The Only 5 Exercises You Need to Get Ripped

There are only a handful of essential exercises you need to get ripped. Master these. You’ll have a ripped body in no time. 

We are conditioned to believe that getting a ripped body is only achieved by some fancy, complex exercises and hours in the gym. 

But when it comes to getting fit and ripped, the more isn’t always the merrier. 

Especially if you’ve been doing crunch variations, curls, flyes, and calf raise on repeat, it’s time to alter and upgrade your routine. 

The most essential exercises and only ones you need to fully transform your body boil down to these 5 exercises. 

Here is how. 

There are five basic movements that all our daily movements and motion stem from. 

There are push and pull motions. Hinging of the hip, squatting, and planking or core stabilization. 

To get fit and improve your body’s performance and functionality, you need moves that incorporate these five movements. 

To get ripped, you also want to target the body’s largest muscles while also engaging the rest of the body. The more and larger the muscles you work, the faster your fat loss happens.

This is because lean muscles are metabolically more active than fat. When you develop leanness in the body’s largest muscles, it’ll lead to an increase in your metabolism. Not to mention, the developed muscles give the look of a ripped body. 

5 Essential Exercises to Get Ripped

These 5 essential exercises nail those two core requirements in the head. They not only engage many large muscles in your body at once but also incorporate the five basic movements we rely on daily. 

Together, you have a ripped body workout that’s both effective and efficient. 

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1. Pushups 

The pushups are an excellent bodyweight exercise that helps you practice the push movement. 

It’s also one exercise that loads more than half of your body weight as resistance. It’s known as the chest workout, but it is really a full-body exercise. It engages your chest, arms, deltoids, core, and even glutes to keep the body in a straight line throughout the exercise. 

How to perform pushups: 

1. Start with your hands and feet on the floor. Adjust your hands so they are slightly wider than the shoulder-width apart. Your feet should be fully extended to the back and slightly narrower than hip-width apart. 
2. Tuck in your abs and engage your glutes before you start. Make sure your body is in a straight line from the shoulders to the heels. 
3. Balance your body on your hands and toes. With control, lower your chest down towards the floor. At the bottom position, pause for a moment and push through your hands to return. (Viagra)  
4. That’s one rep. Complete 2-3 sets of 10 reps. 

2. Pull-Up

The pull-up trains you for the pull motion. Not only that, it’s an excellent compound exercise that primarily targets your lats, biceps, deltoids, core, and more. 

All you need is a pull-up bar to perform, and you don’t need extra weight to perform this strengthening move. With this exercise, you’ll be pulling all your body weight using your upper body muscles. 

How to perform pull-ups:

1. Make sure your pull-up bar is sturdy and can hold your body weight and more. Grab the bar with your hands using an overhead grip and let your body hang. 
2. Bend your knees, so they don’t touch the floor, and keep your arms straight. 
3. Engage your core and pull up your chest toward the bar. When your chest reaches the bar level, lower yourself back to the starting position. 
4. That’s one rep. Complete 2-3 sets of 8-10 reps. 

3. Deadlift

The deadlift exercise is all about hinging your hips. You can perform this exercise using a barbell bar, kettlebell, or a pair of dumbbells. If you are a beginner, a bodyweight deadlift is a great place to start. 

The deadlift hits the large muscles in the lower body including the quads, hamstrings, glutes, and hips. It also involves your core to keep your upper body stable and balanced throughout. 

How to perform the dumbbell deadlift:

1. Grab a pair of dumbbells and stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Set the dumbbells in front of your thighs with your palms facing in. Tighten your abs, slightly bend your knees, and hinge from the hips. 
2. Keep your back flat and neutral and don’t let it curve during the exercise. Squeeze your glutes as you thrust your hips forward. 
3. That’s one rep. Complete 2-3 sets of 10-15 reps. 

4. Squat

The squat is one of the most functional exercises there is. Your body needs to be able to squat down to sit on a chair and get up. 

The squat targets your hamstrings, glutes, and hips while also activating the entire core. 

It’s an all-around exercise you can’t go wrong with, especially if your goal is to get fit and burn fat. 

How to perform a squat:

1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, with your arms extended out in front of you or rested at your side. 
2. Keep your back flat and neutral and engage your core and glutes. 
3. Hinge at your hips and lower yourself down until your thighs are parallel to the floor and your knees are bent at a 90-degree angle. 
4. Don’t let your knees pass your toes and keep your core engaged throughout. 
5. At the bottom position, pause for a moment and return to the starting position. 
6. Complete 2-3 sets of 12-15 reps. 

5. Plank

The plank exercise challenges your core stabilization and strength. It’s one exercise you don’t have any movements, but it’s just as effective if not more. 

The plank will have you hold the core stabilizing pose for an extended period of time to keep your abs challenged throughout. 

How to perform a plank exercise:

1. Get down on all fours with your elbows and toes on the ground. Adjust your elbows so they are directly underneath the shoulders and your knees are below the hips. 
2. Tuck your abs and squeeze your glutes. Keep your body in a straight line from your head to the heels. 
3. Hold this plank position for 30-60 seconds. Complete 2-3 sets.