My Five Favorite Exercises
February 10th, 2010
Lately I have been making exercise and all around healthy living a central focus of my life, and on January 21st I took up the challenge to do P90x and do at least one video from the program every day, for at least ninety days.
Since then I have found that the other important responsibilities in my life have become easier to achieve, as my body and mind have been stress free.
I have my first child, a son, on the way in about seven weeks and to say that I have had to deal with a little bit of stress is an understatement. Daily exercise has really helped and I have found that any stress I have seems to sweat itself away.
My secret to exercising regularly, without getting bored or discouraged, is doing exercise that I enjoy. In addition to the fun and engaging P90x, I also focus on strength training at the gym, and play sports.
Sports are another way to make exercise fun, and if you are playing a sport you love it probably does not seem like exercise at all. I play on a hockey team, but our season just wrapped up. I also belong to a broomball team, the shockers, but I am taking the rest of this season off so that I can focus on work. Sports are also a great way to socialize, and some of the best friendships I have were started on the hockey rink, or on the soccer field.
I decided to write this post so I can share with you five of my favorite exercises from the gym. Here they are:
1. Running
Running is probably the best exercise on the planet, and certainly my favorite. There are few activities that really allow me to take it to the limit, and running is one of them. Running burns almost twice as many calories as biking does, and once you break through the 8 minute barrier it’s the most enjoyable exercise there is. The secret to running is those first 10 minutes, because once you break through them your endorphins will kick in and you’ll have runners high to help you fight the rest of the way. Set goals and try to beat them every time.
2. Bench Press
Some people have certain chest days when they will work on their chest, but I like to workout my chest every time I hit the gym. I usually start my workout with bench press because the chest is a major muscle group and working it really gets the pump going. Bench Press works best with a spotter, but even if you don’t have someone to spot you, you can use the [name of bench machine], free weights, or simply do push ups.
3. Bicep Curls
Bicep curls are encouraging as they isolate the bicep, which is the most noticeable muscle in the arm. There is something about being able to see your muscles working that I find makes it much easier to work them out hard. I curl 60lb dumbbells at this point, and hopefully I can get that weight even higher over time. I remember seeing a teacher (Mr. Niel) at my highschool curl 80lbs, but that is the most I have ever seen anyone do. Curl machines and preacher curl stands are also great if you want to really isolate the bicep.
4. Chin Ups
Chin-ups work more of the upper body than few other exercises. Doing these work the back, arms, and forearms. With chin-ups I find that it is very difficult for me to increase my maximum, since I am lifting 200lbs, but I enjoy them nonetheless. The best way to improve is to either use an assisted chin-up machine, or to have a friend hold your feet once you can no longer lift your full weight alone.
5. Tricep Dips
Tricep dips are fantastic and I do them every time I hit the gym. If you have two chairs at home you can use them to do this exercise, but the best way is with the two bars at the gym. I have found with this exercise that I am able to increase my maximum quite regularly, and now I can do thirty in a row. The ability to improve with this exercise has given me significant encouragement to keep trying my best and pushing my max.
Hopefully looking over these exercises encourages you to go and try them out for yourself. If you do, best of luck!
Feedback
What are some of your favorite exercises? What did you think of the videos? What exercises do you hate?
