Best Exercises To Build Muscle And Strength
When it comes to exercises, there are plenty to choose from. While any workout routine can keep you fit, not all are the same. Different exercises serve different purposes. So, it’s essential to select the right routines to have the best results.
If you have been hitting the gym in the hope to build muscle and strength but haven’t been successful, you might be doing the wrong thing. But not to worry because we have it covered. Keep reading to find out which exercises are best for building muscles and strength.
Build Muscle and Strength
As stated earlier, even though there are many workout routines, not all can increase muscles. But the following exercises have been proven effective by bodybuilders and experts, so the information can be pretty valuable.
Deadlift
A deadlift is one of the main workout routines in muscle and strength building. It’s an exercise performed with loaded barbells. Anyone who wants to gain muscles must include it in their training program.
There are several forms of deadlifts, and you can incorporate them into your program to build muscles and strength.
However, you should perform the deadlifts with precision, or there is a high chance of getting injured. You should follow all the steps one by one.
The first aspect to keep in mind is to start with low weights and not opt for heavier ones.
If you don’t have any experience in lifting weights, then starting with heavy weights can be dangerous.
Though deadlifts use legs and hips, they are also considered as back exercises.
Deadlift exercises target the back, hamstrings, glutes and quads.
These days, you can find tips and video tutorials to perform all kinds of exercises. So, you can check these out and do the exercises as instructed.
Squats
Most people concentrate only on developing the upper torso and neglect the legs. As a result, they have bulky muscles on their upper body but tiny legs.
But obviously, you don’t want a physique like the one mentioned above. Else, while you are proud to show off your torso muscles, you will be forced to hide your legs.
You don’t have to go through that process, though, because squats are the perfect workout routines for the legs. The routines also benefit quads, hips and lower back.
There are different types of squat exercises that you can do. Squats are effective routines for building muscle and strength, so incorporating them in your workout sessions will be a good idea.
The following are the five types of squats that can improve your leg muscles, increase strength and make your legs proportionate to your body.
The Back Squat: Also called the barbell back squat, it’s one of the most followed exercises in weight training. Without it, building leg muscles can be pretty difficult.
But it’s vital for you to do each step correctly because one wrong move can hurt you. You have to hold the weights behind, and so you have to be careful with every step.
The Front Squat: It’s the next type of squat that you can include in your program. It is also known as barbell front squat since you have to hold the bars at the front.
Like the back squat, it’s also an effective muscle and strength-building exercise which can help your legs immensely. But you need to follow each step as instructed. Begin with lighter weights at first to perform the exercise safely.
The Goblet Squat: It’s the next type of squat that you can include in your exercise regime. It’s called goblet squat because you hold the weights in front of you under your chin in a goblet position.
It’s an exercise suitable for beginners and also as a primary or secondary squat exercise. If you have difficulty doing the back and front squats initially, you can do the goblet squat. You can do back and front as you continue with the training.
The Box Squat: People coming from injuries or older people with age-related issues find it hard to achieve depth while doing squats. The box squat is an ideal exercise routine for those individuals.
In this variation, you place a box, platform or a bench of chair height behind you. When you do the squat, you don’t have to worry about getting injured because you have one of the items to support you if you make a mistake and fall.
You can also use box squat as a secondary squat variation to build muscle and strength.
The Bulgarian Split Squat: The last variation is the Bulgarian split squat and is also the most intense. If you don’t mind gasping for air and the pain, it’s for you.
But with the pains, you get the gains too. So, it can be a primary squat variation for muscle and strength building.
Bench Press
It’s also one of the most effective exercises for building muscles. It’s part of the big three in weight training, along with deadlifts and squats.
The bench press primarily focuses on the shoulders, triceps and pecs. Unlike other exercises where you stand or sit, here you do it by lying down on a bench. You have to be in the right position with your eyes just below the barbell.
If you are doing the routine for the first time, it’s vital that you start with low weights and move up as you progress with the exercise.
When you begin with heavier weights, you should also have someone close to help if anything goes wrong. Once you have enough experience, it won’t be a problem doing it alone.
Shoulder Press
The shoulder press is also one of the main routines associated with muscle and strength building. It’s also an exercise that you can perform using different pieces of equipment.
However, exercise enthusiasts and experts suggest using barbells. It’s also an exercise that target different parts of the body, including shoulders, triceps and upper pectorals.
Pull-ups
You can do pull-ups in different ways depending on placing your hands on the bars. There is one aspect to keep in mind; if you use your palms towards you, the routine is chin-up and not pull-up.
When doing pull-ups, you can place your hands close to each other, shoulders apart or wide apart. You should also position your torso at different angles. Pull-ups benefit forearms, biceps, lats, rhomboids, mid-traps, brachialis and rear delts.
Other routines for muscle and strength building include:
- Leg Press: It benefits quads, hams, hips and glutes.
- Barbell Pullover: It targets lats, upper pectorals, triceps, and teres major.
- Bent Over BB Row: It benefits forearms, brachialis, biceps, lower back, rear delts, mid-traps, lats and rhomboids.
- Dips: It targets the triceps, anterior deltoids, pectorals.
- Upright Row: Targets forearms, shoulders, traps, biceps and brachialis.
- Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press: Benefits triceps, shoulders and upper pectorals.
Points to Remember:
- Exercise regularly by following the correct instructions.
- You should also provide your body with appropriate calories and nutrients, especially protein.
- Have an instructor guide you in the beginning so that you don’t hurt yourself.
- Start with small weights and increase as you go on.
With all the routines mentioned above, building muscles and strength shouldn’t be hard. All you have to do is follow the tips mentioned above and you will have great results.
