TOP 5 “More BANG for your BUCK” Exercises!

Summer is upon us again and hopefully you took some action in the last year, added some lean muscle and discarded some unwanted body fat. Guys you are now not ashamed to take your shirt off and for the ladies reading you are now not afraid to sport that hot new bikini you just bought or bought in the past and haven’t been in the right “shape” to sport yet.

For those of you who slacked off in the last year and are still wearing shirts on the beach, and not because “you don’t want to get a sunburn”, and ladies if your still wearing that one piece or hiding your hips and thighs with a towel or sarong then keep reading cause it’s not too late to get into “beach shape” but you have to choose the right exercises to get the fastest results in the shortest amount of time!

These exercises are what I like to call; “More bang for your buck” exercises!

The following is a list of 5 of these exercises. So pay close attention and get ready to strip off the fat, add some muscle and throw away the shirts and sarongs!

#1 SQUAT
-If you are not squatting and doing variations of this exercise then you are missing out on one of the most effective exercises out there, PERIOD! Whether its just doing body weight squats, barbell back squats, front squats, or split squats. For those of you with bad knees and think you can’t do squats, then learn how to squat properly and you will not put stress on your knees. If you can’t get in the proper position for a squat then work on the flexibility in your glutes, quads, hamstrings, and calves. Don’t start the movement by bending your knees, start by pushing your hips and butt back, keep a slight arch in your back and sit into the squat. Go down to at least parallel (thighs parallel to the floor). *IMPORTANT: Stay off the squat machines, and smith machines and squat only with free weights!

#2 DEADLIFT
-The deadlift is not just for competitive power-lifters and bodybuilders. Just think about how many things we do in life that involve squatting down and picking things up off the ground. Yeah there’s a lot! Basically to do a proper deadlift, just reverse your squat movement. Do variations of conventional (feet shoulder width with grip outside legs) or sumo (feet wide and grip inside legs). Make sure your shoulders rise up before your hips do. Use Barbells, Dumbbells or kettlebells.

#3 BENCH PRESS
-Done properly this is also one of the most effective full-body movements. Yes, I said full-body. Plus it’s a great chest builder and measure of strength (How much do you bench?) A lot of shoulder injuries are caused by the bench press so learning how to do this properly is key. Keeping your shoulder blades pinch together, shoulders down, back muscles engaged, elbows close to your body and not flared, and whole body tight will keep you on the right track. Mix in Inclines and use DB’s with the same form as described above. Once again: Stay away from the smith and any other chest machines! Also do a lot of push-ups and there variations.

#4 PULL-UPS/ CHIN-UPS
-This is one of the most effective upper body/back exercises money can buy! Why do you think the worlds finest fighting force, the US Marine Corps, includes this in there Fitness test. And look at a gymnasts physique. Those guys and girls do boatloads of pull-ups and chin-ups. Need I say more? It is a true test of strength, will make a man out of you, and will add loads of muscle which in turn burns more fat. If you want to develop your back muscles then these are a must have in any program. Also doing a chin-up, with palms facing you is a great bicep builder. if you can’t do them then use a spotter, bench or band to assist you until you can get them on your own. No using the gravitron or pull-up assist machine.

#5 DIPS
-Want to develop shirt stretching triceps, then start doing parallel bar dips. Get off the cable push-downs and get on the dip bars. Keep your elbows back and in and stay tight. Once again, look at a gymnast arms. If you can’t do them on your own, like the pull-ups, use a spotter, bench, or band until you get strong enough to do them on your own.

So there you have it! Down and dirty, more bang for your buck exercises that will get you ripped and ready for the rest of the summer! Yes, this is a very basic list with basic exercises. Nothing fancy, just old school exercises that have proven there effectiveness for years and years. Why fix things when they aren’t broken? Include a solid nutrition plan (which i will cover in another post) with these and your are on your way to a shirtless, or bikini sporting summer!

Plus you don’t need fancy equipment or an expensive gym membership to do these exercises. Like I said:
“MORE BANG FOR YOUR BUCK!”

Watch this video to see the exercises in motion.

Would love to here your comments on this and also what your favorite “more bang for your buck” exercises are.

Think Strong! Look Strong! Be Strong!