All things considered, the most effective exercises for building muscle, strength, and aesthetic appeal are the following:
* Barbell stiff-leg deadlifts (not Romanian deadlifts – subtle yet important distinction),
* Barbell bench presses performed without leg drive or excessive arching,
* Barbell back squats taken as deep as your body allows,
* Barbell presses done olympic style,
* Barbell rows without lifting straps,
* All variations of the pullup.
Obviously I am not saying these are the only exercises you should ever do.
Nor am I for a moment suggesting that you should do any of them if they cause you pain, are likely to result in or exacerbate injury, etc.
But those caveats aside, what I listed are objectively the best movements for building muscle, strength, and power and also for preserving the same when shifting unsightly fat.
Which does raise the question…
Why do you see so few people doing them?
Answer:
Threefold.
Firstly, they’re hard on mind, body, and soul (also happens to be the very reason they are so productive).
Secondly, they take a long time to get good at (months to become somewhat competent and many years to truly master).
And thirdly, a programme featuring all of them is by definition burdensome and repetitive (due to the combination of aforementioned two factors).
So I totally get why most people prefer other ways of training, even if they are an order of magnitude less productive and more hazardous.
Although that doesn’t change the fact that they would be better off building the weightlifting element of their training around those movements for the most part, rotating individuals or groups of them out in favour of their close variations from time to time.
I’m the first to admit this is much easier said than done, given that it took me the better part of a decade to figure it out for myself. Time I could afford because I was in my 20s (not to mention how easy it is to bounce back from injuries caused by trying to force results through flashier methods).
But I would be lying if I said I don’t wish I had gotten to the point where I can just “punch the clock” in the gym a couple of times per week and enjoy greater rewards for my efforts than I ever got with more aggressive approaches far sooner.
Anyway.
If you’d like to work with me personally and privately on this, the most affordable option is to subscribe to my Real Paper newsletter (which comes packaged with a bunch of valuable perks).
A subscription is £120 per month and you can leave whenever you want, but if you do you can’t ever come back.
All the more reason to read the sales and terms and conditions pages closely, and only commit if you are genuinely looking for a slow yet sustainable way to get strong and in shape.
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Thank you,
Phil Tyreman