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Personal trainer reveals the 5 best ‘sculpting’ exercises she never sees anyone do – despite getting superior results
Watch the video to see Nancy Eagle perform the exercises
BEEN going to the gym for months doing the same exercise on repeat and struggling to get those full body results?
You’re not alone.
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Known as hitting a “workout plateau”, experts in the fitness industry use this phrase to describe what happens when gym goers perform the same exercises over and over, resulting in a lack of motivation and a lack of results.
Nancy Eagle, lead personal trainer on new online summer fitness programme Summer Shred, says: “It’s actually more common than you think.
“Workout fatigue happens when you keep up your exercise program, but notice you’re not getting faster or building muscle.
“The worst part about it is that it also causes boredom and frustration, which then usually sees people giving up and stopping exercise - which is exactly the opposite of what they should do to keep fit and healthy.”
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Popular exercises at the gym include the bench press, squat and deadlift.
But experts say there are many other exercises to incorporate into your workouts that not only prevent a plateau, but will also give you greater results than those popular exercises you know so well.
Trainer Nancy says: "People get overwhelmed by the amount of different exercises there are, so everyone comes back to the ones we all know about.
"And there is nothing wrong with squats or sit ups.
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"It's just that there are amazing exercises that are more dynamic and use more muscle groups than those popular exercises we see everyone doing."
Nancy, who has created a workout of such moves, adds: “This the honestly the circuit of your dreams when it comes to getting full body results.
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“These movements are far superior because they recruit multiple muscle groups while also elevating your heart rate.
“They also challenge your balance and coordination so you really are working deep and surface muscles while burning fat.”
For a workout, do each exercise for 35 seconds, take a 25-second rest before the next. Do three to five rounds.
1. Bear crawls
Begin on all fours with your hands directly under your shoulders and knees under your hips.
Keep your spine neutral and head in line with your back.
Lift your knees about an inch or two off the ground.
Move your right hand and left foot forward simultaneously in a small stepping motion.
Follow immediately by moving your left hand and right foot forward.
Continue alternating this hand and foot motion.
Nancy says: “Bear crawls work several muscle groups, including the shoulders, chest, arms, core, and legs.
“It is a full-body exercise that enhances strength, mobility, and coordination.”
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2. Romanian deadlift squat and press
Start standing upright with your feet shoulder-width apart.
Hold a set of dumbbells in front of your thighs, with an overhand grip.
Push your hips back, bending at the waist, and then lower the dumbbells towards the floor, keeping them close to your legs.
When you feel a stretch in your hamstrings or your upper body is nearly parallel to the floor, drive through your heels and return to the starting position.
As you stand, transition into a squat by bending your knees and sitting back into your hips.
Keep the weights close to your body as you lower down into the squat.
As you rise from the squat, press the weights overhead.
Lower the weights back to your shoulders, then transition back into the RDL start position.
Nancy says: “This exercise enhances overall strength and coordination, as well as massively improving the lifting mechanics of your body.
“Because of the number of different elements, this is a compound exercise that targets multiple muscle groups, making it highly effective for strength training and functional, full-body fitness.”
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3. Jumbo jacks
The jumbo jack is an exercise that intensifies the traditional jumping jack by adding elements of strength and power to the movement.
It's great for cardiovascular fitness, coordination, and full-body conditioning.
Instead of jumping out and in, like with a traditional jumping jack, you'll jump in the air and then land back into a squat.
Jump up and “jack” your legs apart while raising your arms out to the sides and above your head at the same time.
Nancy says: “Star jumps are for warm ups.
"If you want to elevate your workout, jumbo jacks are the way forward.
"They are more dynamic because they engage the entire body and require way more effort from the glutes and quads."
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4. Renegade row sit backs
Place two dumbbells on the floor about shoulder-width apart and get into a plank position, with your hands gripping a pair of dumbbells beneath your shoulders.
Pull the right dumbbell towards your hip while keeping your elbow close to your body.
Focus on using your back and shoulder muscles to perform the row.
Lower the dumbbell slowly back to the starting position and repeat the exercise with your left arm.
Once you’ve done the rows, get back into the plank position, draw up through your core and lift your hips up as you bend your knees and sit your bum back to your heels.
Reverse the movement to bring yourself back to plank.
Nancy says: “The renegade row is such an underused exercise.
"It’s quite an advanced exercise that combines a plank with a row, and it targets the core, back, shoulders, and arms.
"Add in the sit back and you get added mobility and core work.”
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5. High plank leg lift into spider climber
Start in a plank position.
Lift your left foot and bring your left knee across the body to your right knee.
From here, immediately send the leg straight back and up behind you.
Place your foot back down where it started then repeat on the other side.
Nancy says: "This move seriously works three major muscle groups.
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"It's hard because it requires use of all your abdominal muscles, as well as complete shoulder stability and that added glute fire up at the end.
"It's great for building that deep core strength while also forcing the whole body to work in sync to keep you stable."
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Why sit-ups are a waste of time
By Personal Trainer Jenny Francis-Townson
It’s one of the most common exercises you see people doing every day in the gym but could be negatively impacting your health.
Jack Claxton, Expert Personal for Trainer David Lloyd Clubs says the sit-up does “absolutely nothing for your abs whatsoever”, while also being an injury hazard.
Many fitness professionals admit they tell others to leave out of their workout routines in order to avoid causing injury.
If performed incorrectly, actually causes the body to strain in all the wrong places, leaving long-lasting muscle damage and injury.
“The sit-up is one of the most common exercises associated with having visible abs,” says Jack.
“However, people do not realise that at the wrong speed or performed with the wrong form, it can actually have a negative impact on the neck and lower back and does absolutely nothing for your abs whatsoever.”
Performing sit-ups fast is the most common mistake Jack sees.
“Not only does this make them a lot less effective as you are not challenging your core muscles, it also encourages you to lose form and have poor posture” he warns.
Poor posture during a sit-up could put pressure on the wrong places, and may also reinforce bad posture habits day-to-day.
Jack says: “Many people round their backs, yank their necks and allow their lower back to arch off the floor, all of which result in the use of back and neck muscles rather than the core.
“The problem with poor posture is that it puts unwanted strain on the back and neck which can overstretch or even tear these muscles which can be very painful.
“Poor posture when performing exercise can also cause reduced circulation and breathing issues, both of which can seriously impact a person’s overall health and wellbeing.”
That’s not where the health issues end - straining the wrong muscles when exercising can also lead to long-term chronic pain, it’s claimed.
Jack says: “A small strain of a muscle isn’t going to suddenly cause you life-long pain, but consistent misuse of back and neck muscles can be serious.
“Muscle tears or spasms can lead to scarring on the muscles, which can cause further back stiffness, tightness and pain that can last a long time if not taken care of.
“All muscle damage wants to be avoided for optimum health.”
It might be worth re-thinking whether you want to eliminate sit-ups from your workouts and try some better core muscle exercises.