Top 10 Exercises for Total Body Strength

Are you ready to elevate your all-around strength game? As a NASM certified personal trainer, I am here to guide you through my top 10 exercises for total body strength. These carefully chosen moves target multiple muscle groups simultaneously so you can unleash your inner athlete and meet fitness goals more easily.

Deadlifts:

As the undisputed king of exercises, deadlifts provide unparalleled posterior chain activation by activating your hamstrings, glutes, lower back, and core muscles. Not only does this functional movement build total body strength but it can also improve posture and daily activities such as driving.

How To: Start with feet hip-width apart and toes under a barbell. Bend at your hips and knees and grasp the bar with mixed grip, bracing your core while straightening back. Lift barbell by extending hips and knees before lowering safely back down again while maintaining control throughout movement.

Squats:
Squats are an indispensable way to develop lower body strength, engaging your quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and core.

How to: Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, toes slightly pointed outward. Brace your core and bend hips and knees until your body has dropped below shoulder level while keeping chest up. Press through your heels to return back up into the starting position.

Push-Ups:
A timeless bodyweight exercise, push-ups are great way to strengthen chest, triceps, shoulders and core muscles simultaneously.

How to: Begin in a plank position, with hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Lower yourself slowly until your chest touches the ground while keeping elbows close to body, keeping elbows close together until chest touches floor again, before pushing back up again to maintain straight line between head to heels.

Pull-Ups:

Pull-ups are an excellent upper body exercise, targeting your lats, biceps, and shoulders.

How to: Grasp the pull-up bar with an overhand grip and hands shoulder width apart, hanging arms fully extended. Pull yourself up towards the bar while simultaneously bringing your chest towards it and squeezing shoulder blades together as you squeeze back down gradually into starting position with control.

Lunges:

Lunges are an effective lower body exercise, targeting your quads, hamstrings, glutes, and calves.

How To: Begin by standing with feet hip-width apart. Take one step forward with your right foot, lowering yourself until your right thigh is parallel with the ground and your left knee nearly touches it. Press through your right heel to return to the starting position before repeating this sequence on the opposite side.

Planks (Planking):

These exercises provide an incredible core-strengthening workout, engaging the abdominal region, lower back, and shoulders simultaneously.

How To: Begin in a forearm plank position, with elbows under shoulders and your body forming an indented line from head to heels. Engage your core and hold this position for as long as desired.

Kettlebell Swings:

These explosive exercises target your posterior chain, core, and shoulders.

How To: Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, holding a kettlebell in both hands. Hinge at your hips to swing backward, returning the kettlebell between legs before explosively extending your hips forward propelling the kettlebell forward up to chest height, controlling it back down before repeating this exercise.

Rows:

Rows are essential for building strength in your back and improving posture, working your lats, rhomboids and biceps while targeting lats, rhomboids and biceps to sculpt and strengthen them all at the same time.

How To: Begin by holding two dumbbells, palms facing away from you thighs. Bend both knees slightly while hinging your hips forward for a flat back position and pulling each dumbbell towards your ribcage while simultaneously squeezing shoulder blades together as tightly as possible before slowly lowering back down again with control.

Bench Press:
Bench press is an exercise that targets multiple parts of your body simultaneously – chest, triceps and shoulders.

How To: Lie down on a bench with both feet on the ground, grab the barbell with an overhand grip slightly wider than shoulder-width and lower it slowly toward your chest while maintaining an elbow angle of 45-degrees. Push back up while fully extending your arms.

Romanian Deadlifts (RDLs):

RDLs are an effective way of strengthening hamstrings, glutes, and the lower back.

How To: Stand with feet hip-width apart and hold a barbell with an overhand grip (shoulder width). Bend knees slightly as you hinge at hips to lower barbell down front of legs while maintaining tension in hamstrings. Once feeling stretched out, drive hips forward for return to standing position.

Implementing these top 10 exercises into your strength training regimen will help you build total body strength and achieve new levels of fitness. Consistency is key, while proper form is crucial to prevent injury and maximize results. Don’t hesitate to seek guidance from a certified personal trainer so your technique remains on point – then unleash your inner athlete and conquer fitness goals!