Ok, lets play a game. Take your hand and ball it up into a fist. Nice and tight. Now, open your mouth and try to jam your entire fist into your mouth. That doesn’t feel very good right? That, right there, is akin to forcing yourself to perform exercises that do not feel right.

There are no magical exercises. A trap bar deadlift might work perfectly for me and cause nothing but lower back discomfort for you, regardless of how you perform it. A bench press might do wonders for the bro in the bodybuilding magazine while simultaneously teaching you what a torn shoulder feels like. A heavy hip thrust might pack some serious muscle on your butt while a lighter, higher rep set might have the same effect on your training partner. Your body does not recognize exercises, only movement patterns, weight/intensity and volume.

 When you lift weights, your body responds to how much weight you are attempting to lift and how many reps you are attempting to perform. When you are attempting to lift something heavy, your body responds by improving strength. When you lift a given weight close to muscular failure, in the 8 to 12 rep range, your body responds by improving muscle size. That’s how all this stuff works. You do not have to deadlift. You do not have to squat. You do not have to bench press. Well-executed technique with appropriate loading and volume is the formula for results in the gym.

 You can make this as complicated as you like, but, lets assume there are 4 primary movement patterns; Hinge, Squat, Push and Pull. Deadlifts, hip thrusts, single leg deadlifts, back extensions, glute ham raises would fall under the Hinge category. Squats, front squats, box squats, single leg squats, lunges and step-ups would fall under the Squat category. Pushups, bench presses, incline presses and shoulder presses would fall under the Push category. Pullups, Rows, Pulldowns, Bodyweight rows and cable rows would fall under the Pull category.

 A training program aimed at improving strength and building muscle in these movement patterns will yield some impressive results. Try this.

 On Mondays and Thursdays you will train the push and pull patterns. On Mondays you will pick a heavy strength exercise for each pattern and build some strength in the 5-8 rep range. You will follow that up with 2 more exercises per movement pattern and perform 2 to 3 sets of 10 to 15 reps each, pushing the each set close to failure. On Thursdays you will pick 2 to 3 exercises per movement pattern and perform 2 to 3 sets of 10 to 15 reps, pushing each set close to failure.

 On Tuesdays and Fridays you will train the hinge and squat patterns. On Tuesdays you will perform some heavier work and Fridays will be some lighter work. Follow the same set up as on the upper body days.

 Exercise selection is exceptionally simple, pick exercises that don’t hurt. If it trains multiple muscle groups and does not hurt, it’s a friggin MONEY exercise for you. Train the hell out of it.

 Here are a few of my favorites based on my decade working closely with clients of varying needs and abilities.

 Hinge: Hip Thrusts- Trap Bar Deadlifts- Band Resisted Trap Bar Deadlifts, Single Leg Deadlifts- Single Leg Hip Thrusts- Back Extensions.

 Squat: Split Squats, Rear Foot Elevated Split Squats, Box Squats, Dumbbell Squats.

 Pull: Bodyweight Rows, Dumbbell Rows, Chest Supported Rows

 Push: Dumbbell Bench Press, Dumbbell Floor Press, Pushup Variations, Lateral Raises

 Don’t get sucked into thinking you have to perform a certain exercise to unlock the body of your dreams. Figure out what works best for your body and train the hell out of it.

 If you were able to stick your whole fist in your mouth, let me just say that I am thoroughly impressed. Or. You just have tiny hands!