I’m back in the fold of strength training at the moment. Pushing hard in the gym to build back some strength after the marathon and it got me thinking about the exercises I do and why I do them. So here are my favourite exercises for staying capable.

None of this is a fancy list, and some of it will look obvious. That’s deliberate. These ten cover pulling, pushing, squatting, hinging, carrying, balance, speed, power and cardio, so between them there’s very little a body might be asked to do that they don’t train. If you have a gap in your fitness, it’ll show up quickly in here.

1. Pull ups

I’ve been able to do 20 plus pull ups since my early twenties, and it’s still one of the best checks on whether a body is capable. You’re moving your own bodyweight against gravity, using your back, arms, grip and core together, and there’s nowhere to hide. If you can’t do one yet, don’t skip it. Start with dead hangs, just hanging from the bar for as long as you can, and work towards slow negatives where you lower yourself down from the top. The hangs alone will build grip and shoulder health, and the pull ups come from there. Do them often and keep the reps clean.

2. Dips

Dips are the push to go with the pull, and they’re one of the best upper body exercises there is. Chest, shoulders and triceps all work hard, and just like pull ups, you’re moving your own bodyweight. Pressing has always been a strength of mine, but I’d say go easy at first. Stay controlled, don’t bounce out of the bottom, and only go as deep as your shoulders feel comfortable with. If you can’t do them yet, build up with push ups first and the dips will follow.

3. Squats

Squats are on here partly because I was never any good at them. I’ve always had strong legs, but I was never a good back squatter, and I spent years pushing the things I was already good at instead of fixing that. If I could do my training again, squats would have had far more of my attention. They train the legs, hips and trunk together, and they’re how you stay able to get up out of a chair for the rest of your life. If a back squat doesn’t suit you, a goblet squat or a split squat is a great way in. Pick the one you can do properly and build up from there.

4. Farmers walks

This is the simplest exercise on the list and probably the most underrated. Pick up two heavy weights and walk. That’s it. Your grip, shoulders, core, glutes and posture all have to hold on, and it’s very close to how strength gets used in real life, carrying heavy things from one place to another. Start with a weight you can carry for 30 to 40 seconds with an upright posture, and increase it slowly. Don’t let the shoulders round and don’t rush.

5. Deadlift or Romanian deadlift

I’ve had back injuries in the past, big ones that put me out for months, and I put a lot of that down to a strong body with weak glutes and a weak core. The hinge pattern is what fixes it. Deadlifts and Romanian deadlifts build the glutes, hamstrings and the whole of the back, which are the muscles that protect your spine. I once pulled 220kg off the floor with no warm up, and I wouldn’t dream of it now. Warm up, keep the weight under control, slow the reps down, and stop before your form goes. I’d always rather see a lighter weight moved well.

6. Handstand

The handstand might be the least obvious entry on this list, and one I wish I’d learned in my twenties. It takes strong shoulders, a tight core, good mobility, balance and a lot of patience. It’s not a quick win, and it’s not glamorous to practise, but few things teach you body control like being upside down. Start against a wall, build up time on your hands, and give it a few minutes at a time, several days a week. It builds the overhead strength and shoulder mobility that most people lose as they get older.

7. Sprints

Sprinting is one of the most underused exercises for staying capable, and one of the most important. We lose speed and power faster than we lose almost anything else as we age, and the best way to hold on to it is to keep using it. A few short, flat out efforts on a hill or flat ground is all you need, with plenty of rest between them. This is the sprint, rest, repeat idea from my last few blogs in practice. Warm up properly first, because sprinting cold is a good way to pull a hamstring. Start at about 80 to 90 per cent effort and build up from there.

8. Plyometrics

Plyometrics are jumping, bounding and hopping, things like box jumps, broad jumps and skipping. They sit alongside sprints for building power, and they’re good for the bones and tendons too, as long as you build up to them. This is where looking after the joints really matters. Start small with a low box and a handful of reps, land softly and quietly, and let your body get used to the impact before you add height or volume. A few sets once or twice a week is plenty.

9. Easy running

I did almost no cardio in my twenties because I thought it would cost me muscle. That is one of the biggest myths in fitness, and I got it wrong for years. At my strongest I could bench press 180kg and be out of breath walking up the stairs. Easy running, at a pace where you can still hold a conversation, builds the engine that everything else depends on, and it helps you recover between harder sessions. You don’t need to run marathons. Two or three easy runs a week, built up gradually, will do more for your capability than you’d expect.

10. Bear crawl or animal flow

Moving on all fours is something I’d have done far more of if I could go back. Bear crawls and animal flow movements train the shoulders, hips, core and coordination all at once, and they feel like play compared to a lot of gym work. They also build mobility and control in positions we hardly ever use as adults. Start with short distances and slow, controlled movement, and don’t worry about it looking good at first. A few minutes at the start of a session is a great warm up too.

Pull it together

If you look back through the list, there’s a pull, a push, a squat, a hinge, a carry, a skill, speed, power, endurance and movement. That’s the point. Being capable isn’t about being brilliant at one of these, it’s about not having a glaring gap in any of them. Most of us have one or two we avoid, and that’s the one to work on first.

You don’t need to do all ten every week. Pick the ones you’ve been ignoring, build them in slowly, and keep going. As always, consistency beats intensity, and the people still training properly at 41 are the ones who kept showing up while everyone else stopped.