Understanding exercises correctly is crucial for a safe and effective workout. Here are demonstrations of some fundamental basic exercises for beginners:
Barbell Squats:
Great basic exercise for legs, core and general balance. Take the barbell on your shoulders and place your hands close together as possible so that you can squeeze your shoulder blades tightly together making sure your elbows stays parallel to your upper body. Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, lower your body by bending your knees, and push your hips back. Hips will go before knees (important). Keep your back straight, and lower until your thighs are parallel to the ground. Keep your heels firmly on the ground. Weight should be divided to full length of your feet. Come up by pushing you hips up and front again. Make sure you knees does not rotate inwards. Knees should be pointing straight forward or little rotated outwards.
Push-ups:
Start in a plank position, hands placed slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Keep arms ca. 45 degree angle apart from upper body. Lower your body by bending your elbows, keeping your body in a straight line, and then push back up. During the movement upper and lower body should be on a straight line.
Lunges:
Step forward with one foot and lower your body until both knees are bent at a 90-degree angle. Push back up to the starting position and repeat on the other leg.
Dumbbell bicep curls:
Bicep strength is needed in many movements that focus on pulling. Although your biceps will get stronger as you do many common pulling exercises. Bicep curl is a good basic exercise for beginner. Begin by standing up straight with your feet shoulder-width apart. Hold a dumbbell in each hand, with your arms fully extended down by your sides and your palms facing forward. Keep your elbows close to your torso throughout the exercise. Slowly lift the dumbbells by flexing your elbows, while keeping your upper arms stationary. Focus on contracting your biceps as you curl the weights upward. Keep your wrists straight and avoid using momentum to swing the weights up. Once your biceps are fully contracted and the dumbbells are at shoulder level, pause for a moment to maximize the tension on the muscles. Gradually lower the dumbbells back to the starting position in a controlled manner, resisting the urge to let them drop quickly. Maintain tension on the biceps throughout the descent.
Bend over dumbbell Rows:
Assume a standing position while holding a dumbbell in each hand with a neutral grip. Hinge forward until your torso is roughly parallel with the floor (or slightly above) and then begin the movement by driving the elbows behind the body while retracting the shoulder blades. Pull the dumbbells towards your body until the elbows are at (or just past) the midline and then slowly lower the dumbbells back to the starting position under control.
Plank:
Awesome basic exercise to get powerful core. Good core strength is mandatory for e.g. Barbell squats Start in a push-up position, with your elbows directly beneath your shoulders. Hold your body in a straight line from head to heels for the desired duration.
