There are some basic movements that work the best, if the goal is to get as strong as possible in the shortest amount of time. 

Of course, in the shortest amount of time doesn’t mean those exercises work like a magic pill. Or, they kind of do, but only when we actually do them–and do them often. Focus on the basics, put in the work, perform he movements with proper technique instead of rushing, and you see results pretty quickly.

Here they are, three (+1 bonus) exercises that everyone who wants to get strong quickly, should be doing:

Squats

Squats are, of course, first and foremost, a leg exercise. Anyone who wants to build strong legs knows it. And of course those too whose focus is to build a nicer booty.

However, squats are also a great core exercise. When we do squats with weights, may it be kettlebells, barbell or even by just just holding a medicine in our hands against the chest, if we could put our one hand on our belly, we'd literally feel our ab muscles working during squatting. (but we can't, because we have that kettlebell to hold with both hands, so don't try it but take my ford for it.)

One thing that often gets forgotten when doing squats is to engage the core before starting the movement. By engaging the core, we build a much stronger foundation for the squat and are able to actually squat with heavier weights. Engaging the also helps to protect our lower back.

How to engage the core? Think that someone’s about to punch you in your stomach. I hope it never happens to you but it’s a good way to visualize what your abs should be doing. To get yourself “punch-ready”, you don’t suck your belly in so hard that you can’t breathe. You just tighten the abs to be ready to take the punch.

There are many variations of squats, and it’s literally impossible to get bored with them. If our time is limited or if we don't have the time to figure out all variations, regular squats are the best bet. By adding some weights to our squats, we make them squats even more useful and efficient.

Push Ups

When done properly, push ups work everything, from our arms to our heels. Honestly, I think that everyone should be able to do at least some push ups.

Push ups are also very simple to do–all we need is a little bit of room. No equipment, no excuses!

There are people who can bust out high numbers of push ups. But there's nothing to brag about if those push ups are wonky or aren't low enough (the goal should be to get the chest as close to the ground as possible), or they’re done with hips high up in the air…

It’s much smarter to really focus on technique instead of the number of reps, at least at first, even if it means less push ups (and it probably does). Don’t worry about it, you get much more out of push ups that are slow and controlled than than fast and wonky.

To do push ups properly, engage the core, keep the elbows at about 45 degrees from the body, keep the head neutral, shoulderblades together and lift the hips just very slightly. Engaging the core and glutes makes push ups so much more than just upper body exercise.

Remember that essentially, push ups are a moving plank. Elbows are the body part that create that movement, the rest of the body should form a nice long line and stay like this through the movement. No lifting or sagging hips or wiggling butt.

One tip that helps you realize if you’re doing your push ups (or any exercise, for that matter) correctly is to film yourself! Seeing myself in videos a made me realize that my push up form was far from good. My head used to be dropped between the shoulders, I was shrugging my shoulders and my shoulderblades were not contracted at all.

Check out some ways to make your push ups easier or harder, according to your needs.