The Only 9 Exercises You’ll Ever Need

Looking for the newest variation on the bench press? An improved bicep curl to throw into the mix? Or how about the hottest new ab exercise guaranteed to give you an 8 pack in 30 days or less?

We guys are particularly susceptible to “shiny object syndrome” when it comes to working out.

We think we need to learn hundreds of exercises and master insanely-specific workouts in order to lose fat and build muscle.

But working out need not be so damned complicated.

It’s far better to master a handful of exercises than have a half-assed ability to do a thousand.

Compound movements. Full-body workouts. And brief, intense exercises. This is the philosophy of minimalist fitness.

But how do you put it into practice? How do you get the most bang for your exercise buck?

It turns out you need only nine exercises. Ever. For the rest of your life. Here’s the breakdown.

1. Walking

Don’t laugh.

Walking is hands down the most underrated exercise of all time. And also the most neglected.

A recent study found that Americans take about 5117 steps each day. This is just barely above the threshold of “sedentary”–5000 steps each day.

On the other hand, another study found that Amish farmers took between 14,196 and 18425 steps each day. This gives you a much better idea of what amount of waking the human body is “supposed” to do.

The great thing about walking is that it is easy to incorporate into your life without having to hit the gym. Park further away. Get a dog. And find more active things to do with your spare time.

Whatever you do, find a way to walk more.

2. Jogging

Cardio gets a bad rap these days.

It shouldn’t.

Although the “cardiobots” spending an hour on the treadmill each day while they catch up on CNN are overdoing it (if for no other reason than they are wasting too much time), they have some precedent for doing so.

Of all the physical tasks humans are capable of, our strongest ability is in long-distance running.

This is the result of our need to literally chase large animals until they dropped in the past–a behavior now known as “persistence hunting.”

However, you don’t need to take things this far.

A run of 30 minutes each week will be more than enough for most people. And bonus points if you get off the treadmill and outside to do it.

3. Sprinting

If walking gets ignored, and running gets trashed, then sprinting gets all the glory these days.

And for good reason.

HIIT (high intensity interval training) is like the Lady Gaga of the fitness world right now. You just can’t go anywhere without hearing about it.

As the theory goes, pushing yourself for short, all-out bursts boosts your metabolism and fat-burning hormones with just a couple minutes per week.

Perhaps the most famous protocol is Tabata sprinting, which consists of eight rounds of 20 seconds of all-out sprinting followed by 10 seconds of rest.

It’ll be four of the most brutal minutes of your week, but more than worth it in the long run.

4. Squats

Although you rarely see people doing them in their everyday life today, squats were once a crucial movement.

Before all these newfangled chairs came along, the common resting pose was a deep squat, with both feet firmly on the ground. (You can still see this in many Asian societies.)

Squatting requires you to use every muscle in your lower body. And that’s pretty badass.

While its more common to see people doing squats with a loaded barbell across their backs, I suggest you instead start with air squats, and progress towards pistol squats as they get easier.

You’ll save your back in the long run, plus you’ll train your balance as well–a crucial part of fitness that too many people neglect.

5. Push Ups

Bench presses may take all the glory, but push ups are the real king.

They work more muscles. They can be done anywhere. They can be made increasingly difficult by moving towards clap push ups, one-armed push ups, or any number of more difficult variations.

Don’t let this humble exercise go under your radar.

6. Pull Ups

Next up is the all-time gym class favorite, the pull up.

Sure, a lot of people are hitting the lat pulldown machine, but you can safely ignore the peer pressure.

Between push ups and pull ups, your entire upper body is called into action, including your core.

That means no more endless sessions of crunches. Ever. Again.

7. Deadlifts

Of all the nine essential exercises, only three require weights. And I suggest you go barbell or go home.

There’s nothing quite like lifting a really heavy object off the ground to build strength in your lower body.

Most guys like to avoid deadlifts and squats, and focus their weight lifting almost entirely on their upper body with the mistaken belief that it will give them the hips of Kim Kardashian.

Don’t fall for this silliness.

Take a look at the physiques of crossfitters–people who do insane amounts of deadlifts (and squats, for that matter).

Do you see a bunch of people with huge hips out of proportion with the rest of their bodies? Of course not. Hit the bar, buddy.

8. Cleans

Out of all these exercises, cleans are the most technical, most difficult, and most likely to get you hurt.

The key (as always) is to focus on form rather than number of reps, and stop trying to push your body to complete muscle failure.

Cleans are a full-body exercise, requiring your legs, arms, and core to work in tandem to bring a weight up to the racked position across your shoulders.

I suggest you go with the hanging power clean–starting with the bar hanging from your arms rather than resting on the ground.

9. Presses

Last, but not least, the press has been overshadowed by his flashier younger brother–the bench press–for far too long.

Once a well-known strongman (and Olympic) staple, the O.G. press is now better known as the military press or overhead press to distinguish it from the bench press.

However, the military press is safer. It requires less equipment. And between them and push ups, you’ll never need to hit the bench again.

These nine exercises encapsulate what the human body is designed to do–move, climb, and lift. Low-intensity, medium-intensity, and high-intensity.

It works every muscle. It trains your strength, speed, and power. Your endurance and stamina. Your flexibility, stamina, and coordination.

These nine movements are all that is needed to maximize your fitness while minimizing the time and energy you spend in the gym.

If you could only do nine exercises for the rest of your life, what would they be? Any important ones you think I forgot? Or ones you think I should have left off?

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