The Top 3 Fundamental Exercises Missing from Most Gym Routines

When it comes to exercise selection, I choose to favour those that can deliver the highest training stimulus with a relatively short learning curve. This is why squats, deadlifts, split squats, presses and pulls are the bread and butter of a good gym programme - they work multiple muscle groups and can be overloaded to the highest degree.

However, where these exercises fall short is that they are one-dimensional, meaning they only allow us to make improvements in strength and muscle mass.

So what makes the three exercises listed below so useful?

Because they allow us to train the whole body to be stronger, faster, more powerful, coordinated and well-conditioned all at the same time. These three exercises (when programmed correctly) deliver the most return on investment. Yet ironically, I rarely ever see any of them being performed.

Hopefully, after reading this article you’ll be inclined to start utilising them more often.

1. High Velocity Movements

From as early as the age of 30, we begin to involuntarily lose muscle mass at a rate of roughly 1% per year, whilst seeing decreases in our ability to express power by about 1.7% per year.

This means that by the time we turn 40, we could lose as much as 10% of our strength and 17% of our power output compared to when we were 30.

With that in mind, it is clear that as you get older, training the nervous system to be fast, powerful and explosive is just as important (if not more important) as training for strength and muscle mass.

Being slow, weak and uncoordinated is a reason why elderly individuals can suffer detrimentally from accidental falls.

Every time you go to the gym, it would therefore be appropriate to think about incorporating drills that keep you moving fast and challenge your footwork to some degree.

Below are a few of my favourite exercises that can help to increase your ability to produce power:

• Jump Variations

• Medicine Ball Throws

• Sled Sprints

• Kettlebell Swings

2. Sled Pushing

What makes the sled one of the best training tools available is the variety of physical qualities it develops whilst being relatively safe and straightforward. By changing the load and volume, we can elicit many different training responses to improve speed, power, strength and endurance.

Below are a couple of examples of how to manipulate the loading and volume of the sled to drive the adaptation we are trying to achieve:

• Speed

  5 x 10m sled sprint using 10-30% bodyweight with a full 2-5 minutes rest between sets

• Strength

  3 x 15m sled push with a full 3+ minutes rest between sets

• Conditioning

  6 x 20m sled push + reverse sled drag with 1 minute rest between sets, aiming to hold a consistent time each round

Sled pushing seems to tick many boxes when it comes to return on training investment. But perhaps the most significant training effect is the mental resilience sled work can build.

Pushing a heavy sled for multiple sets is one of the most demanding tasks you can do in the gym, and as such, will help to strengthen the mind just as much as it does the legs and the cardiovascular system.

3. Loaded Carries

Like the sled, loaded carries offer a versatile range of training options that can be used to enhance many different adaptations. We can use them to build strength, increase muscle mass, improve core/hip stability, develop work capacity and rehabilitate shoulder function after coming off the back of an injury.

They can also be done with a variety of implements, such as dumbbells, kettlebells, trap bars and sandbags, but regardless of the variation used, the goal of the exercise remains the same:

Carry more weight for a longer period of time over a greater distance.

Here are some examples of integrating loaded carries into a training session for some of the goals mentioned above:

• Increase muscle mass

  Trap Bar Farmer’s Carry 3-5 x 30 seconds

  Start at 3 sets in week 1 and gradually build up to 5 sets over the next 3-4 weeks before increasing the weight and starting back at 3 sets

• Improve core strength & stability

  Single Arm Suitcase Carry 3 x 10-20m per/side

  Start at 10 metres in week 1 and gradually build up to 20 metres over the next 3-4 weeks before increasing the weight and starting back at 10 metres

• Develop work capacity

  6 Minute EMOM’

  Minute 1: Assault Bike x 10 Kcals

  Minute 2: Double KB Front Rack Carry x 20m

  Start at 6 minutes and gradually build up to 10 minutes over the next 4-6 weeks before increasing the weight/reps

Conclusion

Sled pushing, loaded carries and high-velocity movements are three of the best, most fundamental exercises you should be training if your goal is to get stronger, build muscle, lose fat and improve your fitness.

What’s more, with each of these exercises, you’re able to integrate horizontal, lateral and multi-directional movements - something you don’t get from many other exercises in the weight room.

The gym is a facilitator of movement, and learning to move efficiently across a variety of planes will serve to have a greater impact on all other aspects of daily life.