Exercise is essential in order to live a truly healthy lifestyle. In between work and other commitments it can be easy to get stuck in the same routine, either by following what’s popular or sticking with what’s familiar.
Often we turn to sports supplements but by adding some variety to your routine can re-focus your training and re-vitalise your passion for fitness. The following 5 forgotten gym exercises have been used by athletes for generations and yet are rarely seen in the gym, despite their ability to improve your performance in every major type of exercise.
Pistol Squats
Alternatively known as the single-leg squat, pistol squats are a fantastic bodyweight exercise that challenges your strength, mobility and stability. It takes a lot of strength to perform and a lot more time to master, however when you do you’ll be part of an elite fitness club who can train their entire lower body anytime, anywhere.
Good Mornings
This often neglected exercise works your entire posterior chain, helping you to avoid lower back and hamstring injuries whilst helping you deadlift and squat more weight. Good mornings can be performed with a variety of equipment and are arguably one of the most effective techniques for complete muscular development.
Turkish Get-Ups
Whereas most movements only require you to move an object from point A to point B, the dynamic nature of Turkish get-ups require total body control. Not only do they help to develop incredible flexibility, this complex movement requires stability and strength – all attributes which carry over into other types of athletic training.
Zercher Squats
By holding the barbell in the crease of your elbow, you reduce the compression on your spine and have a far easier time maintaining an upright posture in comparison to the back squat. Not only is the zercher squat fantastic for understanding the mechanics of the squat movement, it forces the abdominal muscles to work overtime to keep you from tipping over and develops the glutes and hamstrings thanks to being able to squat deeper.
L-Sits
Another brilliant bodyweight exercise, the l-sit requires both strength and control. Holding the l-sit works your abs and triceps like few other exercises can, not to mention taking your leg flexibility and shoulder endurance to their absolute limits. Although it can take a long time to progress up to an unassisted l-sit, it’s considered by many to be the only abdominal exercise worth doing.
Do you have some tips of your own of how to build muscle or have some forgotten exercises that we should be trying? Please share your top tips with our readers in the comments section below.
This guest post was contributed by personal trainer and fitness writer Andrew Pallett from www.sometimesitrain.com.
