Walk into the gym, head to the dumbbells or gym machines, do the same few moves you’ve been doing for a while, and then call it a day. Sound familiar? Us too.
And honestly, we’re not even sure if those exercises are all that effective. The good thing is it’s easy to figure out the best moves for your body and switch up your routine—without a personal training certification or advanced degree in kinesiology.
Building your own workout is not only straightforward, but it’s also important. “Programming gives you a purpose,” says Noam Tamir, owner of TS Fitness in New York City. “Otherwise it’s like going on a road trip without a map.”
The easiest way to get started is to learn your basic movement patterns. The ones we’ll include here are:
Lower-body push Hip hinge Single-leg movement Vertical push Vertical pull Horizontal push Horizontal pull
Once you get the hang of it, you’ll realize there’s a near endless number of exercises that fall into these patterns—and that’s the beauty of designing your own workout. Sayonara, boredom.
How to use this list: Below we’ve provided a brief explanation of each movement followed by beginner and advanced exercise examples. Do at least 1 exercise from each section for a well-rounded workout.
How it works: Pick a medium-heavy weight that will fatigue you by about 8 to 10 reps. If you’re new to working out, do 2 to 3 sets. More advanced fitness fans can do 4 sets. Don’t forget to wa…