The Core Routine

Everyone knows it''s ridiculous to build a house from the roof down. You have to start with the foundation and work your way up. So it is with building a better body.

You may see other guys in the gym doing advanced exercises—heck, you probably do a few of them yourself. You won''t be able to do many of those exercises consistently or safely, though, if you haven''t been following a core weight-lifting routine.

By "core," we mean a basic resistance regimen that provides a balanced, healthy level of physical fitness. We mean exercises that prepare your body for more challenging activities, such as your favorite sports. By "core," we mean the foundation of your physical fitness routine.

Meeting the Core Requirements

Although the warm-up, stretching, aerobic exercise and cooldown are all essential elements of a core routine, for our purposes here, we''re focusing on the core of your core—weight training.

For basic muscle-training, there are only seven major muscle areas you need to hit with weights. If you must choose between free weights and machines, you probably should go with free weights. But if you have access to both, then by all means use both.

"Mixing machine and free-weight lifts isn''t a bad idea. It keeps the routine varied," says John Graham, director of the Human Performance Center at the Allentown Sports Medicine and Human Performance Center in Pennsylvania. Variety is important, even within a consistent routine. The more you can vary the work your muscles do, the better-trained those muscles will be to perform whatever tasks you require.

Although the core routine lists some essential exercises for fitness, they''re not the only exercises you should do. "They''re good as a base, as a starting point," says Graham. But depending on your lifestyle or favorite activities, you''ll need to add other exercises to this workout for a complete—and completely customized—personal fitness regimen.

You''ll find hundreds of suggestions for those other exercises in the chapters that follow. But first, here''s your core routine. For maximum versatility, we''ve provided machine-weight alternatives for each free-weight exercise we recommend. Although the free-weight versions of these exercises are described elsewhere in the book, take a moment to review the following positioning tips. They''ll help you to do each exercise more safely and effectively.

Legs

Free Weight: Squats

When you squat down, make sure you stop when your thighs are parallel to the floor. Go any lower and you risk injuring your knees—or falling on your butt.

Machine: Leg Press

Sit with your back against the back of the seat, placing your feet flat on the plate with your legs bent 90 degrees or less and your arms holding the handrails. Exhaling, push the pedals until your legs are fully extended, but your knees are not locked. Inhaling, slowly return your legs to a 90-degree position. Don''t let the weight come back too fast, warns Barney Groves, Ph.D., associate professor of physical education at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond.

Chest

Free Weight: Bench Press

As you do this lift, remember your four contact points—feet, butt, shoulders and head. Your feet should be planted firmly on the floor—everything else should be flat on the bench for an effective, injury-free lift.

When lowering a barbell, pause at the bottom of the movement, letting the weight lightly touch your chest. Never let the weight down so quickly that your chest springs the bar back up, as some lifters do. Dr. Groves says that''s a good way to damage your sternum.

Machine: Bench Press

Lie on the bench like you would if you were using a barbell. Grip the handles above your head with your hands slightly more than shoulder-width apart. Make sure your head is at least two inches away from the weight stack. Exhaling, lift until your elbows are fully extended. Inhaling, return to the starting position and repeat until the set is completed.

Back

Free Weight: One-Arm Dumbbell Rows

This exercise works the back without much risk of throwing it out. Just remember to keep your back straight and one foot flat on the floor. Although it seems like your arm is doing all the work, don''t overcompensate and try to get more of your back behind the lift. You''ll likely injure yourself.

Machine: Seated Rows

Sit on the floor and grasp the handles at the end of the cable, keeping your upper body straight and your knees slightly flexed. Exhaling, pull the bar to your chest with your arms, avoiding any torso motion. Inhaling, return toward the starting position until your elbows are fully extended.

Shoulders

Free Weight: Alternating Press with Dumbbells

Although you generally want to keep your back straight with overhead lifts (especially on difficult lifts like the military press), it''s okay to keep a slight forward lean in your lower back when you do this lift. Just make sure your shoulders are back and your chest is out.

Machine: Lateral Raises

Sit in the seat; put your chest against the front pad and position yourself so the arm pads are resting just above your elbows. Lift your arms, raising your elbows up to shoulder level, then lower and repeat.

Biceps

Free Weight: Concentration Curls

This lift really targets the biceps. But as you lean forward for the curl, remember to keep your back straight. Brace your elbow against your thigh and lean on your free hand if you need support. Do this curl slowly and focus on your biceps—don''t let your shoulder sneak in and do the work.

Machine: Biceps Curls

Adjust the seat so that your elbows are slightly lower than your shoulders. With your chest against the front pad, place your elbows on the top pad and grasp the handles with an underhand grip. Exhaling, curl upward as far as possible. Inhaling, return to the starting position. Keep your butt firmly planted on the seat; keep your head up and avoid letting your shoulders come forward to help.

Triceps

Free Weight: Overhead Triceps Extensions

This behind-the-head lift is a little tricky because it''s easy to let your elbows bow out as you lower the bar. In that position, you''re not isolating your triceps anymore. Remember to keep your elbows pointed toward the ceiling and close to your ears. If you have trouble doing that, the weight is probably too heavy.

Machine: Cable Push-Downs

Standing with your feet shoulder-width apart, grasp the push-down bar with an overhand grip, hands six to ten inches apart. Adjust the cable so the bar is at chest height. This is your starting position. Exhaling and keeping your upper arms squeezed against your ribs, extend your forearms until the bar touches your thighs. Avoid moving your upper arms and torso. While inhaling, return the bar to chest height. To truly isolate your triceps, remember to hold your elbows close to the sides of your belly.

Abdominals

Free Weight: Crunches

In this case, the "free weight" you''ll be using will be your very own body. Remember that with any crunches, the trick is to work your abdominal and oblique muscles, not wreck your back. Make sure you do these on an exercise mat, and keep your lower back flat on the floor.

Machine: Abdominal Curl Machine

This is one of the only ways to use weights to exercise your abs in isolation. Sit in an abdominal curl machine with your upper chest and shoulders behind the torso pad and your feet securely hooked under the foot rollers. Depending on the machine, either grasp the handgrips or rest your arms across your body under the pad. By contracting your abs, push your body forward to a position halfway between the starting position and parallel to the floor. (Don''t cheat by pulling at the pad with your arms or bearing in with your shoulders and back.) Hold for a moment, then return to the starting position. Abs generally can handle more reps than other muscles, so Graham recommends three sets of 20 reps, with a weight level set at 50 to 60 percent of your one-rep maximum.