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The Top Ten Weight
Training Exercises for Building Muscle
By Jason Ferruggia
Muscle Gaining Secrets
1) Deadlift- Not many weight training exercises work as many muscle
groups and build muscle as fast as the deadlift. The neck, traps, upper,
middle, and lower back, glutes, hamstrings, quads, biceps, forearms, and abs
are all utilized in the deadlift. No other exercise is a better test of
overall body power. While uninformed people always ask, "how much can you
bench," the question they really should ask is, "how much can you deadlift?"
A deadlift is the most basic exercise anyone can do. Bending down and
picking a weight up off the floor is the one weight training exercise that
mimics everyday real life situations. Most people will rarely find
themselves on their back needing to push a heavyweight off their chest but
everyone has to bend down and pick things up. If you could only do one
exercise to build muscle this would be the one to do.
2) Squat- The squat has been known for years as the "king of all
muscle building exercises" and for good reason. I'm not talking about sissy
boy half squats either; I'm talking about real below parallel, full squats.
If you don't at least break parallel it's not a squat. Like deadlifts,
squats involve an enormous amount of muscle mass and stimulate the release
of anabolic hormones such as testosterone. This is great for building
muscle fast. The squat is probably the most revered exercise among serious
lifters and the power rack is considered our sacred ground. If you ever want
to develop any kind of real lower body strength and build muscle fast, you
have no choice but to squat.
3) Chin up- Not many exercises will build muscle in the upper body
like chin ups. Known as the upper body squat, chins stimulate nearly every
muscle from the traps down to the abdominals. Any exercise that allows you
to move your body through space as opposed to moving a weight or fixed
implement around you has a much higher degree of neuromuscular activation,
and therefore a much greater potential to elicit gains in size and strength.
Look at the development of male gymnasts and you will see for yourself what
years of chin ups and dips can do for the upper body. If you want to build
muscle fast, be sure to include chin ups in your weight training program.
4) Parallel Bar Dip- A close second to chin ups as one of the best
upper body exercises for building muscle fast, and for all the same reasons.
If you want big arms you had better include dips in your training program.
No other weight training exercise will add slabs of muscle to the triceps as
effectively as dips. A huge chest and enormous pair of front delts are also
a pleasant side effect that comes with regularly performing this outstanding
muscle building exercise.
5) Hang Clean & Push Press- A total body muscle building exercise
which hits the calves, hamstrings, glutes, quads, lower and upper back,
traps, shoulders, biceps, triceps, and forearms. Although it is, by
definition, an Olympic lift, it can be done in more of a strict manner to
really target the traps, upper back, and shoulders. When done in this
manner, it is not performed solely with the intention of developing
explosive speed like most Olympic lifts are performed. Doing the clean and
push press in this manner is a form of power bodybuilding and will really
blow up the traps and shoulders. If you could only pick one weight training
exercise for building muscle, this might be the one. It’s a shame you don’t
see this in more bodybuilding programs.
6) Bench Press- This is one of the three powerlifting exercises and
along with Military Presses, is the greatest of all pressing movements for
building muscle in the upper body. When looking at the effectiveness of an
exercise, the questions to be asked are what will allow the lifter to use
the most weight and what exercise involves the most muscle mass. The bench
press meets both of these prerequisites and besides being incredibly
effective as a muscle building exercise, it is one of the best measures of
upper body power.
7) Military Press- Also known as the front press, this was once
considered the number one measure of upper body power and was the premier
muscle building exercise for the upper body. In the old days of strength
training most people didn't even do bench presses; every weight training
exercise was done standing up. Bench pressing was looked down upon as a show
lift and real men only did overhead presses to build muscle. Bench pressing
took over with the development of powerlifting and bodybuilding and the
military press took a back seat. It is still however, a great measure of
upper body power and should be done by anyone interested in building an
impressive set of shoulders and building overall muscle mass throughout the
upper body. Even though some uninformed doctors will have you believe that
overhead pressing can be dangerous, old time strong men argue that there
would not be as many shoulder injuries as there are today if the military
press had remained the upper body weight training exercise of choice.
Equally effective variations of the military press include the push press,
push jerk and split jerk.
8) Bent Over Rows- When it comes to building muscle in the upper back
and lats, bent over rows are hard to beat. This weight training exercise can
be performed many different ways; palms up, palms down, wide grip, close
grip, to the abdomen, to the sternum, with an ez bar or with a straight
bar. However you do them, nothing will develop thickness in the back like
rows will, and anyone who has been involved with bodybuilding for a while
will tell you there is nothing more impressive than a well developed back,
muscular back.
9) Good Mornings- Although they are a rarely performed weight
training exercise by a large majority of bodybuilders, good mornings remain
one of the staples of a good size and strength gaining program. Powerlifters
seem to be the only ones who know about the muscle building properties of
this outstanding exercise. The reason this muscle building exercise is often
avoided is that good mornings are brutally hard work. But that hard work
brings huge rewards. Good mornings will build muscle fast and pack tons of
size on your lower back, glutes, and hamstrings. They are also one of the
best weight training exercises to help improve your squat and deadlift,
which is the main reason they are a mainstay in powerlifting.
10) Pushup- Yes, you read that right, I said pushups are one of the
best weight training exercises to build muscle fast. For a beginner pushups
are the absolute best muscle building exercise to do for the pecs, delts,
and triceps. However, as you make progress and get stronger pushups become
too easy and are usually forgotten about. That is a huge mistake. There are
several varieties of pushups that can be used by intermediate and advanced
lifters such as elevated pushups on pushup handles, dumbbells, or chairs.
Pushups can also be done on gymnastic rings hanging from chains and
suspended a foot or so above the ground to make them even more challenging.
When either of these versions of this awesome muscle building exercise
becomes too easy you can have a partner hold weight on your back, use a
weighted vest or even drape heavy chains across your back. If you are
looking for more variety, Hindu pushups are another great version of this
exercise and can sometimes humble even the strongest of men.
So there you have it, the best weight training exercises for building muscle
fast. All the food and supplements and drugs in the world are worthless if
you train like a Nancy boy. Machines and isolation movements are as
effective as running on a treadmill when it comes to getting big and strong.
Stick with the weight training exercises above; make them a staple in your
training, and start saving up for a new wardrobe. Its time to build muscle
fast!
Jason Ferruggia is a world famous fitness expert who is renowned for his
ability to help people build muscle as fast as humanly possible. He is the
head training adviser for Men’s Fitness Magazine where he also has his own
monthly column dedicated to muscle building. For more great muscle building
information, please visit
MuscleGainingSecrets.com
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