Amazing Exercises for Total Body Strength

 

When people exercise they often run the risk of getting over-focused on one particular area of the body. Common areas are the arms and the abs as people associate these two areas with a strong physical appearance.

 

 

To see the best results from your workout, it is important to pay attention to your entire body and follow a workout program that promotes all-round strength. To do so you will need a solid combination of cardiovascular exercises mixed with weight training. This will ensure that you are engaging and strengthening as many different muscle groups as possible.

 

Total Body Strength

Although it is important to include a wide variety of exercises, there are certain exercises that you can do which will help you to achieve total body strength more than others will.

 

Including these exercises in your routine will boost your efforts as your muscles grow and your strength increases. Read on to discover just a selection of simple but amazing exercises that you can implement daily to aid your fitness efforts!

 

Push Ups

 

Push ups are one such exercise that are typically known to improve core strength as well upper body strength. However, when done regularly, push ups can actually help to improve the strength of your entire body. This is because push ups require endurance and a gradual improvement of power in order to progress.

 

Doing push ups will help to improve your posture and encourage your joints to become more stable. This exercise is not only great for all-over increased muscle mass but also for fat loss.

 

If you don’t currently include this exercise in your routine then you can start by simply doing a few every day. Slowly build up the number that you do and soon you will start to see the benefits!

 

 

Push Up Variations 

 

There are also certain variations on the conventional push up that you can do to make your exercise routine more exciting and varied. Using variations on the standard push up also allow you to target different areas of the body more prominently.

 

For example, the wide-grip pushup involves spreading your hands beyond the width of your shoulders and helps to build your chest more than you would with a normal push up. On the other hand, you can also do a narrow-grip pushup which involves placing your hands just a few inches apart from each other and will primarily focus on your triceps.

 

If you are more concerned with building your upper body as well as your core, then you should try doing normal push ups with one leg off the ground. When doing so, do one set with your left leg off the ground and then immediately swap to keep your right leg off the ground and do another set.

 

 

The Plank

 

The plank exercise is known for being particularly difficult, and with good reason! The benefits of doing the plank regularly are fantastic. It is one of the best exercises you can do for your core muscles but it also works on your back, arms, shoulders, glutes and hamstrings – as well as other muscle groups!

 

 

 

Similarly to the push up, it is best to start out by holding the plank position for a short amount of time and then slowly work to build this time up. When you first start out, holding this pose for just 30 seconds might seem challenging, but within a few weeks you may find that you can get this time up to a few minutes!

 

As you become stronger from doing the plank regularly, you will be able to continue doing this exercise for longer periods of time, which will do wonders for your body. Your muscles will grow and you will feel physically challenged by yourself.

 

Plank Variations

 

Variations on the plank exercise not only serve to make it more difficult but also improve the benefits of doing this exercise.

 

The side plank is a good variation to start with when you are attempting to mix things up. From the standard plank position you simply bring your legs together until your heels touch and then lean to your right as you lift your left arm up to the ceiling. Hold this pose for as long as you comfortably can and then swap to do so again on the other side of your body.

 

The forearm plank is arguably a more comfortable version of the standard plank but still packs the same serious health benefits. Instead of holding this pose with your arms stretched straight, you can bring your body down and rest on your forearms. Additionally, you may find it more comfortable to hold your hands together as you do the plank in the forearm variation. 

 

Optimum Fitness

 

Remember, sticking to just a few exercises will prevent you from experiencing optimum fitness. Vary your exercise routine and always be on the look out for new techniques and exercises that you can try! As your fitness improves with regular practice you will not only feel the benefits to your physical health but your mental health can also benefit and improve! 

 

References

 

1) http://www.plankexerciseapp.com/guide/plank-exercise-benefits

2) http://www.keepinspiring.me/10-massive-benefits-of-push-ups/

4) http://greatist.com/move/plank-variations-for-core-strength