The ONLY 7 Exercises You Need To Build An Athletic Physique

Key wellness / fitness strategies + self-care style takeaways

• Train movement patterns instead of body-part “day splits.”

  • Your body adapts to how you move (movement patterns), not just isolated exercises.

• Use “big compound + full-body capability” training to save time and reduce gym stress.

  • Goal: stronger, faster, more athletic look with less time in the gym.
  • Avoid the old approach that caused dread and stalled progress (~2 hours, long body-part targeting sessions).

The “ONLY 7” movement patterns (what to include)

1. Squat (knee + hip bend, torso relatively upright)

   • Trains: quads, glutes, core
   • Examples/variations: back squat, goblet squat, hack squat, leg press
   • Tip: choose options based on equipment + experience + what you can progressively load.

2. Hinge (hips bend, back stays flat, knees relatively straight)

   • Trains: glutes, hamstrings, lower back
   • Examples/variations: deadlift, Romanian deadlift (RDL), single-leg RDL, good mornings, hip thrust
   • Guidance:
     • Don’t skip—hinges may feel less “glute burn,” but they build hamstrings/glutes well.
     • Aim for at least 1 hinge variation per week (ideally 2).

3. Lunge / one-leg training

   • Trains: stability, control, athletic leg/glute development
   • Benefits:
     • Reduces imbalances between sides
     • Improves single-leg control
   • Examples/variations: reverse lunges, walking lunges, Bulgarian split squats, step-ups, lateral lunges
   • Progression suggestion:
     • If new to single-leg work: start with reverse lunges or step-ups, then progress.

4. Push (two directions)

   • Vertical push (overhead): overhead/shoulder press, landmine press
   • Horizontal push (away from chest): bench press, dumbbell press, push-ups
   • Rule: get both—aim for 1 vertical + 1 horizontal push each week.

5. Pull (two directions)

   • Vertical pull (pull down/up): pull-ups, lat pulldowns, assisted pull-ups
   • Horizontal pull (row toward body): cable rows, dumbbell rows
   • Why it matters:
     • Often undertrained in women’s programs
     • Helps posture (especially for desk work)
   • Guidance: the speaker personally does more pulling than pushing.

6. Carry (full-body integration)

   • What it is: pick up weight and walk (farmer’s, suitcase, front-loaded, weight-to-walks)
   • Why it’s unique:
     • Trains grip, forearms, shoulders, core, posture, breathing together
     • Core works to protect the spine under load (not just crunching)
   • Tip: add a carry to the end of workouts 1–2x/week.

7. Rotation + anti-rotation (core beyond crunches)

   • Rotation: twist under load (cable wood chop, rotational slam, Russian twist)
   • Anti-rotation: resist twisting (Paloff press, bird dogs, dead bugs, proper non-crunch core work)
   • Key idea:
     • Crunches only cover one job of the core.
     • Train rotation/anti-rotation every week.

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How to put it together (weekly structure + productivity/time strategy)

• Don’t do all 7 patterns every day. Spread them across the week.
• Frequency/time: 2–4 sessions per week, 45–60 minutes each.
• Session structure:
  • Each workout starts with:
    • 2 compound movements: 1 lower-body + 1 upper-body
  • Then go into accessories (mentioned but not detailed here).
• Full-body training preference:
  • The speaker prefers full-body sessions (instead of only upper or only lower) to keep performance high and improve recovery between sets.
• Personal emphasis (optional):
  • Slightly more pulling than pushing for posture.
  • Slightly more hinging than squatting for glute growth.

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Expected outcome timeline (as stated)

• Train this way for ~3 months to look more athletic than a year of glute-focused training alone (speaker’s claim).
• Outcome focus: balanced + capable body, not chasing isolated “burns.”

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Presenters / sources

• Presenter: The video speaker (unnamed in the subtitles).