A detailed overview of the best muscle-building exercises and their effects on different muscle groups. Why waste time at the gym? Give real change!
Any workout program consists of a variety of exercises and sets. If a specific goal is not set when developing a training plan and advanced training methods are not used, then all efforts will be in vain. For the fastest possible set of muscle mass and the development of strength, you must choose only the best exercises.
The exercises covered in this article are the best of the best. You may notice that they fall into three categories:
- Barbell Exercises
- Dumbbell Exercises
- Bodyweight Exercises
Opening the workout programs section of the DailyFit website, we will see that the vast majority of weight training programs involve the use of barbells and dumbbells. For each muscle group, the barbell and dumbbell exercises should be done first. After them, you can move on to exercises on simulators and blocks. Despite the usefulness of some exercises on simulators and blocks, most of them are inferior in effectiveness to their counterparts with free weights.
The bench press with a barbell or dumbbells is better than the press in the Smith machine. Deep squats are more effective than leg presses. And pull-ups on the bar surpass the pull of the upper block to the chest in terms of effectiveness.
Below we take a look at the top seven exercises. If your goal is to increase muscle mass, then these exercises should definitely find a place in your training program.
7 best exercises for gaining mass
Squats. Squats are the main exercise for gaining mass and developing strength. It is impossible to imagine an effective workout program without deep squats. To complete this exercise, you need a barbell and racks (or a power rack). Squats work not only on the leg muscles but also on the upper body. Like a hormonal atomic bomb, squats rip apart all muscle fibers in the body, causing them to grow and strengthen, rep after rep.
Deadlift. The second most effective exercise after squats is the deadlift (with a minimum margin), which allows you to build kilograms of muscle and develop bear strength. The deadlift, like the squat, is performed with a barbell.
Dips on the uneven bars. Dips are often called the “upper body squat”. In push-ups, the muscles of the shoulders, pecs and triceps work intensively. This is a basic upper body exercise. Push-ups are performed on parallel bars.
Pull-ups. In pull-ups, even the strongest and fittest athletes cannot perform a large number of repetitions. Pull-ups are a great exercise for your back and biceps muscles. It is recommended to include pull-ups in your training program instead of ineffective exercises such as pulling the upper block to the chest.
Bench press. The bench press is the main upper body exercise. There are a number of highly effective variations of this exercise, including the flat bar or dumbbell press and the positive incline bar or dumbbell press.
Army press. As with the bench press, there are several excellent options for doing the military press. This includes virtually all versions of the barbell/dumbbell bench press, either standing or sitting. Also, don’t forget about the Arnold bench press and the head press. Another popular variation of the overhead press is the chest jerk.
Traction. Rows (both barbells and dumbbells) are wonderful upper back exercises. One of the best options for pulling is the good old t-bar bent over row. Despite the fact that exercises on simulators and blocks are considered ineffective, the deadlift of the horizontal block while sitting is very good at loading the back muscles.
