Post summary
This is the second installment of a monthly series that features my favorite exercises from my “Men’s Health file.”
In this series, we highlight 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
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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.
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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 there 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 of exercises.
Along the way, I discovered many 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.
Enter the My Favorite Exercise 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 performed this exercise once weekly at a time when I was on a heavy trail running kick.
I ran a half marathon every Sunday and about ten miles every Thursday.
The trails near my home are rocky and unforgiving with plenty of elevation change. Here’s a video of one of my favorite sections of the trail:
The exercise improved my ability to power up those hills and remain stable on sketchy trails, all while keeping my lower body fresh. It also doubles as a mobility exercise, which saved me a lot of time.
I’m now doing the exercise often as I prepare for a long hike in the spring.
The exercise has an extensive list of benefits, but to fire off a few:
Strength without beat down
Some lower body exercises can leave your legs, hips, and knees feeling ground down.
I felt like this exercise delivered strength that carried over to the trails while keeping my lower body ready. There are likely a variety of reasons for that:
