If you find yourself struggling to figure out which workout moves to put into your exercise plan, you aren’t alone. That’s why we’ve taken the time to compile 15 different workout moves everyone should be doing if you want to build muscle and shed fat. These moves can be done at your own level of intensity so you don’t push your body too far past its limits. Plus, you can slowly increase the intensity as you get stronger so that you can continue doing the same movements while still getting great results.

 

Remember that, if you want to use workout moves everyone should be doing, you can customize them to your body. This means that you’re more than welcome to making modifications wherever necessary to be able to execute every move correctly and safely, with proper form to help prevent injuries.

 

Without further ado, here’s our list of 15 workout moves everyone should be doing.

 

Workout Moves Everyone Should Be Doing #1: Burpees

 

Burpees are one of the most well-known workout moves everyone should be doing because they’re a great way to get your heart rate up quickly, and that will help increase your metabolism and your body’s ability to burn fat. At the same time, this is a bodyweight workout that really tests the strength of your muscles, so you’re actually doing quite a few things at the same time.

 

When it comes to knocking out burpees, you might find that you have a hard time with them at first, especially if you’re new to working out. But, just stick with them, as they’ll become easier over time as you build up your strength and stamina. Just be sure to focus on your form so you can make the most of this exercise while reducing the risk of injury.

 

To do these workout moves everyone should be doing:

 

1.     Start by standing with your feet at about hip-distance apart.

 

2.     Bend down until your hands are on the floor.

 

3.     Bend your knees and then use some strength and momentum to jump back into plank while maintaining control.

 

4.     Perform a pushup by bending the elbows, then return to plank.

 

5.     Jump so that your feet land next to your hands again.

 

6.     Straighten your body and jump in the air with your arms over your head.

 

7.     Repeat as many times as you can.

 

Workout Moves Everyone Should Be Doing #2: Plank

 

Yet another one of the effective workout moves everyone should be doing is the plank pose, which is used above as part of the burpee exercise. If you’ve never done plank, rest assured that it’s surprisingly straightforward, even though it’s a workout that will test the strength of multiple muscles. In fact, it’s basically the “up” position in the standard pushup exercise.

 

What makes the plank exercise so effective? Well, this is a workout move that you hold for as long as you can, so it really gets the muscles working and, surprisingly, it can get the sweat pouring as well.

 

To do the plank workout move correctly:

 

1.     Start on all fours with your hands and your knees on the ground. Make sure that you keep your hands shoulder-width apart, and they should be right underneath the elbows. The elbows should be right underneath the shoulders, too, so that there’s plenty of stability in your arms, which are in a straight line. Also, make sure that the knees are under the hips as well.

 

2.     Lift the knees off the floor and take your feet back so that your body is fully extended. Creating one long line from the head to the shoulders, hips, and feet is the key.

 

3.     Keep reaching back through the heels as you reach forward through the top of the head so you can really keep everything nice and straight. Make sure that you don’t strain your neck, though, so keep looking straight down at the floor.

 

4.     Tighten up the core and lift the butt a bit so that your body isn’t sagging. You should start to feel your abdominals working as your legs work on remaining straight and your arms work on holding you up. (See what we mean when we say that the plank exercise is a great full-body workout that will strengthen multiple muscles at once?)

 

5.     Hold this pose for as long as you can, making sure you aren’t sinking into the shoulders either, and then gently come out of it by placing your knees on the floor.

 

Workout Moves Everyone Should Be Doing #3: Forearm Plank

 

Once you’ve mastered regular plank pose, you can take things to the next level and add in forearm plank, which is another one of the best workout moves everyone should be doing.

 

Basically, this exercise will further test your strength and your muscles’ endurance. Like plank, the goal is to hold this pose for as long as you can, while also engaging all of the right muscle groups.

 

To do the forearm plank workout correctly:

 

1.     Start by getting into plank pose, and then bring your elbows down onto the floor so that your weight is on the forearms instead of on your hands. This exercise, therefore, might even be better for you than plank pose if you have hand or wrist injuries that you’re currently dealing with. For stability, either clasp your hands together or place your palms flat on the floor with your forearms facing forward. 

 

2.     Once you bring the forearms down onto the ground, the key is to keep your body lifted off the floor and in a straight line, just as you did in regular plank pose.

 

3.     Keep the abdominals tucking in so that you work the core, and keep the back straight and the butt in line with your back so it doesn’t sag down or go up in the air too high.

 

4.     Keep the legs straight so that you engage your leg muscles.

 

5.     Keep your chin tucked in slightly so that you don’t strain the neck, and make sure that you don’t sink into the shoulders by really engaging those muscles to keep yourself lifted.

