor your shoulder blades, brace your core and walk slowly.
— Tim DiFrancesco, former head strength and conditioning coach of the Los Angeles Lakers and founder of TD Athletes Edge
5. ELEVATED MEDICINE BALL PUSHUPS
The move: With a medicine ball centered in the middle of your chest, create a diamond with your hands around the ball. Elevate your feet onto a bench, and through bracing the core, find a strong stable plank. Lower your chest down to the ball and press back to the plank position.
— Todd Durkin, internationally recognized author, motivational speaker and owner of Fitness Quest 10
READ MORE > TRAINER’S FAVORITE … EQUIPMENT
6. TRX POWER PULL
The move: With the TRX suspension trainer at mid length, and in single-handle mode, stand facing the suspension trainer grasping one handle with your left hand next to your chest. In a circular motion, rotate your right arm toward the ground and extend your left arm, keeping your hips squared. Pull yourself up with your left arm while rotating back toward the TRX anchor until your right hand is touching the suspension trainer.
— Kari Woodall, swim coach, firefighter and owner of BLAZE Fitness
7. THE LANDMINE REVERSE LUNGE TO A PRESS
The move: You only need a few things: a barbell, a landmine attachment or corner of a room and some plates. The movement starts from a standing position with your hand on the end of the barbell and arm extended. Remember: Keep your core braced (Think: ribs over your hips with a tight stomach) and the weight evenly balanced on the midfoot.
The next step is to lower the barbell toward your shoulder making sure to stop about a fist’s length away from touching the shoulder. While you are lowering the weight, step back into a reverse lunge with the same leg as the side holding the barbell. Once you have stepped back, keep your torso upright and braced and then use the back leg to drive the weight back up and finish with a powerful arm extension.
— Nate Costa, owner of the Under Armour Performance Center powered by FX Studios
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(via MyFitnessPal Blog)
