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Some of Andrew's Favorite Exercises & Recommendations
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items Ready to kickstart your fitness journey? Start with these essential exercises. For full access to my workout routines, recipes, and mindset coaching, plus content from over 350+ health experts, join our community on the Upspace app via this link (htt...
Sections
13
SMR
Dynamic Stretching
Calves
Hamstrings
Quads
Glutes
SMR
SMR exercises involve using tools like foam rollers, massage balls, or sticks to apply pressure to muscles and fascia. These techniques help release muscle tightness, improve tissue quality, and increase blood flow. Practicing SMR can enhance mobilit...
If you're going to start properly getting into SMR work, you should invest in a good SMR gun, this is the one I use, and it works fantastic. Investing in recovery is an absolutely must if you decide to start pushing the limits in and outside of the g...
Hyperice Hypervolt Go 2 Arctic Gray, Full Body Massage Gun
This is a such a great compact high dense foam roller for under $10. If you're not going to pick up a more expensive Hypervolt, you need to at least get a foam roller to complete your SMR work. This is less than most Starbucks orders I've seen, serio...
Athletic Works High Density Foam Roller, 13" Length
How to Perform: Sit with your legs extended and use the gun on the fleshy part of the calf. Move slowly from the ankle up toward the back of the knee, focusing on the inner and outer heads of the gastrocnemius. Avoid the bone and the space directly b...
SMR: Calves
Dynamic Stretching
Dynamic stretching involves moving muscles and joints through a controlled, active range of motion, often mimicking movements used in a workout or sport. These exercises help increase blood flow, improve mobility, and activate the nervous system. Inc...
How to Perform: Start in a high plank position. Step your right foot forward and place it outside your right hand, keeping your left leg extended behind you. Lower your left knee to the floor if needed. Gently drive your hips forward to feel a stretc...
The World's Greatest Stretch
How to Perform: Stand with your feet hip width apart. Bend at the hips and knees to place your hands on the floor just in front of your feet. Keeping your core tight and legs as straight as possible, walk your hands forward one at a time until you re...
Standing Walkout
How to Perform: Sit on the floor and position your front leg at a 90 degree angle in front of you, with your shin parallel to your torso. Position your back leg at a 90 degree angle to your side, with that shin perpendicular to your front leg. Keep y...
90 90 Hip Stretch
Calves
Calf exercises focus on developing the lower leg muscles, primarily the gastrocnemius and soleus. These movements improve ankle strength, stability, and overall lower body power, which are essential for walking, running, jumping, and athletic perform...
How to Perform: Stand with feet hip width apart, rise onto the balls of your feet, pause, then slowly lower. Keep knees ever so slightly bent and core engaged.
Muscles Worked: Gastrocnemius, soleus
Top 3 Benefits: Strengthens calves, improves ank...
Standing Calf Raise
How to Perform: Sit on a bench with your feet flat platform provided, place the weighted pads on your knees, lift your heels just enough to feel the calves contract, then lower slowly your heals to a stretched position. Keep movements controlled and ...
Seated Calf Raise
How to Perform: Sit on a leg press machine with feet on the platform, push through the balls of your feet to lift the weight by extending your ankles, as soon as you feel the full calf contract, lower to a stretched position. Keep knees slightly bent...
Leg Press Machine Calf Raises
Hamstrings
Hamstring exercises target the muscles along the back of the thigh including the biceps femoris, semitendinosus, and semimembranosus (Good luck pronouncing that one). These movements play a key role in knee flexion and hip extension, making them esse...
How to Perform: Sit on the machine with your back flat against the backrest and your thighs secured under the lap pad. Position the back of your lower legs (just above the heels) on top of the padded lever arm. Hold the handles for stability. Contrac...
Seated Hamstring Curls
How to Perform: Stand on the machine with one leg on the pad and the other leg supporting your weight. Curl the working leg upward toward your glutes, pause, then slowly lower it back. Keep your torso upright and control the movement throughout.
Mu...
Standing Hamstring Curl
How to Perform: Stand with feet hip width apart under the bar on a Smith machine. Grip the bar with hands slightly wider than shoulders. Keeping a slight bend in the knees and a flat back, hinge at the hips to lower the bar down your legs until you f...
Smith Machine Romanian Deadlift (RDL)
Quads
Quadriceps exercises target the muscles at the front of the thigh, including the rectus femoris, vastus lateralis, vastus medialis, and vastus intermedius. These muscles are responsible for knee extension and play a major role in movements like squat...
