Most people who go to the gym aim to achieve overall physical fitness. Does that sound like your goal? We talked to Stephen Tryens, B.S., CSCS, a certified strength and conditioning specialist and personal trainer at The Sanctuary Wellness Institute, to get insights into four key exercises you should do every week to improve your total-body fitness.

Ensuring that every part of your body is strong is crucial for aging gracefully and maintaining an active and independent life. A study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal revealed that individuals with higher levels of fitness and regular physical activity had a reduced risk of death by 20% to 35%.

The secret to developing a firm and well-defined body is selecting the appropriate exercises. Stephen suggests focusing on compound movements that engage multiple joints simultaneously.

“[Compound movements] use the most amount of muscles, which burns more calories (and also saves time in the gym),” explains Stephen. “Our bodies rarely move one joint at a time, so why would you train like that?”

The below exercises highlight all planes of movement: the frontal, sagittal, and transverse planes.

“They cover every joint,” Stephen confirms. “Additionally, the pushup and pull-up allow for a lot of scapular movement. The offset carry and pushup are great for core stability in different planes and the pull-up is great for spine decompression after all of the previous lifts.”

Let’s explore how to perform Stephen’s go-to weekly exercises to build full-body fitness.

Squat to Shoulder Press

1. Stand tall with your feet shoulder-distance apart.
2. Hold a dumbbell in each hand at shoulder level with your palms facing inward.
3. Keeping your chest tall, descend into a squat.
4. Lower until your thighs are parallel to the floor.
5. Press through your feet to stand back up, pressing the dumbbells overhead as you do so.
6. Lower the weights to shoulder level.

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Pushups

1. Begin in a high plank with your hands under your shoulders, keeping your body straight.
2. Bend your elbows and lower your chest toward the floor.
3. Press through your hands to rise back up.

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Pull-ups

1. Hold onto a pull-up bar with your hands placed wider than shoulder-width.
2. Activate your core and shoulders as you pull your chest up to the bar.
3. Continue to lift until your chin clears the bar.
4. Use control to lower.

Offset Carries

1. Hold a heavy kettlebell or dumbbell with one hand by your side.
2. In your other hand, hold onto a lighter weight at shoulder level in the rack position.
3. Stand tall with a braced core and walk forward.
4. Switch sides and repeat.

Alexa Mellardo