Not every exercise deserves a spot in your workout. Some lifts add more risk than reward, while others are so fundamental that they should appear in nearly every routine.
Celebrity trainer Gunnar Peterson — who works with your favorite Hollywood stars, athletes and touring musicians — says the smartest way to train is to focus on movements that carry over to everything you do.
“I would say, instead of making them core lifts, because sometimes you alienate people, that I would make them core movements,” he explained. “And I would say you have to base it on squat, hangs, lunge, push, pull — for upper and lower … carries, whether it’s overhead carries, rack carries, or farmers carries [and] something lateral.”
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Still, when asked to name the lifts that should anchor a program, he pulled out his notes and listed six he considers essential. Let’s break down each one and how it fits into his philosophy that helps him train clients like Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Jennifer Lopez and The Kardashians.
Dumbbell Squat
Few movements are as fundamental as the squat. It’s not just a gym exercise — it’s how you sit down, stand up, and, as Peterson points out, use the bathroom.
“Well, did you go to the bathroom today?” he said, sharing how he’s responded to clients hesitant to do the workout. “Yeah, you squatted so you can squat now.”
He said squats are a pattern you always want to have in your routine in some form, no matter your fitness level.
“It’s just a matter of how do we load it,” Peterson said. “How many reps can we get out of it, and how do we make sure there’s no pain with that movement pattern?”
He said deadlifts or leg presses could also be used instead, and he also stresses that when it comes to squats, you don’t have to use a heavy barbell.
“I’m cool with you doing a kettlebell sumo squat. I’m cool with you doing a body weight squat, a pistol squat, a bench squat, a box squat … anything like that, where I can get you to bend the knees and sit down,” Peterson said.
Research supports the high value Peterson places on doing squats and shows that making sure you take them deep leads to larger gains in both strength and muscle growth compared to partial squats. And because the movement pattern works the quads, glutes, hamstrings and core all at once, it helps deliver an efficient workout.
Dumbbell Lunge
The next exercise on Peterson’s list is the dumbbell lunge because “it helps with balance [and] it helps with knees and hips.”
The benefits of lunges extend well beyond the gym because they improve balance, mobility, and overall coordination. Research shows that doing single-leg strength work is especially effective for older adults, helping them reduce fall risk and maintain independence in their later years.
For younger lifters, the same payoff applies to sports performance and injury prevention. Forward, reverse, or walking variations all train single-leg control, which helps protect knees and hips from overload.
Overhead Press
Overhead pressing divides trainers. Some say to avoid it to protect the shoulders. Peterson takes the opposite approach and says it’s necessary to strengthen the movement for practical reasons.
“You’re going to come to overhead press in your life, whether you’re playing with your kid, you’re putting a bag in the overhead bin, you’re getting something down from the closet, in the winter clothing box — you’re going to have overhead movements,” Peterson said. “So I think it’s not wrong to train them. Maybe you don’t go crazy heavy if you have shoulder issues.”
A 2022 review of shoulder-injury prevention studies found that when athletes include overhead and shoulder-stabilizing exercises in their training, the risk of shoulder issues consistently drops compared to doing no such work. That doesn’t mean heavy presses fix everything, but combined with good form and sensible load, they help shoulders become more resilient, emphasizing Peterson’s point on functionality and longevity.
Push-Ups
Push-ups are simple, portable, and have endless variations, which is why Peterson said they’re another top workout to do.
“I would vary the hand position on the push-ups from narrow to wide to staggered,” he explained, noting that these variations shift the stress to different muscles and challenge the core in new ways.
Push-ups also have surprising links to long-term health. In a 10-year study, more than 1,000 male firefighters were tested on how many push-ups they could do at baseline, and then they were followed for 10 years. Those who managed more than 40 push-ups at the start were far less likely to experience heart problems over the next decade compared to those who did fewer than 10.
That doesn’t make push-ups a bulletproof medical test, but it does highlight how they measure and affect a combination of muscular endurance, body composition, and overall fitness.
For Peterson, they’re an easy way to get clients stronger and get a good workout without any equipment barrier, especially if they are on the road.
Pull-Ups
Pull-ups are a classic test of relative strength that Peterson said not to skip. Your ability to move your own body weight is a good indicator of your fitness level. Peterson emphasizes it may take time to build up to the exercise and that they can and should be scaled as you start to train it.
“It can be regular pull-ups, but you may say, ‘I can’t do a regular pull-up.’ Okay, then angle it or go from a horizontal pull-up all the way up to vertical pull-up,” Peterson said.
If you’re not ready to use suspension straps or a barbell for angled pull-ups, Peterson also said seated lat pull-downs are an option since they target the same muscles. Additionally, “you can put a band over a chin-up bar and put your foot [or knee] in the band… so you’re getting an assisted pull-up.”
Research shows that pull-ups engage multiple major muscles across the back and arms, far more than isolation exercises. And for many of Peterson’s clients, being able to start doing pull-ups more easily provides a confidence boost as much as a fitness milestone.
“I see this with women, but also young guys, if I have skinny younger kids who are trying to get stronger,” Peterson said. “Being able to pull yourself up to a bar, there’s something rewarding about that. There’s a confidence builder in that.”
Hangs (for Grip Strength)
The final exercise or movement on Peterson’s list may seem simple, but it may be one of the most important: hangs for grip strength.
“Lower body strength and grip strength are key indicators to longevity, especially in men,” he said. “So to not train your grip strength is kind of irresponsible.”
He often makes them the “dessert” at the end of a session and has his clients do them three times for the maximum amount they can, with 30 seconds of rest in between.
Grip strength has been called a vital sign of health. In a study of nearly half a million adults, people with stronger grips were found to live longer and have a lower risk of heart disease. Research in the International Journal of Exercise Science also highlighted loaded carries, like farmer’s walks, as one of the most effective ways to build both grip and core stability.
The Bigger Picture
These six lifts — dumbbell squat, dumbbell lunge, push-ups, overhead press, pull-ups, and hangs — are the top movement patterns Peterson listed for most routines. Based on the goals of his clients and their programming, he still layers in different machines, hip hinge variations, and, yes, curls to the chagrin of some fellow trainers.
“Because, come on, dude, that’s what we all came here for in the first place,” he said jokingly. “Don’t tell me you didn’t watch some movie where you were sucked in by the dudes biceps, and you went to the gym and did curls.”
When deciding what to add to your workouts, Peterson also pointed out that the body doesn’t just move forward and back, but through three planes of motion: sagittal, frontal and transverse.
‘You rotate when you pull your seat belt. You rotate when you’re pushing your shopping cart and you turn to get something off the shelf,” Peterson said. “So let’s add that to our training protocols.”
This is why his programs go beyond the basics to include lateral lunges, rotational work, and carries — making strength more functional for everyday life.
“These are, to me, good ones to incorporate into a program, because they’re easy to clock,” he said about all of his suggestions. “You can easily quantify what you’re doing.”
In the end, it’s not the exact variation or lift that matters but the pattern behind it. Peterson said the main thing is to maintain muscle mass, build strength and live a healthy lifestyle that keeps you active.
His advice for beginners new to strength training is to begin with two full-body workouts a week, plus a walk on another day, and then gradually add weight, reps, or time as you progress.
From there, consistency takes over, and the discipline and strength you build start to show up in other areas of life.
“All we’re doing is stacking wins,” Peterson said.
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