How to Perform: Position yourself on the hack squat machine with your back against the pad and feet shoulder width apart on the platform. Lower your body by bending your knees and hips until your thighs are roughly parallel to the parallel, keeping y...
Hack Squat
How to Perform: Stand on the pendulum squat machine with feet shoulder width apart and back against the pad. Grasp the handles for support. Lower your body by bending your knees and hips until your thighs are parallel (or slightly below) to the platf...
Pendulum Squat
How to Perform: Sit on the leg extension machine with your knees aligned to the pivot point and feet under the padded lever. Extend your legs fully until they are straight, pause briefly at the top, then slowly lower back to the starting position. Ke...
Quad Extensions
Glutes
Glute exercises target the muscles of the buttocks, including the gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, and gluteus minimus. These muscles are responsible for hip extension, abduction, and stabilization, making them essential for movements like squatting,...
How to Perform: Sit on the floor with your upper back against a bench and the bar of the Smith machine resting across your hips. Plant your feet flat on the floor, shoulder width apart. Drive through your heels to lift your hips until your torso is p...
Smith Machine Hip Thrust
Exercise: Standing Donkey Kick (Machine) How to Perform: Position yourself on the machine with one foot on the platform and the other on the lever pad. Keep your torso upright and core engaged. Push the working leg backward and upward by extending th...
Standing Donkey Kick Machine
How to Perform: Attach an ankle strap to a low cable pulley. Stand facing the machine and secure the strap around one ankle. Keeping your torso upright and core engaged, extend the working leg backward by squeezing your glutes, pause at the top, then...
Cable Glute Kickbacks
Core/abs
Core exercises target the muscles of the midsection, including the rectus abdominis, obliques, and deeper stabilizers like the transverse abdominis. These muscles are responsible for trunk flexion, rotation, and stabilization, making them essential f...
How to Perform: Attach a rope to a high cable pulley and kneel facing the machine. Hold the rope at either side of your head with elbows bent. Crunch your torso downward by contracting your abs, bringing your elbows toward your knees, then slowly ret...
Cable Crunch
How to Perform: Hang from a pull up bar with a shoulder width grip and arms fully extended. Keep your torso stable and core engaged as you bend your knees and lift them toward your chest. Pause at the top, then slowly lower back to the starting posit...
Hanging Knee Raise
How to Perform: Sit on the Ab Coaster machine with your back against the pad and hands holding the handles. Keep your core engaged and knees bent. Pull your knees upward toward your chest in a controlled motion, pause at the top, then slowly lower th...
Knee Raise Ab Coaster
Chest
Chest exercises target the muscles of the upper body, primarily the pectoralis major and pectoralis minor. These muscles are responsible for pushing movements, including horizontal adduction, shoulder flexion, and internal rotation of the arm. Streng...
How to Perform: Set an adjustable bench to a 30 to 45 degree incline. Sit back with a dumbbell in each hand at shoulder level. Press the weights upward and slightly inward until your arms are fully extended over your upper chest. Lower the dumbbells ...
Incline Dumbbell Press
How to Perform: Grip the parallel bars and hoist yourself up. Lean your torso forward at about a 30 degree angle and flare your elbows slightly outward. Lower your body until you feel a slight stretch in your chest, then drive back up to the starting...
Weighted Chest Dips
How to Perform: Sit firmly against the back pad and adjust the seat height so the handles are at chest level. Grasp the handles with a slight bend in your elbows. Contract your chest to bring the handles together in front of you, pausing for a second...
Pec Dec Fly
Back
Back exercises target the muscles along the posterior upper body, including the latissimus dorsi, trapezius, rhomboids, and erector spinae. These muscles are responsible for pulling movements, spinal support, and shoulder blade control. Strengthening...
How to Perform: Loop a resistance band around the pull up bar and place one foot or knee into the loop. Grasp the bar with an overhand grip wider than shoulder width. Pull yourself upward by driving your elbows toward your hips until your chin clears...
Band Assisted Pull Up
How to Perform: Place one hand and the same-side knee on a bench for support, keeping your torso parallel to the floor. With the other hand, pull a dumbbell toward your hip (not your chest), keeping your elbow tucked close to your side. Focus on driv...
