Contributed by Info Guru Paul Seaburn

We’d all like to find one exercise to do every day (or alt least as often as we work out) that would exercise all of our body parts at once.

Oh, and if we could do it in ten minutes without working up a sweat, that would be ideal. Unfortunately, that Holy Grail of exercises doesn’t exist. Instead, fitness gurus recommend specialized exercises for individual body parts. Bodybuilders and weight lifters have specific body parts to work out on specific days of the week – usually grouping them by upper or lower body – and leave at least one day between the exercise to allow the body part to rest and recover. Stand in front of a mirror and see which of your body parts needs a work out.

10. Biceps

The bicep is the muscle in the front of the arm between the shoulder and the elbow which turns the forearm and flexes the elbow. Good exercises for the biceps are standing barbell curls, alternate dumbbell curls and curls on a specialized “preacher bench.”

9. Triceps

The tricep is the large muscle on the back of the arm between the shoulder and the elbow which extends elbow joint and straightens the arm. The tricep can be exercised with lying dumbbell triceps extensions, dips on parallel bars and pushdowns on an exercise machine.

8. Abdominals

Well-toned abdominal muscles are better known as “six-pack abs.” The three major abdominal muscle groups (traverse, rectus and pyramidalis run down and across the front of the body from the below the chest to the pubic area. By far the best and easiest exercise for the abs is the crunch and its many variations.

7. Chest

The chest muscles (pectoralis major and pectoralis minor) are the fan-shaped muscles stretching from shoulder to shoulder across the chest, with the major in front and the minor behind it. Chest muscles are responsible for most of the movements of the shoulder joint. Pushups and the various forms of bench presses are excellent chest exercises.

6. Shoulders

Sharing responsibly for shoulder strength and movement are the deltoid muscles which form the rounded part of the shoulder. The deltoids are responsible for assisting the chest muscles, especially for arm movements in front of the body. Dumbbell presses, behind-the-neck presses and upright rows build big well-defined shoulders.

5. Back

The groups of muscles known collectively as back muscles are responsible for supporting and protecting the spine, supporting the head and the trunk and assisting in the movement of the neck and shoulders. To obtain a strong back, try bent-over barbell rows, pull-up and seated cable rows on an exercise machine.

4. Legs

The upper leg or thigh muscles between the pelvis and the knee are made up of the quadriceps or quads in the front and the hamstrings in the back. Both sets of muscles can be fully exercised with squats and leg presses.

3. Calves

The calf muscle or triceps runs down the back of the leg from the knee to the foot through the Achilles tendon and has a big workload, being the primary muscle for walking, running and jumping as well as leg stability. Good calf exercises are standing calf raises and seated calf raises. Comfortable running gear and sturdy, well fitting shoes are essential for maximum muscle-building benefits.

2. Glutes

The gluteus muscles (maximus, medius and minimus) or glutes are the muscles of the buttocks. They help keep the body erect when we stop walking or running. The best glute exercises are the squat and the lunge.

1. Neck

The neck muscles support and turn the head and assist in maintaining good posture. The best and safest neck exercises are isotonic resistance exercises using the hands to push against the head from the front, the back and the sides.