Best Exercises for Total Strength and Muscle

Introduction

There are thousands of exercises in the fitness scene that all have a different purpose. For example, dumbbell curls mainly activate muscle growth in the biceps and skull-crushers in the triceps. But what if I told you that there are movements that activate several parts of the body to trigger strength and muscle gains! These are called heavy compound movements. Implementing these types of compound exercises will not only make you stronger, but they will increase your overall functional fitness level if you are consistent! You may have heard of these exercises mentioned in this list, but I am going to tell you WHY they are the best!

#1: Barbell Back Squat

Squats are one of the best exercises that you can hit at the gym. This is because that you can load much more weight than similar leg movements like the front squat (another great compound exercise). As long as your form is decent while squatting with heavy weight, you will achieve the benefits in no time! They are great for packing on muscle mass and increasing strength, especially in the lower body. Back squats hit the quads, glutes, hamstrings, hip flexors, lower back, and even the core!

#2: Barbell Bench Press

Like the back squat, the barbell bench press is another titan when it comes to body-building. If you were only allowed to perform two movements in the gym, the back squat and the bench press are the best options! With a weight that is not too heavy to cause injury and proper form, you can expect to see an increase in strength, endurance, and muscle gain in your chest, triceps, and shoulders. Since this movement is so advanced, you can achieve a great increase in bone density!

#3: Pull-Ups

It is not considered a "heavy-compound lift" but pull-ups are for sure a compound exercise. There are variations of pull-ups, such as chin-ups, which are underhand pull-ups. This movement is great for improving your overall functional fitness level while building up your grip strength, which is responsible for performing other lifts. They target your lats, delts, traps, biceps, and core.

#4: Deadlifts

Now from the name and rumors revolving around this exercise, most casual lifters don't even consider performing deadlifts. However, with proper form and a reasonable weight, deadlifts are great for total strength. In addition, deadlifts are useful for targetting your posterior chain to strengthen the weak areas. The deadlift mainly targets the hamstrings, lower back, glutes, hip flexors, core, and several other muscles are activated also.

#5: Shoulder Press

Shoulder presses, or overhead presses, are great for packing on some size on your upper muscles while increasing strength! This exercise requires most of the body to be active too, especially if you're going heavy. An example of this is your abs and glutes being engaged during the pressing-up movement. In addition, the overhead press can even help you achieve better performance with the bench press because it uses similar muscles! This movement targets the shoulders, triceps, traps, core, and lower back.

#6: Bent-Over Barbell Rows

Bent-Over rows are excellent for targetting your back muscles and other major muscles like your lats, shoulders, glutes, and hamstrings. As you do this movement, you are forced to stabilize the weight as you pull the barbell towards you, which engages the core muscles significantly! Since rows mainly target your back muscles, you can increase your pull-up strength if you are consistent with this compound exercise.

Conclusion

Barbell back squats, bench presses, pull-ups, deadlifts, shoulder presses, and bent-over rows are all great compound movements that all have their specific place! If your goal is to gain strength quickly while increasing your muscle mass, implementing these exercises into your routine will do just the trick!