Single Arm Dumbbell Row
How to Perform: Set two cable pulleys to head height. Reach across to grab the left cable with your right hand and the right cable with your left hand. Step back to create tension. Pull the cables toward your face by driving your elbows back and out ...
Cable Face Pulls
Shoulders
Shoulder exercises target the muscles of the upper arm and shoulder girdle, primarily the deltoids (anterior, lateral, and posterior) along with supporting muscles like the rotator cuff. These muscles are responsible for lifting, rotating, and stabil...
How to Perform: Sit on a bench with the backrest set to a high incline (nearly 90 degrees). Hold a dumbbell in each hand at shoulder height with your palms facing forward. Press the weights upward until your arms are fully extended overhead, but do n...
Dumbbell Shoulder Press
How to Perform: Stand next to a cable machine with the pulley set at the lowest position. Grasp the handle with the hand furthest from the machine. Hold onto the machine's upright post with your other hand and lean your body away at a slight angle. R...
Lean Away Cable Lateral Raise
How to Perform: Sit at the end of a flat bench with your feet together. Lean forward until your chest is almost touching your thighs. Hold a dumbbell in each hand behind your calves with palms facing each other. Pull the weights up and out to your si...
Seated Bent Over Rear Delt Dumbbell Row
Arms
Arm exercises target the muscles of the upper arm, primarily the biceps, triceps, and brachialis. These muscles are responsible for elbow flexion and extension, as well as assisting in various pulling and pushing movements. Strengthening the arms imp...
How to Perform: Lie flat on a bench and grip a barbell with a close grip, roughly shoulder width apart. Unrack the bar and hold it directly over your upper chest with your arms fully extended. Lower the bar in a straight line toward your neck or uppe...
JM Press
How to Perform: Stand behind an incline bench set to a 45 to 60 degree angle. Hold a dumbbell in one hand and extend your arm over the back of the bench so your armpit is snug against the top of the pad and your triceps are flat against the surface. ...
Single Arm Dumbbell Preacher Curl
How to Perform: Stand with your feet shoulder width apart and hold a single heavy weight plate in one hand. Instead of using the handle or the hole, grip the plate only by its smooth outer edge using just your fingers and thumb (a "pinch" grip). Keep...
Plate Pinch
Cardio
Cardio exercises, also known as cardiovascular or aerobic exercises, involve continuous, rhythmic movements that increase heart rate and breathing. These activities improve heart and lung health, burn calories, and enhance endurance. Regular cardio s...
How to Perform: Start in a high plank position, then step your right foot forward outside your right hand into a deep lunge. Drop your back knee slightly or keep it lifted for more intensity. Take your right elbow and try to touch the floor inside yo...
Assault Bike
How to Perform: Step onto the machine and select your desired speed or program. Maintain an upright posture with your core engaged, avoiding the common mistake of leaning heavily on the handrails. Drive through your entire foot (not just your toes) a...
Stairmaster
How to Perform: Sit on the seat and secure your feet in the straps, ensuring the strap is across the widest part of your foot. Grasp the handle with an overhand grip. Start the "drive" by pushing powerfully with your legs, then lean your torso back s...
Rowing
If you're not one for going to the gym, check out this exercise bike that comes with a free app, it's quiet and effective for burning calories at home. It's not essential, but this would be a nice go to at home for a quick cardio session.
Home Cycling, Magnetic 8 Levels, Free APP!
Static Stretching
Static stretching involves holding a muscle in a stretched position for a set period of time, typically 15 to 60 seconds, without movement. These stretches help improve flexibility, increase range of motion, and reduce muscle tension. Incorporating s...
How to Perform: Stand with your feet shoulder width apart and hold a light resistance band in front of your hips with a wide overhand grip. Keeping your arms straight but not locked, slowly raise the band overhead and continue the rotation behind you...
Banded Chest Opener
You can complete roughly 300+ unique movements with standard exercise bands. They are arguably one of the most versatile pieces of gym equipment that have ever existed. I would recommend having a set of these.
Exercise Bands (Light, Medium, Heavy)
How to Perform: Lie on your side and bring your top knee up toward your chest, pinning it to the floor with your bottom hand. Reach back with your top hand to grab the foot of your bottom leg (if you can't reach, use a strap). Once you have both legs...
Brettzel Stretch
How to Perform: Stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulder width apart and your toes pointed slightly outward. Lower your hips toward the floor as deep as you can go, ideally until your hamstrings are resting on your calves and your heels are ...
Deep Squat Holds