Multi-joint foundation exercises are the base of all of my workout programs. They are called multi-joint exercises because multiple joints (and as a result, multiple muscles) are involved like in a chest press which involves the shoulders, elbows, and hands and all the related muscles. I call them foundation exercises not only because they are the standard form of the exercise (the base of exercise variations like walking lunges or handstand pushups instead of stationary lunges or overhead presses) but also because they are the basic movements that are used in everyday life. For example, a squat is the motion of sitting down in or getting up from a chair, an overhead press is used to place your luggage in an overhead bin or toss your toddler up in the air, a standard deadlift is used to lift that 50 pound bag of dog food off the lowest shelf in the grocery store, and a lat pull down would be used if you accidentally fell of a building and needed to pull yourself back up! You must be comfortable with the correct form and understand primary muscles used of the foundation exercise before you can optimally do any of the exercise variations.
- chest flye
- chest press
- lat pull down
- lunge
- overhead press
- pushups
- row
- squat
- standard deadlift
Erin Mays Fitness Training 