7 Essential Fitness Skills Every Man Must Know

Essential skill 1

Balance: This is the foundation of all movement. Good balance improves coordination, creates better posture, reduces falls, and helps with activities like carrying objects or playing sports.

Here are two great exercises to help you become balanced:

Single leg stands: Stand on one leg for 30 seconds, and then repeat on the other side. Hold onto something for support if needed. (Beginner)

Walking on a balance beam: This one helps to improve focus and core engagement. (Intermediate)

Essential skill 2

Running: A basic human function, running improves cardiovascular health, builds leg strength, and is a great way to stay fit. Whether you’re using it for cardio, sports or even evading danger - running is one of the most essential skills we as human beings possess.

Here are two great exercises to help you become a better runner:

Interval training: Alternate between periods of high-intensity running and recovery speed walking. (Beginner/Intermediate)

#fitness #workout #exercise

Running drills: High knees, butt kicks, and jumping rope while moving forward improve running form and coordination. (All Levels)

Essential skill 3

Crawling: It’s not just for babies! Crawling improves core strength and shoulder stability. Staying low under smoke, squeezing through tight spaces, or performing military drills - crawling offers stealth and access in tough situations.

Here are two great exercises to help up your crawling game:

Bear crawls: Improves core and shoulder stability. Start on hands and knees, then alternate opposing arms and legs while keeping your back flat. Slow and controlled is the name of the game. (Beginner/Intermediate)

Inchworm: Great for core and upper body strength. Start standing, then walk your hands down until you’re in a plank position, then walk your feet back up to meet your hands and repeat. (Intermediate/Advanced)

Essential skill 4

Jumping: Improves explosive power, leg strength, and coordination. In addition to sports, jumping will help you clear obstacles or help you grab items just out of reach. A good jump can literally be a lifesaver.

Here are three great exercises to help you increase your jump:

Squat jumps: Builds intense power. Do a bodyweight squat then jump explosively as high as you can. (Beginner/Intermediate)

Box jumps: This helps to increase your jump height. Use a sturdy box, and jump explosively to land on top, starting with a shorter box and progressively working your way up to taller ones. (Intermediate/Advanced)

Single leg hops: Improves balance and leg strength. Hop on one leg for repetitions, then switch. (All Levels)

Essential skill 5

Climbing: Builds upper body strength and grip strength. In addition, climbing can benefit many sports like gymnastics or kayaking. Daily activities will improve as well, due to climbing’s focus on increased strength and flexibility.

Here are two great exercises to help you become a better climber:

Rock climbing gyms: The safest way to learn and practice climbing techniques. (All Levels)

Pull-ups: Builds upper body pulling strength essential for climbing. (Beginner/Intermediate)

Essential skill 6

Lifting: Essential for everyday tasks and helping to build overall strength. Learning proper lifting techniques prevents injuries and back pain.

Here are two great exercises to help you learn to properly lift:

Deadlifts: Builds total-body strength, improves posture, functional movement and athletic performance. (Beginner/Intermediate with proper form)

Squats: Builds lower body strength, improves core stability and greatly helps to improve everyday activities. (All Levels)

Essential skill 7

Carrying: Goes hand-in-hand with lifting. A strong core and proper technique ensure you can carry objects safely and efficiently, whether that be building materials on a construction site, food from the grocery store or even other people.

Here are three great exercises to help better your carrying skills:

Farmer's walk: Hold weights in each hand and walk for distance. Improves grip strength and core stability. (Beginner/Intermediate)

Suitcase carry: Hold a weight in one hand and walk for distance, switch hands halfway. Improves core stability and unilateral strength. (Beginner/Intermediate)

Walking lunges with weights: Combine the benefits of lunges and carrying weights. It also helps to improve cardiovascular capabilities. (Intermediate/Advanced)

[paulelverstone]

And for all those who aren't a buff dude/dudette; just stay active. Stand while you work, take the stairs, walk the dog, use the bicycle for short journeys. We burn most of our calories just living out a regular, daily life but a sedentary lifestyle is the real enemy...

