The Most Important Lower-Body Exercise For Men

pulse

February 15, 2017 9:18 PM

Being able to perfectly perform a handful of ultra-effective basic exercises is one of the best things you can do for your fitness.

goblet squat

The best athletes and fittest people in the world don’t have magic exercises that you don’t know about. They simply work harder than everyone else—and they take time to master the basics.

Why try to make your workout fancy when the basics give you a bigger return for each rep?

From my experience training thousands of men ranging from elite special operations soldiers and NFL all-stars to busy accountants, I’ve found that the goblet squat is perhaps the most important lower-body exercise to master.

It’s simple and requires just one weight. Done correctly, it hammers your entire lower body—big, metabolically active muscles—and also “sorts out your core.”

What do I mean by that? The goblet squat has a unique ability to reveal weakness in your core and strengthen those areas, building you a killer set of abs.

Watch the video above to see me demonstrate the right way to do the move.

And for a great workout that uses the move, try the IWT, an infamous workout we do at the gym where I’m general manager, Gym Jones.

The IWT—which stands for interval weight training—forces you to work harder than you ever have.

You’ll likely burn more calories per minute than you ever have before. It’s an addicting feeling.

If you liked this workout and want to reach a world of fitness you never thought possible, check out my new Men’s Health book Maximus Body.

In it I reveal my three- and six-month fitness programs that are guaranteed to turn even the most average guy into a Spartan warrior.

To do an IWT, grab a 24-kilogram kettlebell or 50-pound dumbbell.

Then set a rower’s computer to count down 2 minutes (you can also run for two minutes, if you want to do this outside or on a treadmill). Do 10 goblet squats, then immediately jump on the rower and start rowing.

Your goal is to row at least 550 meters in the 2-minute span. Rest 2 minutes. That’s 1 round. Do 3 total rounds.

As your fitness improves, increase your goal for how many meters you row.

I, for example, aim to cover 630 meters in each 2-minute span.

pulse