Post summary
We’re dropping a new monthly series that releases my favorite exercises of all time from my “Men’s Health file.”
In this series, we’ll feature one perfect exercise that works wonders for anyone who has a body and uses it. That is to say, you.
Watch the video above to learn the exercise.
Housekeeping
Full access to this video and post is for Members of Two Percent.
Become a Member to get full access to the exercise and all future My Favorite Exercises posts. Plus you’ll get access to all other Two Percent posts, videos, and podcasts.
ICYMI, last week we covered 7 strategies to avoid holiday weight gain (which is real). I figured I’d share this post after Thanksgiving weekend, as we face certain facts in the cold light of day.
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Audio/podcast version
The post
My first real job was acting as Fitness Editor for Men’s Health magazine. I spent about seven years at that magazine writing and editing stories about fitness, nutrition, sports performance, health, and more.
In that role, I talked to the world’s greatest athletes and its top health scientists and athletic trainers.
When these experts sent us an exercise or workout, I was the schlub who tested it to ensure it would work for our readers. I vetted hundreds and hundreds of exercises.
Hence, I discovered a lot of truly effective exercises—and I’ve kept all the best ones in a file ever since.
When I think about what makes a good exercise, I consider a few factors:
It should deliver many benefits in a single movement, improving our health and fitness in less time.
It should improve our fitness in a way that isn’t just safe, but also makes us safer in the future by making us more resistant to injury.
It should help us move better—because the better we move, the better we feel and perform.
It should offset some of the harms of living in the modern world, where we sit behind screens and steering wheels most of the day.
It should translate to the real world and make us better at the activities we love, whether outdoor sports, pickleball, or chasing down kids.
With that in mind, we’re starting a new monthly series. Each edition will feature one great exercise from my file.
Why just one each month? One is actionable.
For example, when I get a list of 10 really great exercises, I’m more likely to pick and choose. I’ll do some and not others—and I’ll miss out on a lot of benefits.
By focusing on one each month, we’ll all slowly try new exercises and find those that work exceedingly well for us. And that’ll make us fitter and healthier so we can do big things.
The exercise
I learned this from the wise and powerful Dr. Doug Kechijian, the exercise super genius in The Comfort Crisis. I did it often to prepare for a month in the Arctic, where I was hiking with an 80-ish-pound pack nearly every day.
The exercise has a ridiculously long list of benefits, but to fire off a few:
Core strength
It challenges all of your core muscles:
Obliques, the often-neglected muscles at the side of your core.
Transerve abdominis, the deepest abdominal muscles that wrap around your spine for protection and stability.
Rectus abdominis, the “six-pack” muscles at the front of your core.
Shoulder strength and stability
Your shoulders are the foundation of every upper-body movement, from lifting in the gym to grabbing something heavy off of a high shelf.
If your shoulders are weak or you injure them, it limits your exercise and ability to live life normally.
The exercise engages your deltoids, rotator cuff, and all the stabilizing muscles around the shoulder joint, improving its strength and mobility and bulletproofing it.
Hip mobility and strength
The exercise requires that you move your hips through a full range of motion under a load. We don’t often do this in modern life, and it limits our ability to perform—your hips are arguably your most important muscles for running, lifting, and every sport.
Spinal movement and health
It moves your spine through a movement we often don’t do. This gently stretches and strengthens the muscles around it, helping prevent back pain (the most frequent pain).
Focus
The exercise has a lot of “moving parts.” And that’s a good thing!
You have to pay attention and learn to move well through space. It improves your proprioception and ability to control your body during complex movements.
Injury prevention
Most common athletic injuries are caused by either weakness or tightness (or both). This exercise helps strengthen and mobilize your most injury-prone areas.
How to do it + sets/reps + advice + trouble shooting
How to do it
Watch the video above.
How much weight should I start with?
First, start without a weight. Run through the movement on each side a few times.
Then start with the lightest kettlebell you have.
Once you get the movement down, you should be able to quickly increase the weight.
What if I don’t have a kettlebell?
A kettlebell is best for this exercise because it “pulls” your shoulder into a better position.
If you have a light sandbag, use that, holding the sandbag so the weight rests on the outside of your forearm.
A dumbbell will work if you don’t have a sandbag, but you won’t get the “pulling” that’ll help you do the exercise.
With that said, even holding a gallon of water (like I’m holding the kettlebell in the video) works great. Get creative.
That you do exercises is far more important than the equipment you use to do them.
How many sets and reps should I do?
I start every workout with one set of six to eight reps.
How often should I do this exercise?
I do it two to three times each week as part of my strength workouts.
What if I can’t get my torso low?
Your hips are probably tight. Try the modified pigeon stretch to help loosen them. (Most people will be tighter on their left side.)
What if I have trouble reaching overhead?
Try deadhangs. Hang from a pullup bar, breathing deeply so you feel a stretch in your upper body.
What is this exercise called?
It’s called different names by different groups. All those names are long and complicated. So let’s just call it Lazy Lightening, in honor of my dog, Stockton, who makes a celebrity appearance in the video. He’s fast as lightening but far too lazy to show it.
Have fun, don’t die, do good exercises.
-Michael
