The Only 5 Lifts You Need to Know
If you’re unsure about lifting because you don’t know what to do, the videos in this blog will help.
There’s not as much to learn as you think.
What You’ll Get Out of This
Are there really only 5 lifts you need to know?
Yes… and no.
I’ll explain what each lift is, how to do it, and why it’s 1 of only 5 things you really need to learn.
Since it’s easier to learn this stuff by watching someone else do it first, the majority of this blog is in the form of several short videos (averaging about 2 min. each).
(Credit where credit’s due: Dan John didn’t invent these lifts, but he pioneered the concept that I’m breaking down for you today. He’s a fitness expert everyone should know.)
1. Squat
Everyone and their grandma’s dog knows what a squat is, but if you know how to do it correctly, you have a foundation that will make it a piece of cake to learn infinity more exercises (give or take).
2. Hip Hinge
If you have back issues, it’s possible that part of the problem is you aren’t working the hip hinge.
The hip hinge is an umbrella term that covers a lot of exercises. What you need to know is if you aren’t doing it, you’ll end up with a weak back and glutes, which will cause you to carry extra stress in your spine.
The most well known hip hinge movement is the deadlift.
3. Upper Body Push
There are so many variations of the upper body push, and a lot of them are ones most people are as familiar with as the squat — from the overhead press to the push-up, and everything in between.
Unfortunately, common form on a lot of them comes from looking at professional lifters going for a performance best, rather than considering the average lifter who just wants to get in shape.
I’ll give you an example on the bench press, and show you a better way to keep good form.
4. Upper Body Pull
The king of the upper body pull is the chin-up (or pull-up). But most people can’t do many of those, if any at all.
That’s ok, there are plenty of other options.
I’m going to focus on different types of rows.
5. Loaded Carry
This is one of the best core exercises you’ll ever do — but it hits a lot more than that.
It’s a great exercise to help you lock in your form for every other exercise by strengthening your entire body and teaching you how to get into proper alignment (i.e. that neutral spine I’ve talked about in the other videos) to help prevent injury.
More Videos
A lot of people wonder how I can train people online. As you can see from this blog, a lot can be done over video.
Of course, with my clients I don’t just send videos. We talk, text, and email regularly. I also receive videos to assess and critique form so you can be sure you’re doing certain exercises correctly.
The videos I send my clients are also more specific to each individual exercise. They look more like this one, where I was showing a client a hip hinge/glute bridge variation:
If you’re interested in applying for our online coaching, you can read about that here.
If you want to get started on your own, we have a free workout program, “Home Workout for Beginners — Get in Shape in 20 Minutes a Day (no gym equipment required).” It’s filled with almost 30 more videos for specific exercises.
