Are you ready to get strong?
I mean, are you ready to get REALLY strong?
Well then, you’ve come to the right place.
I want to talk about the best exercises for building total strength.
What do I mean by total strength, you ask?
When I say total strength I’m talking about the ability to pick things up, lift them high, all while still moving your body correctly and without pain.
Not just having big arms or a big butt. It’s about making your entire body the best it can be.
Strength is more than just having big muscles and flexing in front of a mirror.
Strength is about function.
For myself and the people I train, I help them get stronger today so they can feel better tomorrow. I want them to be able to pick-up their grandkids, carry the groceries, and get up from the toilet pain-free.
That’s what strength is about to me.
Now that you know why I’m such a believer in strength, let’s get into the best ways of building total strength.
Drumroll please….
The 5 main barbell exercises are
The squat
The deadlift
Bench press
Overhead press
The row
These 5 exercises together work your entire body and can get you jacked/ripped/lean and get you strong AF too.
WHY ARE THESE EXERCISES SO IMPORTANT?
Like just about everything that we do in the gym, we have to have a purpose. There’s got to be some reason that we’re showing up to train. For the majority of people, it’s for some combination of building muscle, losing fat, or getting strong. These lifts check all three.
These exercises are all heavy compound exercises, meaning they all use multiple joints (think your shoulder + elbow with the bench press) which means more muscles are used during the exercise.
Since they’re using larger muscle groups, you’re able to lift heavyweight with them. This is why they’re great for building muscle & building strength.
Training smart > Training hard
Something I’ve learned over the years is that a big part of fitness is about efficiency. Not everyone has 2+ hours a day they can spend in the gym. You have work, you have families, you have a social life. There’s life outside of the gym.
If you show up to workout and spend an hour just working biceps, that’s pretty inefficient. The biceps are a small muscle group, and you just wasted spent an hour working on a small muscle group.
Incorporating the bigger compound lifts allows you to train multiple muscles, and really overload them with a heavyweight.
Rows are a great exercise that works so much of your back, while also hitting your biceps too.
You’re hitting two birds with one stone.
Hits all of the muscle groups
If your workouts are planned around these 5 lifts, you’re getting a full-body workout.
Here’s a breakdown:
The Squat works your quads, hamstrings, glutes, lower back & calves
The Deadlift works your hamstrings, glutes, back, biceps, & grip strength
The Bench Press works your chest, shoulder & triceps
The Overhead Press works your shoulders
The Row works your back & biceps
LET’S DIVE A BIT DEEPER, SHALL WE?
Now that we know what the different lifts are, why they’re important and what muscles they work, let’s go even deeper into why they’re super important and should be included in your workout plan.
The Squat
This exercise right here is my favorite. To some, it’s the GOAT of strength exercises. There’s so much that goes into it, and so much that it does for you. It builds strength, improves mobility, and is one of the most functional movements that you do (sit down & stand up much?)
When we’re talking just about building muscle, it’s supreme. The number of muscles that are worked throughout the movement is key. Your quads, your glutes, your hamstrings, your back...the list goes on.
Since all of these muscles work together, you have the ability to get really strong at the exercise. This is why we see so many people in the gym or online squatting really heavyweights. So much of our body is working to perform the lift.
The Deadlift
Of the main lifts, this is often the most neglected. It’s a bit more technical than the others, and it doesn’t work muscles that we see (mainly muscles on our backside), so some less serious lifters may choose to skip it.
If you want my opinion, skipping it is a big mistake. It’s such a good and functional exercise. Targets muscles that are neglected and it has some real practical implication into day-to-day life.
Do you ever have to bend down to get something? The act of bending down and getting back up is mimicking the motion of the deadlift. It’s functional.
It does so much good for your hip mobility and strengthens your back, especially your lower back. When starting out, you have to make sure that your form is good, but if you work on technique in the beginning, once you get the hang of it, you’ll see the gainz follow.
The Bench Press
This one should be obvious. Everyone knows about the bench press. For whatever reason, this is the one gym exercise that everyone and their little sister have heard of. At least it’s with good reason.
The bench press is one of if not the best tests of upper body power and strength. Mainly using your chest, but your shoulders and triceps are really involved too. And while it’s not a “main” part of the exercise, your back assists to stabilize and support your body throughout the lift too.
Throughout the exercise, there are two joints that are involved, your shoulder and your elbow. By using both joints you get a lot more power and more muscle engagement. This is what makes it such an effective upper body exercise.
The bench press is a horizontal pushing movement, meaning that you’re pushing in front of you, that is why it’s mainly working your chest and your triceps.
The Overhead Press
Without a doubt, overhead press, especially when done with challenging weights and challenging rep ranges, is the best shoulder exercise for building strength and building muscle.
The OHP is another pushing movement (this time, it’s vertical), so here your chest isn’t involved, but it’s mainly your shoulders, while your triceps and upper back help to stabilize.
Think about how often you have to lift something over your head. These are all overhead pressing movements. Performing and improving the OHP will carry over into these everyday tasks.
You might not know this, but OHP is actually really great for building your core. Many shoulder exercises require you to engage and stabilize your core to perform, which is a great bonus.
The Row
Want a big strong back? The row is the exercise that you’re looking for. The row is similar to the deadlift in that it’s about picking up the barbell and putting it back down, but the muscles that are used here are a bit different.
While the deadlift is mainly a hip movement, with the row you’re bending your elbows and shoulders. Granted, you’re bent over at the hips (almost parallel with the floor), but it’s mainly targeting your back.
The row is the go-to exercise for anyone looking to build size or strength to the back. It’s a fundamental exercise that really focuses on the back, and you can get really strong at it.
Trust me, if you’re doing it correctly and using challenging weight, your back can get fried (in a good way).
THE TAKEAWAY
Now you know what to do. You have a base of exercises to work off when for your upcoming workouts.
Try them out. Watch some tutorials on Youtube if you need them. Make sure that you’re using good form, but include these in your workout routine if you’re looking to develop total body strength that will not only have you looking great, but you’ll be feeling and moving great too.
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If you’re interested in working with me 1-1 you can check out more at GrossmanGainz.com or you can find me on all social media at @GrossmanGainz.
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