Whether your goal is to lose fat [2] or you want to strengthen your muscles [3], you might think you need to do different exercises to achieve each. Personal trainer Rob Allen [4] posted this photo to his Instagram account to show that whatever your goal, "Whether you want to lose fat or gain muscle, strength training is extremely important [5]."
As you can see from the above exercises, they are the same for either goal. And they're also the same for both women and men. Rob said, "Never be under the impression that a certain exercise is only for girls or guys or only for losing weight or adding muscle."
These are some of the most basic and most effective exercises you can (and should) be doing. "Keep in mind that these exercises can be interchanged for other variations," Rob said.
- Squats [6]: Try these squat variations [7] and this 30-day squat challenge [8]
- Deadlifts [9]: Here are some variations of deadlifts [10]
- Lunges [11]: Here are 22 of the best lunge variations [12]
- Hip thrusts [13]: Don't be afraid to throw some weight on that bar [14]!
- Rows: Whether you do them one-handed [15] or two-handed [16], this move targets the arms and upper back.
- Pull-ups [17]: The ultimate strengthening move for the upper body, it'll also work your core. Try this pull-up daily challenge [18] to build up your strength.
- Shoulder press [19]: Do overhead shoulder presses with dumbbells or a barbell, or try doing thrusters [20] or combining your shoulder press with a lunge [21] to target the lower body at the same time.
- Bench press: Rob said, for variations, you can also do a horizontal dumbbell press [22], incline press, or even push-ups [23].
Rob added, "Of course you're more likely to see girls doing hip thrusts and guys doing bench press, but that doesn't mean they shouldn't be doing both." It's OK to focus on different body parts (yeah booty gains [24]!), just remember "you shouldn't completely neglect other parts."