You hear it all the time: “Keep fit, stay healthy.” But just knowing that fact doesn’t make it any easier to stay in shape or to know which exercises are right for you.
When you have an understanding of different exercises, you can choose the ones that best fit your lifestyle and goals. That’s why we’re here to break down the five exercises every man should do to stay fit.
Exercising is a vital part of being healthy and keeping your body in top shape. Plus, if you establish a routine, it can become enjoyable and something you look forward to. In this article, we’ll go over the basics of five popular exercises, and what benefits each can bring in helping you stay in shape for whatever your needs might be.
Muscle Building Exercises for Men
Building muscles and getting toned doesn't need to be a chore. To make it easy, here are 5 exercises you can do every day to stay fit:
Push-ups: Push-ups are one of the best bodyweight exercises that you can do to build upper body strength. They work your chest, shoulders, triceps, and core muscles all at the same time.
Squats: Squats are a great exercise for building lower body strength. They work your quads, glutes, hamstrings and calves simultaneously to help strengthen and tighten your legs.
Lunges: Lunges help build muscular endurance in your lower body as well as improve balance and coordination.
Planks: Planking strengthens not just your abdominals but also improves posture and balance.
Deadlifts: Deadlifts not only help build muscle mass in the lower body but also increase muscular endurance in the entire body which could help improve overall fitness performance.
Cardio to Improve Heart Health
Cardio exercises are great for improving heart health, which is key to staying fit and living a long life. They help to improve the circulation of oxygen in your body and strengthen your heart muscle. There are plenty of options available when it comes to cardio exercises, so find something that works for you. Here are a few ideas:
Go for a jog or run several times a week. This is one of the most popular ways to get your cardio in and is fairly easy to incorporate into your routine.
Take a dance class. This can be fun and can even help you burn calories faster than running or jogging.
Play sports like basketball, soccer, and tennis. These will get your heart rate up and keep you motivated to stay active.
Do some interval training on a stationary bike or elliptical machine. This type of exercise alternates periods of intense work with periods of rest, making it incredibly efficient for improving cardiovascular endurance.
No matter which type of cardio exercise you opt for, make sure you're pushing yourself just enough to get your heart rate up without over-exerting yourself. Regularly pushing your body will help sustain better health overall!
Exercises to Strengthen Core Muscles
If you're looking to get some core strength, then you should definitely work on the following exercises.
Plank
Doing planks can be one of the most effective exercises for men. It requires no equipment and can be done almost anywhere. To do a plank, start by assuming a prone position on the floor, resting your weight on your forearms. Then, lift your body off the ground such that your feet and hips remain in one line and hold this position for 30 seconds to 1 minute. As you become more comfortable with this exercise, gradually increase the duration of the plank up to 3 minutes.
Push-Ups
Push-ups are another great exercise to strengthen your core muscles. Start by assuming a push-up position and make sure that your wrists are directly below your shoulders and that your elbows are tucked close to the sides of your body. Then, lower down towards the ground until your chest nearly touches it and push back up until you achieve full extension of both arms. This constitutes one repetition aim for 10 repetitions per set and do at least three sets of push-ups per day.
Abdominal Crunches
This is an excellent workout to tone up abdominal muscles while also strengthening core muscles in general. Start by lying flat on the ground or an exercise mat with bent legs resting parallel to each other and toes pointed towards the ceiling. Then, put both hands behind your head, curl up towards your knees while tensing abdominal muscles at the same time and slowly return back down to starting position – this constitutes one repetition – aim for at least 20 repetitions per set and do 3 sets of crunches per day.
Upper Body Exercises for Maximum Strength
Let's talk about upper body strength. Yes, it looks great having a broad chest and strong arms, but there are so many other reasons why you should be focusing on your upper body too.
Upper body strength is used for day-to-day activities such as lifting and carrying heavy items or giving a big push to open a door. It’s also an important factor in exercise performance, so if you want to stay fit for the long haul, you’ll need to make sure that your upper body muscles are also getting sufficient attention.
So what exercises should you be doing for your upper body? Here are 5 of the best:
- Pushups
- Pull-ups
- Chin-ups
- Dips
- Shoulder Presses
Not only will these exercises help build your upper body strength and endurance, they’ll also help maintain good posture and increase flexibility. So don’t be afraid to hit the gym and start pumping some iron!
Lower Body Exercises for Optimal Balance
Achieving total-body fitness is all about balance. That means you shouldn't just focus on upper body exercises you need to make sure you're including lower body exercises in your routine too. This will help you maintain correct posture and spinal alignment, while improving your overall balance, coordination and agility.
Here are some lower body exercises every man should be doing:
Squats
Squats are a great way to strengthen your quads, hamstrings, hips and glutes. And they don't have to be complicated start with basic versions like bodyweight squats or goblet squats.
Lunges
Lunges can help strengthen and tone your quads and glutes, improve your balance, and increase hip mobility all of which are important for functional strength and agility.
Step-Ups
These are a fantastic move for strengthening the quads, glutes and calves in one easy exercise. You can use any step or bench to perform them, but make sure you focus on good form when doing them to avoid injury.
Glute Bridges
Glute bridges are a great way to activate the abdominals and strengthen the glute muscles at the same time. They also help improve hip extension too a very important functional movement essential for any man’s daily life.
Calf Raises
Calf raises are a simple exercise that targets the calf muscles (duh!), helping to boost flexibility, strength, stability and balance. Try single-leg raises if you want to add an extra challenge!
Making Exercise a Daily Habit
Fitness isn't a one-time event, and it isn't something you can just do once and expect to stick. As with any healthy habit, exercise needs to be done on a regular basis in order for you to see yourself improving and getting results.
So how do you make sure you stay consistent? Here are a few tips:
Be realistic
Setting ambitious goals is great, but make sure they're achievable. If they're too challenging, you'll be discouraged when you don't see results as quickly as you'd like, and chances are you won't stick with it. So keep your goals realistic—you don't have to go from doing nothing to running a marathon in no time!
Find an exercise buddy
Having someone holding you accountable of exercising will make it easier for you to stick with it. So try finding somebody who shares the same commitment as you do so you can motivate and encourage each other!
Make use of technology
Make your life easier by using apps or wearables that give you reminders or track your workouts so that staying fit becomes part of your daily routine. This way, getting through the daily grind will become much easier!
Conclusion
For men looking to stay fit, these five exercises are essential. Developing a routine that includes these basic exercises is the best way to ensure that you stay in shape and prevent potential health risks from arising. The best thing about these exercises is that they can be done anywhere with minimal equipment, so you don’t have to worry about making a large investment to get started.
Committing to a daily workout routine is beneficial for both your physical and mental health. You can start small and work your way up to more rigorous exercises as your strength and endurance increase. Take care of your body, and you’ll be on the way to staying fit and healthy.
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