The Underrated Power of Filler Exercises: How to Get More Out of Every Workout
Most people walk into the gym with one goal in mind: to feel better, move better, and make the most of their time. But workouts often fall into two extremes. Some are packed with high-intensity circuits that leave you sweaty but under-stimulated for real strength or muscle growth. Others move slowly, with long rest periods that miss the chance to do more without adding fatigue.
There’s a smarter way to train.
Filler exercises are a simple, strategic tool to get more out of your training sessions without adding unnecessary stress. Instead of burning you out, they help you move better, recover faster, and build skill during time that might otherwise be wasted.
What Are Filler Exercises?
Filler exercises are low-fatigue movements inserted between your main strength sets. They are not designed to spike your heart rate or replace your core lifts. Instead, they support them.
Examples include:
Hip mobility drills between squats
Ankle mobility before lunges
Scapular activation during pressing sessions
Core control or balance drills between rows or pull-ups
These exercises are chosen based on your needs. If your hips feel tight, insert a drill that improves rotation. If your shoulder positioning is off, add some thoracic mobility work. They are efficient, focused, and intentional.
Don’t Confuse Fillers with HIIT
High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) often gets framed as the go-to for efficiency. While it can be effective for conditioning, it’s not the best tool for building strength or improving movement quality. Most HIIT workouts use lighter weights, rapid transitions, and minimal rest, which limits your ability to train with the loads needed for muscle growth or skill development.
This approach often turns every session into cardio disguised as strength. For someone looking to move better, build real strength, or avoid injury, it's usually a mismatch.
Filler exercises, by contrast, allow you to keep your strength work focused and effective while still using downtime productively. That means you can train hard and smart without sacrificing recovery or results.
The Problem with Junk Volume
"Junk volume" refers to sets or reps that don't contribute meaningfully to your goals. Often, it’s extra work added for the sake of feeling busy, rather than getting better.
This might look like:
Doing too many sets of isolation work with no clear purpose
Stacking accessory movements just to fill the hour
Repeating exercises with poor form because fatigue has set in
Junk volume can leave you more beat up than benefited. It drains recovery, clouds progress, and rarely delivers a return on your time.
Filler exercises provide a more effective alternative. They complement your training without taking away from the lifts that matter most. Instead of adding fluff, they add function.
The Research on Stretching and Mobility
You don’t need to stretch for 30 minutes a day to see improvement. A 2020 systematic review in the Journal of Sports Science & Medicine found that just 5 to 10 minutes of stretching, 2 to 3 times per week, significantly improves range of motion. Another 2023 study in Frontiers in Physiology concluded that just 60 seconds of stretching per muscle group per week can yield measurable results.
That means a few well-placed mobility drills, done consistently, are enough to make progress. And if you layer them into your current program, you don’t need to carve out more gym time to get those benefits.
How to Add Fillers into Your Program
Let’s say your workout includes barbell squats, dumbbell presses, and bent-over rows. Here’s how you could layer in fillers:
Between squat sets: 90/90 hip flow or ankle mobility
Between presses: wall slides or thoracic rotation drill
Between rows: dead bugs or band pull-aparts
These drills won’t drain your energy. In fact, they often leave you feeling more primed and stable for your next working set.
The TLDR of it All
You want to move better. You want to feel stronger. You want to use your time well. Filler exercises help you do all three.
They make your training more efficient without piling on fatigue. They improve mobility, movement quality, and recovery. And they give you something better than busy work. They give you progress.
If you're still doing HIIT for strength, chasing the sweat, or cramming junk volume into every workout, it’s time to shift your strategy. Filler work is the hidden lever that helps you train harder, recover faster, and build a body that works as well as it looks.
Want a program that pairs strength, mobility, and purpose in every session? That’s exactly what we do at Elevate. If you're ready to train smarter, move better, and stay consistent, let’s build a plan that works for you. Reach out anytime.