2 Criminally Underrated Exercises You May Want to Start Doing
They torch calories, boost endurance, are highly functional, and build full-body strength
When I first started working out, the only exercises I did were the ones my mentor and partner performed.
As the months rolled by, inspired by my favorite fitness models and jacked dudes in my gym, I incorporated other exercises — most of which I’ve come to realize are just gimmicky trash.
It was only after diving passionately into exercise and nutrition science, did I start stumbling across truly effective exercises — obscure gems that barely anyone performs.
I want to share 2 such exercises with you — full-body exercises that will get you gasping for breath, perspiring bucketloads, and whip you into shape.
The Clean and Jerk
This is one of the two movements of Olympic Weightlifting. And just one look at the explosiveness, strength, musculature, and leanness of top weightlifters should convince you of its effectiveness.
A ripped weightlifter in my gym inspired me to try the sport and well, it whipped me into one of the best shapes of my life.
The Clean and Jerk (C&J) involves a series of explosive movements — deadlifting the weight halfway, shrugging it up, front squatting down, catching the weight on your shoulders, squatting up, pausing, push pressing it while squatting down a bit, and finally standing upright.
Yes, all that in just one move. Except for probably the chest, this hits every muscle in your body. And the explosive nature of the movement builds full-body power and athleticism.
Olympic weightlifters were found to have higher average vertical jumps than all other athlete groups — basketball players, gymnasts, sprinters, everybody. Did I mention the insane number of calories it burns?
One study of elite athletes found that Olympic weightlifters burn almost as many daily calories as marathon runners do!
In one sentence — The Clean and Jerk (C&J) and Olympic Weightlifting, in general, is probably the greatest workout known to man.
How to Incorporate This Exercise Into Your Workout Program
Since this literally demolishes your entire body, you should carefully warm-up and not overdo it. More importantly, master the form before going heavy. With that down, here are 3 ways to incorporate it into your workout routine:
- Have a Standalone C&J Session. Warming up with the empty barbell and pyramiding up to a few heavy singles or triples, and ramping back down would make for a killer workout session.
- Add a Few Sets to The End of Your Main Workouts. If you’re a masochist like me, you will enjoy this. A few C&Js after a back or leg workout is just brutal.
- Use It as Part of Your Warmup. Explosive warmups are highly beneficial for strength training and nothing’s more explosive than the C&J. 2 or 3 light but fast sets would be amazing before deadlifting or squatting.
Zercher Squats
I used to think front squats were hard. But compared to Zercher squats, they’re mere babies — I remember how I lay collapsed on the gym floor contemplating life after my first set of them ever,
These are hard, insanely hard. But that’s exactly what makes them worth doing. If you don’t know what a Zercher squat is (most don’t), here’s a video displaying this brutal animal:
Holding the barbell in the crook of your arms wrecks your upper back, biceps, and abs while the actual squatting hits your entire lower body. And the awkward and borderline uncomfortable position demolishes your stabilizers.
Moreover, the long Range Of Motion (ROM) and large musculature involved get your heart beating like a drum — and consequently, torch calories. Lastly, this exercise carries over really well to your deadlift and squat strength.
I can go on and on. Just try them, you will then know.
How to Incorporate This Exercise Into Your Workout Routine
Again, like the former, since this is a complex almost full-body movement, master the form and warm-up well before loading up. Also, take care to not overdo it. Here are 4 ways to incorporate this into your workout program:
- Replace your main leg day movement with this. If you work your legs twice a week, on one of the days, replace squat with this. If you train them only once, alternate between regular squats and these every session. Heavy low-rep Zercher's would be great for this.
- Use them as warmups. Since they hit the upper back and legs, high rep lightweight Zerchers can be excellent warmups for deadlifts and squats.
- Use them for conditioning. Endurance is a necessary aspect of fitness so you should hence take your conditioning seriously. And high rep moderate weight Zercher squats are perfect conditioners that’ll have you gasping like a steam engine.
- Finish your leg days with these. Doing these at the end of leg workouts is worse than masochism, it’s pure insanity — you’ll be limping for days but you’ll get some serious gains.
Final Words
These aren’t all — there are many more excellent exercises forgotten by the fitness community at large. And the only way you’ll find them is through learning and research.
A crucial thing to always keep in mind, irrespective of the exercise, is mastering the form before loading it up. That’s all! Try the exercises I’ve shared and let me know how it goes.