 

6.     Hold this workout move for as long as you can before coming out of it by putting your knees on the floor gently.

 

Workout Moves Everyone Should Be Doing #4: Squats

 

In addition to lunges, one of the workout moves everyone should be doing whenever the goal is to work on the lower body is squats. While you can certainly add some weight in the form of dumbbells in your hands to make this exercise a little more challenging, simply using your own body’s weight is a great place to start. Adding more reps as you get stronger will ensure that you can continue progressing as you shed more fat, lose more weight, and build more strength.

 

To do these workout moves everyone should be doing:

 

1.     As with all of the other workout moves everyone should be doing, when performing a squat, it is all about proper form. Therefore, begin by standing with your feet a little bit wider than the width of your hips. Turn your feet out about 15 degrees.

 

2.     Hinge at your hips so that you’re moving as though you’re going to sit into a chair that isn’t there. Keep the chest up and the weight on your heels, and maintain control throughout the movement for the best results.

 

3.     Bend at the knees so that you lower down into a squat, but make sure that the knees don’t go beyond the line of your toes.

 

4.     Try to go as deep into the squat as you can before lifting back to the starting position, and then do as many reps as you can.

 

Workout Moves Everyone Should Be Doing #5: Downward Dog

 

It may look like a funny yoga pose, but downward facing dog is a great way to stretch your body, especially your hamstrings, shoulders, and back. Plus, you might even be surprised by how difficult it can be to hold this pose for an extended period of time as well. That’s because it puts a lot of your weight on your shoulders and your arms, so this is definitely one of the workout moves everyone should be doing in order to build strength and stability.

 

To get into downward dog pose:

 

1.     To get into this pose correctly, you can start on all fours. Then, tuck your toes so that you can lift your knees up off the floor.

 

2.     After coming into a plank pose, you can then begin to push your butt into the air. When you get into the pose, your body will look like a triangle, and you should try to distribute your weight equally between your two hands and your two feet.

 

3.     Try to reach the heels down so that they touch the ground, but don’t force it, as you don’t want to overdo it and cause an injury. Just bring your heels as close to the floor as you can in order to feel the stretch in your hamstrings and calves.

 

4.     Focus your gaze on the thighs so that your chin remains relaxed a bit towards the chest and your neck isn’t strained at all.

 

5.     Hold this pose for five breaths before coming back to your knees and coming out of it.

 

Workout Moves Everyone Should Be Doing #6: Pull-Ups

 

Pull-ups are another one of the many workout moves everyone should be doing, especially if you’re hoping to build your upper body strength. If you play sports, such as if you like golfing in Mexico or playing basketball at your local park, pull-ups are a great exercise that you should definitely add to your routine.

 

To do these pull-ups:

 

Note: You’ll need a pull-up bar in order to perform these workout moves everyone should be doing.

 

1.     Grab the bar with your palms facing outward or inward to challenge different muscles. You can start with your palms facing one way, do a few reps, and then switch it up.

 

2.     Using your arm muscles, lift yourself until your chin is just over the bar. Keep the core engaged throughout the movement.

 

3.     Bend the knees so that your feet don’t touch the floor as you lower down.

 

4.     Repeat the movement as many times as you can.  

 

Workout Moves Everyone Should Be Doing #7:  Hip Raises

 

Also referred to as the passive single-leg hip raise, this is a great exercise that you can do to work on the hips and glutes. Plus, it works on helping to stretch out those muscles, which often become tight as a result of a sedentary lifestyle, so this is one of the workouts moves everyone should be doing.

 

Beyond helping to strengthen and stretch the hip and butt muscles, though, performing the hip raise exercise properly can also help remove the pelvic tilt that can occur from sitting for too long (a pelvic tilt causes your belly to push out because your lower back curves inward too much). So, if you’re in search of workout moves everyone should be doing in order to improve posture, this is definitely one of them.

 

To do these a hip raise:

 

1.     Start by lying down on your back with your knees bent and your feet closer to your butt.

 

2.     Bring one knee gently in towards the chest, grabbing it with your hands (you might start to feel a nice stretch).

 

3.     Push the heel of the foot that’s still on the floor into the ground so you can lift your butt off the floor.

 

4.     Your body should end up at an angle, and you should still be holding your other knee in gently.

 

5.     Hold the movement at the top for 5 seconds before releasing.

 

6.     Repeat until you’ve done a few reps on that side. Then switch sides and do the same number of reps there.

 

Ready to Exercise with Workout Moves Everyone Should Be Doing?

 

Enjoy these workout moves everyone should be doing the next time you hit the gym. You might be surprised by how effective they are at building strength and burning fat.