The Enjoyment Principle

Find at least one exercise you like or look forward to in the 5 categories of lower body push, lower pull, upper body push, upper pull, core control. I love upper body pulling exercises. That is the only reason that I’m the only person on earth to perform a momentum-less muscle-up at over 240lbs of bodyweight, over 30 consecutive clean wide grip pull-ups over 240lbs, and I do Kroc rows without chalk or straps with up to 275lbs. Likewise, my reverse flys are ridiculous (https://www.instagram.com/p/Bx0WbB5jPX5/), but because I ENJOY this. You have to enjoy something in physical activity in order to stay plugged in.

It doesn't matter what I like to do, what your favorite fitness influencer likes to do or tells you to do, what your local gym owner says you should do. All that matters is healthily and honestly evaluating which things you can look forward to, be good at, tolerate or dislike. If you dislike the whole host of them, guess what: you will not get a benefit and/or cease the effort altogether.

I’m an advocate for standard and conventional lifts. Have some proficiency at them in order to be highly functional. But some people just aren’t going to come to love them. Find variants with which you have some enjoyment and to which you look forward. Work your weaknesses, sure; but also give your heart the pleasure of being good at your strengths.