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Roughly 90% of guys that hit the gym focus on two body parts: chest and arms. They hit a plateau because they don’t work all muscles of the body, which is key to continually gaining strength and proper muscle development. The most import thing to focus on is your core. If you don’t have a solid core, then you will come to a peak, and fast. Here are 10 exercises you must do to see fast results in your work outs.

1. Planks

   Do planks every single day. A plank is when you rest in pushup position, but with your elbows on the ground and tucked inwards. It is key that you don’t arch your back, but keep it parallel to the ground and focus on sucking your belly button in like your pulling it towards you back. Do this until you collapse and do it every day. You don’t have a solid core until you can do this for 5 minutes.

2. Barbell Back Squats

   

   If your not doing squats, then your doing squat! Squats are fundamental to building a solid core. A squat is arguably the best and most effective exercise because you are working so many muscles of the body. It is key however to make sure you are doing it right, because this exercise can seriously injure you. In order to do a proper squat, don’t use the smith machine! Use a barbell and start with light weight. With the bar resting on your traps and hands shoulder width apart, keep your back straight and squat down all the way. Don’t half squat and cheat as this is not nearly as effective as going down all the way. When you come back up, think about pushing to the sky with your hands to evenly distribute the weight. Use a weight that you can do 10-15 reps for 4 sets.

3. Run Stairs

   You can lift a lot of heavy weights, but if you don’t do cardio, your not truly a fit and healthy person. Find a condo building with roughly 30 stories. To warm up lightly jog to the top and rest if needed to catch your breath. Once you get to the top, rest only 30 seconds and come down 10 stories and rest for 30 seconds. Sprint as hard as you can back to the top and rest 30. Do this 4 times and you’ll be sweating your ass off. I try to do this every second day of the week. A word of caution though; if you do this frequently, you need to find a stair well that goes the opposite way so you don’t build muscles stronger on one side of your body. If it becomes comfortable doing 10 stories to the top, increase it to 12 stories. This exercise dramatically increases leg and core strength. Something I like to do when I run down is drive my knees up past my waist and only run one stair at a time – kinda like when you see football players jogging on the spot driving their knees up.

4. Dumbell Overhead Squat Press

   This exercise is much different that traditional barbell squats, although you are still working some of the same muscles. Here’s what you do. Take a dumbbell which weighs slightly more than you could curl. With your fingers interlocked around the dumbbell get in a “leap frog” position with the weight on the ground and in between your legs. Make sure you don’t bend your back, but keep it straight and shoulders back. Now stand up and in one motion pull the weight into your chest as you stand and then lift directly over your head. Come back down the same way keeping your back straight and shoulders back. Go for 10-15 reps, and four sets.

5. Burpee

   

   Stand with your feet shoulder witdth apart. Squat down to the ground and put your hands about shoulder width apart, then jump out into pushup position. Do a pushup (chest to the ground) and then drive your knees back so your squating. Jump as high as you can, driving your hands into the air. That is 1 rep. Go for 15, and do it 4 times.

6. Swiss Ball Knee Tuck (Jacknives)

   

   Get an inflatable swill ball. Put your feet and bottom of your legs on the ball and put your hands on the ground, so your in push-up position. Now contract your knees, driving them in towards your chest. When you knees come all the way in, retract back to push-up position. Try to drive your ass up in the air a little bit to. Do this for 20-25 reps, and four sets. This exercise is amazing for the abs and core. Try to rest only 30 seconds between reps.

7. Knuckle Pushups

   Place your arms your arms shoulder width apart and knuckles on the ground. I don’t doing this on hard floors as your knuckles will suffer a quite the beating; instead use an exercise mat or do it on carpet. Keep your back straight and focus on pulling everything in towards your belly button. Don’t sag your back or stick your ass up in the air. At a controlled speed, lower your self to the ground until your chest touches and then come back up. Do rush the exercise, but focus on perfect form and you will have a much more effective pushup. Do this for your maximum rep range, and do four sets. Try to do these every second day of the week increasing your reps as you progress.

8. Seated Overhead Press

   

   With your back straight, sit on a flat bench or the floor, and hold the barbell at the top of your chest with your elbows tucked in. Use a weight that you can control without struggling. Lift until your arms are fully extended and slowly lower back down. Aim for 8-12 reps, 3-4 sets. This is great for core, back, and shoulders.

9. Chinup Variations

   

   Chinups are great for the the arms, shoulders, and even core but if you do to many of the same exercise, you will plateau and won’t see increases. At the gym you see so many people attempting to do chinups, but aren’t really doing them properly. The correct way to do a chinup is to lower yourself all the way down and pull up until your chin goes past the bar. You should focus on doing chinups 2-3 times a week and every few weeks switch to a different way of doing them. This includes wide grip (hands as wide apart as possible), palms facing towards you and away from you, narrow grip chinups, and my favourite: parrallel bar chinups. Parallel bar chinups are harder to do because most gyms don’t have the proper equipment to do them. Go find a play ground and do them on the monkey bars instead. Do 4 sets of your maximum rep range.

10. Dumbell Lunges

    

    Take two dumbells with a combined weight of about 1/4 – 1/3 of your body weight and hold them with your shoulders back and feet together. Take one big step forward and bend down until your opposite knee is bent about 90 degrees then bring it back to your other foot. Now step forward with the opposite leg and do the same thing. You should try to do this at a minimum of 12 steps, and four sets total. This is another great total body exercise that works your ass, legs, among other muscles. In this video, you can see he does one leg at a time which is fine, but it’s also good to alternate.