[bwpaco]

Have been following you guys for a LONG time now. I cannot get enough of your content. Please please please stay awesome and keep it up. Hope to meet you guys at some point one day

[Warrior_Resisting_Colonialism]

This is good stuff for those already in good, overall shape. For those of you who are not, start with just walking a mile a day. You'll be amazed how much better you feel after a month. Next, get into hiking your local trails with some elevation gains, preferably. It may take you a few months before you can get into following things in this video. If you try them right away, you'll give up without first basic, conditioning of your body. Get out there and walk!

[Jesse-lonw]

More videos like this please! Thanks guys! Could you do one on nerve flossing and weighted stretching? A lot of people could benefit!

[instrong]

I'm 22 and I was skinny for my whole life, but guys like you helped me to find my passion in fitness and now I'm working on my body daily and even trying to become a fitness influencer cuz I wanna share my path with people and maybe inspire someone else

[LunchboxDrop-uts]

You guys are always a welcome edition of building muscles, And you do it in a fun real way 😊😊

[haniobeidi]

Love it, straight to the point and practical .. would love more daily routine videos

[Scotty_Elgin_Nunn]

Love your videos guys, Ive learned alot from you guys especially with the Flexible diet video you guys did

[tonydeluna]

Buff Dudes Yeahhh💪💪🍻! Hope you guys have a great day! Buff fam!

[fredbyoutubing]

I'm 35 next week and I have been trying to better myself. Some of these I already did but it's great to confirm I was in the right track.
I've told myself: if I can't run away, use stairs for several floors, carry someone at least my own size or lift myself up on a ledge, I'm a liability in an emergency.

[InnV]

This is absolutely true,
This comment might help someone who's delusional and focused more on physical appearance rather than functionality!
For 10 years nearly, being focused on weight,
now i've restarted everything, gave myself a long proper break, and who to guess, recovered fully beyond imagination and all of the mentioned above are crucial!
In your video testing the olympic lady training was mentioned the mobility!
In the fitness industry it's called animal flow!
Absolutely a must! Pure strength means nothing if you are not using it properly..
Awesome video, presented with knowledge and understanding!

p.s. Few weeks ago i've a young boy 17 years of age, who was training outside with me, but he was going everyday for 2 hours doing whatever he had on mind, no structure, no plan, just pumping alone there until barely able to walk, lol! Ofcourse we had a talk and now everything seems in place, the guy chilled a bit. Cheers to everyone!
Movement is health!

[IntwoEnjinearin]

awesome!! A Work-out Plan book would be unreal for these 7 essential skills!

[Peter_]

Cardio and strength training are hugely beneficial for pretty much everything;
not just for physical fitness, but also for sleep quality, mood, concentration, memory, and so on.

[ashkansheikhi]

Thank you for all your videos and useful content, I used it and I really saw its effect. For example, I did the Venom exercises that you taught for a week and I saw its effect, good luck.❤

[Not-cuir]

One of the best videos ever. You guys are awesome

[fulcovandekieft]

Just as a side note, Hudson is looking in fantastic shape right now. Keep it up!

[djnary]

I'm glad you added that tip at the end!! I'm 50 and am the most physically capable person in my family. Despite being the eldest son...I'm the only one who works out regularly while everyone else in my family is on medications and c-paps!! A lot of your "Buff Dudes" audience probably are too and watch your channel to up their ante on workout tips. We really should do better on sending links to your videos to the people who need it the most!! (I'll start with my brothers and their kids.)

[WivoRN]

This video is amazingly done. Love the humor 😂

[nomercy]

I've been lifting weights and doing pushups and pullups for over a decade now. I started doing yoga 2 months ago and I have to say it was the missing link to feeling young again. I had all kinds of back pains, shoulder pains, neck pains but doing yoga as easy, simple and useless as it looks actually made me feel like I can move freely without pain again. I've always thought of yoga as wishy washy bullshit but it really does something that most of the people training today are missing from their routine. But it also goes the other way around. The women that do yoga are lacking in strength training and they are just as stubborn about it as I was about yoga. Hope everyone finds the balance one day.

[scottbeesley]

I know you mentioned it briefly at the end, but swimming should definitely be on this list.