Exercise isn’t a mystery: the effort you put in directly affects the results you get. You don’t need to spend hours every day working out; you just need to work out smart.
Not all exercises are equally effective. Some are more efficient because they target multiple muscle groups, are suitable for different fitness levels, or help burn calories more effectively.
So, what are the best most effective exercises? We asked four fitness experts this question and compiled a list of their favorites.
Here is 7 Best Most Effective Exercises
1. Walking
Any comprehensive exercise program should include cardiovascular exercise, which not only strengthens the heart but also helps burn calories. Walking is a versatile activity that most people can do anywhere, anytime, requiring no equipment other than a good pair of shoes.
Walking isn’t just for beginners; even highly fit individuals can benefit from a brisk walk. According to Robert Gotlin, DO, director of orthopedic and sports rehabilitation at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York, a brisk walk can burn up to 500 calories per hour. Since it takes 3,500 calories to lose a pound, you could expect to lose a pound for every seven hours of walking, if you did nothing else.
However, it’s important not to go from a sedentary lifestyle to walking an hour a day immediately. Beginners should start by walking for five to ten minutes at a time, gradually increasing to at least 30 minutes per session, advises Richard Cotton, a spokesman for the American Council on Exercise.
Cotton also suggests not adding more than five minutes at a time and, as you become fitter, adding more time to your walk before increasing your speed or the incline on your treadmill.
2. Interval training
Whether you’re a beginner or have been exercising for years, incorporating interval training into your cardiovascular workout can elevate your fitness level and potentially aid in weight loss. According to Richard Cotton, varying your pace throughout the exercise session stimulates the aerobic system to adapt, resulting in increased calorie burn.
The concept is to alternate between pushing the intensity or pace for a minute or two and then easing off for a period of recovery, typically lasting from two to ten minutes, depending on the total duration of your workout and your personal recovery needs. This pattern is repeated throughout the workout. If you’re unsure about what interval duration is suitable for you, consult a trainer for guidance.
3. Squats
Strength training is crucial for overall fitness. Richard Cotton emphasizes that the more muscular fitness you have, the greater your capacity to burn calories. Experts often recommend strength-training exercises that target multiple muscle groups. Squats, for instance, engage the quadriceps, hamstrings, and gluteals, making them highly effective.
Trainer David Petersen of Oldsmar, FL, highlights squats as an excellent compound exercise that offers significant benefits due to their ability to engage multiple muscle groups simultaneously. However, proper form is essential. Petersen notes that an exercise’s functionality is determined by how it’s performed, emphasizing the importance of maintaining good technique.
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For squats, it’s advised to keep your feet shoulder-width apart, maintain a straight back, and bend your knees while lowering your rear. Cotton suggests keeping the knee over the ankle as much as possible, likening the movement to sitting down in a chair.
Physical therapist Adam Rufa from Cicero, NY, recommends practicing getting in and out of a real chair properly to improve squat form. Once mastered, progress to tapping the chair with your bottom and returning to standing, eventually performing the motion without the chair.
Robert Gotlin often treats patients with knee pain and attributes it to quadriceps weakness. Strengthening the quadriceps with squats can be beneficial for such issues, especially if you experience pain when descending stairs.
4. Lunges
Like squats, lunges are a highly effective lower-body exercise, engaging major muscles such as the gluteals, quadriceps, and hamstrings.
According to David Petersen, lunges are beneficial because they replicate the motion of walking but in a more exaggerated manner. Richard Cotton adds that lunges are slightly more advanced than squats and can help improve balance.
To perform lunges correctly, take a big step forward while maintaining a neutral spine. Bend your front knee to approximately 90 degrees, ensuring that your weight is on the back toes and lowering the knee of your back leg toward the floor.
Petersen recommends imagining sitting on your back foot, emphasizing that the trailing leg is the one you should focus on lowering.
To enhance the functionality of lunges, Adam Rufa suggests not only stepping forward but also stepping back and out to each side. Rufa emphasizes that life involves movement in multiple planes, and exercises like lunges that prepare you for these movements are particularly useful.
5. Push-ups
The push-up is a highly effective exercise that targets the chest, shoulders, triceps, and core muscles simultaneously when performed correctly.
David Petersen recommends planking exercises and yoga-type moves to strengthen the pelvis and core muscles, as they require you to rely on your inherent strength to stabilize your body.
Push-ups can be modified for any fitness level. Richard Cotton suggests starting with elevated push-ups (e.g., from a kitchen counter) for beginners and gradually progressing to lower surfaces (e.g., desk, chair, floor with bent knees, floor on toes) as strength increases.
To perform a standard push-up, start in a face-down position with hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Keep your body in a perfect diagonal from shoulders to knees or feet by engaging your glutes and abdominals. Lower and lift your body by bending and straightening your elbows while maintaining a stable torso throughout.
For a more challenging variation, Adam Rufa suggests the “T-stabilization” push-up. Begin in a push-up position and raise one arm out to the side while balancing on the remaining three limbs, without rotating your hips, as you perform the push-ups.
6. Abdominal Crunches
When performed correctly, the standard crunch and its variations are effective for targeting the abdominal muscles.
To do a standard crunch, Richard Cotton advises lying on your back with feet flat on the floor and fingertips supporting your head. Press your lower back down and contract your abdominals, lifting your head, neck, shoulders, and upper back off the floor.
Avoid pulling your neck forward or holding your breath. Keep your elbows out of your line of vision to keep your chest and shoulders open.
David Petersen recommends doing crunches with your feet off the floor and knees bent to prevent arching the back and engaging the hip flexors, which can occur when the feet are on the floor.
To target the obliques, Cotton suggests adding a twist to the standard crunch by rotating the spine toward one side as you curl off the floor. It’s important to twist before coming up to ensure the obliques are engaged.
However, Cotton emphasizes that crunches alone won’t give you a flat stomach. To burn belly fat, you need to consume fewer calories than you expend. Crunches primarily work the abdominal muscles and do not directly burn fat over the abdominals.
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7. Bent-over Row
This exercise is a great way to target the major muscles of the upper back and the biceps. Here’s how to perform it with proper form:
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
- Bend your knees slightly and flex forward at the hips. If standing is difficult, you can sit on an incline bench facing backward for support.
- Tilt your pelvis slightly forward, engage your abdominals, and extend your upper spine for added support.
- Hold dumbbells or a barbell beneath your shoulders, with your hands about shoulder-width apart.
- Flex your elbows and lift both hands toward the sides of your body.
- Pause at the top of the movement, then slowly lower your hands back to the starting position.
- Beginners can perform this exercise without weights to start.
Remember to maintain proper form throughout the exercise to avoid strain and maximize effectiveness.
Technique is key when it comes to strength or resistance exercises. According to David Petersen, the effectiveness of an exercise is not so much about the exercise itself but how well you execute it.
“When done with good technique, all exercises do what they’re supposed to do,” Petersen explains.
However, poor form can alter the exercise, placing emphasis or strain on unintended areas, which can lead to injury rather than improvement.
For beginners, it’s advisable to seek the guidance of a fitness trainer to ensure that your form is safe and correct. This will help you get the most out of your workout while minimizing the risk of injury.
Disclaimer: Before beginning any new exercise program, it is important to consult with a healthcare provider or fitness professional, especially if you have any existing health conditions or concerns. The information provided in this blog post is for educational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice. Perform exercises at your own risk, and stop immediately if you experience any pain or discomfort. Results may vary depending on individual effort and consistency. Always prioritize safety and listen to your body.