Bang For Your Buck

I must have written hundreds of workout programs over the years. These programs were for people from all walks of life, and with many different goals, yet more often than not, the same few movements made up the bulk of all the programs.

• squatting
• pulling
• lifting
• pressing

Within those 4 movements and their variations is almost all that is needed to build muscle, burn fat and improve your athletic performance. Only a minimum of extra exercises are necessary to individualise it to a specific desired outcome. These movements give you the most bang for your buck - the biggest improvements for the smallest time investment.

It seems very hard for people to accept this though. The number of times I have spent valuable time putting a program together, only to find 2 weeks later that the client has added bicep curls, lateral raises and leg extensions, because they felt 'it wasn't enough work'. But on many occasions the very exercises I prescribed are getting left out.

Those above 4 movements are DEFINITELY enough work. Exercises derived from them should make up the bulk of your training program if you want it to be successful. I'm talking at least 80% ......and preferably 90%. If you have and energy and time left after training these 'money' movements, feel free to work your guns, or add in some crunches, but what ever you do, don't substitute squats for leg extensions, or pushups for pec deck, or pullups for bicep curls. You know you're just avoiding the real work that is necessary to achieve notable results in your physique.