Get Stronger With These 5 Movements

You don’t have to be a bodybuilder to recognize the importance of building muscle. Strength training is linked to stronger bones, healthier joints, less pain, and a lengthier lifespan.

Generally speaking, “getting stronger does mean that we live longer,” says Charlie Grundas, a certified personal trainer and owner of We, The Collective Fitness in Chicago. It helps you improve in any athletic endeavors, and it also keeps you moving fluidly throughout the activities of your daily life, like climbing stairs and carrying groceries.

But if you’re not used to strength training, where do you start? Grundas recommends focusing on just five types of movements: squat, hinge, push, pull, and carry, which are considered the foundational movements of a full-body strength-training routine. “I find those to be very human movements,” he says. You can mix and match these movements into two full-body strengthening workouts per week. As they start to feel easier over several weeks, you can gradually increase how many exercises you do or how much weight you use.

Below are some go-to strength-training exercises he and other experts recommend—plus, how to do each one.

Squat

Rear-foot-elevated split squat

Squats of all kinds help you maintain the ability to stand up from sitting, Grundas says. This single-leg version, also called a Bulgarian split squat, helps build strength and stability in one leg at a time. That’s helpful for your daily life, because walking, running, and climbing stairs are essentially single-leg activities, says Will Hewitt, certified personal trainer and director of training at Flight House Fitness in Charlestown, Massachusetts.

How to do it

1. Start standing on one leg, propping the toes of your other foot up on a bench or step behind you. You can do this with just your body weight or hold a dumbbell in each hand.

2. Keeping your weight in your standing foot, bend that knee to lower your body until your back knee is just above the floor.

3. Drive through your front foot to return to the starting position.

4. Complete all repetitions—aim for 8 to 15, depending on your fitness level and goals—then switch sides.

Modify it

If you have trouble balancing in that position, keep both feet on the floor instead, Hewitt says. Start in a staggered stance and lower your body until both knees are bent to 90 degrees. Complete all your reps before switching sides.

Hinge

Romanian deadlift

A deadlift is primarily a lower-body movement. But when you add weight, you’ll also work your forearms, upper back, and grip strength, Hewitt says.

How to do it

1. Start standing with your feet hip-width apart and a slight bend in your knees, holding a dumbbell in each hand or a loaded barbell in both hands in front of your thighs.

2. Keeping that slight bend in your knees, push your hips back and lower the weight in front of your legs until you feel a stretch in the backs of your thighs.

3. Pause briefly, then drive through your feet to return to the starting position.

4. Complete all repetitions, aiming for 8 to 15.

Modify it

If you’re new to this movement, start with a single kettlebell in front of you rather than a barbell, Hewitt says. “That feels way more comfortable if you’ve never done one before, and eliminates some of the lower-back apprehension that people might have,” he says.

Push

Push-up

Not only does a push-up work your shoulders and chest, but it’s also good for your core. “A push-up is essentially a moving plank,” Hewitt says.

How to do it

1. Start balancing on your hands and the balls of your feet, hands under your shoulders, legs straight behind you.

2. Bend your elbows to lower your chest toward the floor as low as you can comfortably go.

3. Drive through your hands to return to the starting position.

4. Complete all repetitions.

Modify it

Place your hands on an elevated surface for an incline push-up. This can even be a wall if you’re new to push-ups. As you get stronger, keep finding lower surfaces, like a counter, a desk, a couch, or a few large books on the floor, and eventually you’ll be ready for a full push-up.

Pull

Pull-up

Even when modified, pull-ups test shoulder mobility, upper-body strength, and grip strength, Hewitt says.

Pull-ups also help develop back strength, which powers upper-body movements and improves stability, Grundas says. But plenty of people neglect their back muscles in favor of “show” muscles like biceps and abs that they see in the mirror, he says.

How to do it

1. Start hanging from a pull-up bar with your palms facing away from you about shoulder-distance apart.

2. Keeping your shoulders back and down, pull yourself up until your chin is above the bar.

3. Slowly lower back down to return to the starting position.

4. Complete all repetitions.

Modify it

You can use resistance bands to reduce some of your body weight for assisted pull-ups. You can also try a chin-up, which is a similar motion but with your palms facing toward you on the bar. 

Carry

Farmer’s carry

“When we go grocery shopping, how many trips should it take to take all the groceries in?” Grundas says. If you want the answer to be “one,” this type of move will help you become strong enough to get there. “Grip strength is a great indicator of [overall] strength,” he says. In fact, research suggests that older adults with weaker grip strength show accelerated signs of aging and have a higher risk of heart disease and death.

How to do it

1. Start standing with your feet hip-width apart, holding a dumbbell or kettlebell in each hand at your sides.

2. Keeping your spine long and your shoulders down and back, walk forward for a predetermined distance, such as 20 yards, or a set time, such as 30 seconds.

Modify it

Use heavier or lighter weights as needed. For an additional balance challenge, hold one heavy weight on one side, and make sure you don’t lean to that side while you walk.

How often should you train?

Generally, adults should try to do at least two full-body strength-training workouts each week. You can start by doing 12 to 20 repetitions per exercise, one to three times, with up to 90 seconds of rest between sets, according to the National Academy of Sports Medicine. But if you can only do eight or fewer reps at first, start where you are and build up gradually from there. As you gain experience, you might tailor your reps and sets to your goals, like building more muscle size or endurance.

But you don’t have to figure this all out on your own. Certified personal trainers and certified strength and conditioning specialists are trained to identify the best exercises for you, depending on your goals, ability, and preferences. “It’s totally normal to feel a little lost,” Hewitt says. A professional can also coach you through the best modifications for you. “We’re going to do it in a way that works for you and wherever you’re at,” he says.