Why burpees are a waste of time and fancy exercises are a joke

There are fancy looking exercises you see all over Instagram that get all the boys and gals excited. They look great but tend to leave fitness pros and OG coaches unimpressed.

Fancy looking doesn’t mean effective.

Most of the fancy looking exercises I’m thinking of can be learned in five minutes. 

If your goal is to move around like an animal huffing and puffing, make filtered Instagram pictures or pick up chicks then go for it.

But if your goal is to explore your body, mind and to reach levels of fitness that most people just don’t realise they have the ability to do then you need to focus on a more simple and (and effective) direction.

Simple + progress = effective.

It’s the basics, stupid.

Often underestimated, but if we can focus on basic exercises and build our strength in these, we will progress.

Because the basics aren’t really the basics, they’re the foundations. Foundation exercises are also the hardest to truly master.

They are: squat, push, pull, hip hinge.

What does this mean?

Squats takes care of your legs.

Push takes care of your chest, shoulders and triceps.

Pull takes care of your upper back, your biceps and your grip muscles.

And hip hinge takes care of your hamstrings, your booty and lower back.

This is your full body. These four simple things are your foundations for results. And all of these take care of your core.

For what it’s worth, if you’re doing burpees and planks, you’re not using your workout time effectively. Sure, you get your heart rate up, but it won’t build your muscle. That’s what a run or a swim is for. And if you can do 15 pushups, you’re holding a plank anyway.

So my question is, if you really want results, are you willing to put in the work? And if you answer yes to that, your workout should be about working as hard as you can in the most efficient time and always with the foundation exercises mention above.

If you have limited time, you need to fill it up with the most effective exercises.

Here are some variations of the foundations:

Squats

Front squats

One leg squats (pistol squats)

(lunges are for sissies)

Presses

Push ups

Presses

Dips

Pull

Chin ups

Pull ups

Rows

Hip hinge

Deadlifts

Kettlebell swings

Kettlebell snatches

Kettlebell clean and jerks

Exercises that cover at least two foundations:

Ab rollers

Sled pushing/pulling

Farmers walks

If your fitness program isn’t doing at least 3 of these at least 3 times a week then you’re basically staying static. No progression.

“But Spartan Stojak all the Instagram chicks and dudes I follow post fancy looking exercises and they have the bodies I want! Why would I spend time on the “basics”?”

Well a): Often trainers teach different exercise programs to clients than they do for themselves (bet you didn’t know that).

And B: Like the 99.9% of the rest of the population, you might not have been gifted with the amazing Viking genes.

Over the next few weeks I’m here to break some myths and explain why the foundations are often forgotten and underestimated BUT why they are highly effective.

Stay tuned for something different. A typical 100Strong workout.

Yes it’s basic. But if you commit to the foundations and to progressing those foundations, that’s where you will see results.