You Only Need 4 Exercises To Build The Body Of Your Dreams

You don’t need a complicated workout program or ten different training methods to build muscle mass and strength.

It’s my belief that you can work out at home, with minimal equipment, and build a lean and muscular physique.

Training compound movements with your body weight at home is the key to getting jacked with minimal equipment.

Why use compound movements?

• Great for time efficiency.

• Less equipment required.

• Uses a large amount of muscle mass.

• Takes your joints and muscles through a large range of motion.

Here are the 4 compound movements you need to build your dream body at home:

1. PUSH-UPS:

The perfect home exercise to build your chest, shoulders and triceps.

I believe that push-ups are superior to dips for beginners because dips are more technical and feel uncomfortable on the shoulders of some people.

If push-ups on your toes are too hard for you at the moment:

• Elevate your hands → wall push-ups.

• Do push-ups on your knees.

If you’re an absolute beast already, try:

• Ring push-ups

• Deficit push-ups

• Pike push-ups

If you're Super Saiyan, try weighted ring push-ups. The chest pump and stimulus on the chest and triceps is next level.

2. PULL-UPS:

If you want a wide, thick, and juicy back, pull-ups are an absolute must. There is no better pulling exercise to build back, bicep, and grip strength.

To train pull-ups at home for free you could use:

• A tree branch (for Tarzan's strength)

• Door frame (careful with this)

• Top of a wall

If you're willing to spend < $100 for your home gym, invest in:

• A doorway pull-up bar

• A set of gymnastics rings

Pull-ups are a bloody tough exercise. Don’t be upset if you can’t do one yet.

If you can't do one yet:

• Start with bodyweight rows → rings or bar

• Practice banded pull-ups and pull-up negatives

• Build top position strength with pull-up holds

• Focus on a neutral grip or supinated grip as a beginner

If you’re already a bodyweight beast, keep progressing with:

• Weighted pull-ups

• One arm pull-ups

• Explosive pull-ups

3. SQUATS

Squats are the king of all lower body exercises:

• Builds your leg muscle mass → Quads, glutes, and adductors

• Improves your flexibility in your glutes, hips, and lower back

• They are an essential human function across your lifespan

• Help you move better and maintain function as you age

• Help you build that dump truck 🍑

If you’re training at home, you don’t have to do endless reps of bodyweight squats if they’re too easy for you.

Try these variations if you're training at home:

• Pistol squat

• Sissy squat

• Sumo squat

• Cossack squat

• Dragon squat

• Bulgarian split squat

4. HIP HINGE:

Hip hinge movements are essential to train your hamstrings and lower back effectively. They’re also amazing for growing muscle in your glutes, hamstrings, and lower back.

You can train your hamstrings and lower back at home with:

• Nordic curls

• Towel leg curl

• Single leg RDLs

• Glute-ham raises

• Romanian deadlifts

• Glute/hamstring bridges

How should you structure your workouts to maximize gains and save time?

• Aim for 3-4 full-body workouts per week.

• Use opposing supersets (find out what this means here)

Here’s an example program you could try:

1A. Pull-ups

1B. Push-ups

2A. Squats

2B. Nordic curls

2-4 sets. Choose a rep target that takes you 1-2 reps short of failure.

Rest 3-5 minutes between supersets.

Complete this workout x3 per week on non-consecutive days.

If you have any questions, reply to this email and I’ll help you out!

Thank you for taking the time to improve your health today.

Zak Wolstenholme

Aussie Physiotherapist 🇦🇺