

letting your hips sit back as you bend over at the waist), says Cavaliere. This exercise is key to hitting the posterior chain, and train the "all-important hinge pattern" (i.e. And for those needing less impact, you can utilize a goblet or drop squat. For those with knee issues, use a box while squatting. He notes it's also a key movement pattern that everyone needs to learn.īut if heavy loaded barbell squats are hard for your back, a great alternative is the Bulgarian split squat, which he notes allows you to train one leg at a time. So if you're missing any of these exercises, it's time to start adding them in.Ĭavaliere calls this the "king of all lower body exercises", since it hits the quads, glutes, adductors, and the hamstrings. He does want all lifters who can handle these exercises to do them.


Importantly, these exercises aren't a standalone workout-instead, Cavaliere hopes that exercisers will include the dependable dozen in their workouts alongside other accessory movements that might be more willing to each individual's specific goals.Īlso, he acknowledges that not every person can do every exercise-he's a physical therapist, after all, so he understands that limitations exist. To do so, he's shared 12 moves that he believes should be included in everyone's training program. wants to make sure you're doing the right moves to optimize your strength and muscle gains. But some exercises are just better than others you might be doing, whether that's due to your sticking with the same outdated split or from a lack of knowledge-so strength coach and Athlean-X founder Jeff Cavaliere C.S.C.S. There are a lot of exercises out there in the strength training world, and for the most part, you'll reap some benefits from performing them (with proper form, of course) as part of your strength training plan.
