Chennai fitness trainer shares 7 exercises to strengthen major muscle groups: Basic squats, hinges, and more

If your workout routine seems overcrammed with multiple exercises, maybe its lacking structure. Fitness coach Raj shares 7 movements targeting key muscles.

If your workout routine is crammed with dozens of exercises because you think that’s the only way to hit every major muscle group, you’re not alone - but you may be overcomplicating it. Building strength doesn’t require an endless list of moves; a handful of well-chosen exercises can do the job far more efficiently.

Fitness trainer Raj Ganpath - founder of the Slow Burn Method, co-founder and head coach at Quad Fitness, and author of Simple, Not Easy - has outlined seven essential exercises that should be part of your training plan to strengthen every major muscle group. In an Instagram video posted on December 3, the fitness coach states, “If you want to strengthen every major muscle group in your body, but you don't want to complicate it with hundreds of different exercises, here are the seven types of movements you need to include in your training plan.”

1. Basic squat

Raj recommends incorporating basic squats as part of your regular workout routine, and suggests performing them every week. He adds, “It can be body weight with a dumbbell, with a kettle bell, with a barbell. Loads, reps, sets depend on your strength levels, but make sure this is a significant part of your training.”

2. Single leg dominant exercises

The fitness trainer suggests adding exercises that engage each leg, including single-leg lunges, squats and deadlifts, because they not only train various leg muscles but also enhance stability. He recommends, “This can be a forward lunge, a reverse lunge, a split squat, a rear foot elevated split squat, a single-legged deadlift, anything that requires you to move using one leg. Now, between these two movements, you will train your quadriceps, your glutes, your hamstrings, and your balance.”

3. Hinge

Raj recommends incorporating hinge movements into your weekly training. He explains, “This can be a deadlift, a swing, a clean, a snatch, any movement that requires you to use your posterior chain, especially your hamstrings, glutes, and your lower back musculature.”

4. Upper body horizontal push

A horizontal upper-body pushing movement - one that requires you to push forward rather than overhead - should be a staple in your routine. Raj explains, “This can be a plank. It can be a push-up, a bench press, a dumbbell bench press, anything that works for you. Make sure you know how to do the movement well and do it with good technique.”

5. Upper body vertical push

According to the fitness coach, an upper body vertical pushing movement involves any exercise that requires you to push a weight overhead. He explains, “This can be the overhead press or the push press or the push jerk. You can do it with a dumbbell, with a kettle bell, with a barbell. But remember, good technique is essential.”

He also adds, “Between the last two movements, you will train all the pushing muscles of your body, which include your pecs, your deltoids, the triceps and the stabilisers in your shoulders.”

6. Upper body horizontal pull

Raj highlights that most people often do a lot of pushing movements but end up ignoring the pulling movements, which are equally important. He notes, “A horizontal pulling movement is anything that requires you to pull a weight towards yourself in a horizontal manner. So, it can be a bent over row, it can be a resistance band pull, it can be a seated cable row, anything that you prefer, any equipment.”

7. Upper body vertical pull

Raj explains, “Obviously, this means any exercise that requires you to pull something towards yourself in the vertical plane or pulling yourself up in the same plane. So, a hang, a pull-up, a lat pull down, they're all good options.”

He adds that the last two movements work all the pulling muscles of your body, effectively targeting the traps, lates and biceps.

What about core exercises?

The fitness coach highlights that if you perform these seven movements, you wouldn’t require separate core exercises because “your body will have no choice but to recruit and train the muscles of your core.”

He stresses that loads, reps and sets can be adjusted to your strength and preferences - but performing these simple movements consistently can make a significant difference. Rather than relying on an overly complicated routine, these exercises are enough to engage, stimulate and strengthen all the key muscle groups.

Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. It is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.