Build Easy, Effective Workouts Using Paired Exercises

Build simple exercise routines that work and are time efficient.

Paired workouts are arguably the most effective way to build muscle and lose weight. They are also the preferred method to build muscle after 40 and the best practice for general fitness after 50.

Reduce uncertainty and the poor results that come with poorly structured workouts using paired exercises. Taking the guess work out of fitness, the following exercises suggestions are made and include notes for specific fitness goals. Put the notion of “muscle confusion” to bed and learn why simple exercise strategies are more effective than complex routines based on “confusion”. Try these easy tips below to pair exercises for maximum results!

1. Pair exercises that use the same joints and muscles like a squat and leg press.
2. Pair a big exercise like a squat with an isolation exercise like a seated knee extension.
3. Pair an upper body exercise with a lower body exercise. Research suggests that this most effective way for people over 50 to workout.
4. Pair opposing muscles like hip machine abduction/adduction or lying knee flexion/seated extension.
5. Pair an isometric exercise like a plank with a traditional abdominal crunch.
6. Pair shoulder shrugs with shoulder presses to build shoulders and create a V-shape.
7. Pair modified deadlifts w/ good mornings to tone glutes and strengthen lower back.
8. Pair cardiovascular exercise with resistance training to increase metabolism.
9. Pair a regular resistance exercise with a jump/plyometric exercise to increase metabolism.
10. Pair single-joint exercises only like knee extensions with triceps extensions.

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Reference

Ashmore, Amy. 2020. Timing Resistance Training: Programming the Muscle Clock for Optimal Performance. Human Kinetics, Champaign, IL.

Author Biography

Amy Ashmore, Ph.D. holds a doctorate in Kinesiology from the University of Texas at Austin. She is a physical therapy continuing education provider located in Las Vegas, NV.