Hey Reader,​

There are about a million different strength exercises out there. (Okay, maybe that's a slight exaggeration.)

Between what you see people doing at the gym and all the workout videos online, it can be hard to know where to even start.

Which exercises should you be doing? How do you know if you're working all the right muscles? And how do you put together a workout that makes sense?

Here's something that might make strength training feel a whole lot simpler.

Most strength exercises are variations of 6 basic movement patterns.

Once you understand those patterns, choosing exercises and putting together workouts becomes a lot easier.

Here are the 6 patterns I teach my clients:

1. Squat: Think sitting down in a chair and standing back up. Other examples include goblet squats, lunges, and step-ups.
2. Hinge: Bending at your hips, like when you pick something up off the floor. Think deadlifts, Romanian deadlifts, or glute bridges.
3. Push: Pushing something away from your body, like push-ups or chest presses.
4. Pull: Pulling something toward you, like dumbbell rows or pull-ups.
5. Reach or press overhead: Think shoulder presses or reaching up to put something on a high shelf.
6. Core strengthening: Exercises like planks, Pallof presses, dead bugs, chops, and lifts strengthen your core by teaching those muscles to control movement and prevent unwanted twisting, tipping, or sagging.

So how does this help you put together a workout?

Rather than worrying about learning dozens of different exercises, you can start by choosing one exercise from each movement pattern.

For example, you might do goblet squats, Romanian deadlifts, chest presses, dumbbell rows, shoulder presses, and dead bugs.

That's a pretty good foundation for a full-body strength workout!

Of course, you don't have to squeeze all six patterns into every workout. You can spread them throughout your week, and there are plenty of ways to adjust exercises based on your experience, abilities, and equipment.

The goal is to work all your major muscle groups over time without making the process unnecessarily complicated.

Now, let's make this even easier!

I have a fantastic resource from Girls Gone Strong that I wanted to share with you.

It includes 15 at-home dumbbell workouts, already planned out for you!

They're organized by:

• Workout type: Full body, upper body, or lower body.
• Time available: 10, 15, 20, 25, or 30 minutes.

So whether you've got 10 minutes between appointments or a full 30 minutes to work out, you can choose something that fits your schedule.

​Here's your 15 at-home dumbbell workouts.​

And here's my challenge for you this week:

Take a look at the workouts and pick ONE you'd like to try.

Put it on your calendar and give it a go!

If you're just getting started, you can always choose a couple of exercises from the workout and practice those first.

Remember, you can start small and build from there.

The more familiar you become with these basic movement patterns, the easier it gets to recognize exercises, choose workouts, and feel confident about what you're doing.

And that's a skill you can take with you for years to come.

Here's to getting stronger!