Top Ten Weight Training Exercises to Build Muscle

1) deadlift –

Not many weight training exercises work as many muscle groups and build muscle as quickly as the deadlift. The neck, trapezius, upper, middle, and lower back, glutes, hamstrings, quadriceps, biceps, forearms, and abs are used in the deadlift. No other exercise is a better test of the overall power of the body. While uninformed people always ask, “how much can you bench press?”, the question they really should be asking is “how much can you deadlift?” A deadlift is the most basic exercise anyone can do. Squatting down and lifting a dumbbell off the floor is the only weight training exercise that mimics real life everyday situations. Most people rarely lie on their back and need to push a heavy weight 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.

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 actual below parallel, full squats. If you don’t at least break parallel, it’s not a squat. Like the deadlift, squats engage an enormous amount of muscle mass and stimulate the release of anabolic hormones like 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 hallowed 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) pull-ups –

There aren’t many exercises that build upper body muscle like pull-ups. Known as the upper body squat, chin ups stimulate just about every muscle, from your trapezius to your abs. Any exercise that allows you to move your body through space rather than moving a fixed weight or implement around you has a much greater degree of neuromuscular activation and therefore much greater potential for gains in size and strength. . Watch the development of male gymnasts and you will see for yourself what years of pull-ups and dips can do for your upper body. If you want to build muscle fast, be sure to include pull-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 the same reasons. If you want big arms, you better include dips in your training program. No other weight training exercise will add muscle blocks to the triceps as effectively as dips. A massive chest and huge pair of front deltoids are also a nice side effect that comes with regularly performing this great muscle-building exercise.

5) Hang Clean & Push Press –

A total body muscle building exercise that works 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 a stricter fashion to really target the traps, upper back, and shoulders. When done this way, it is not performed solely with the intent to develop explosive speed as most Olympic lifts are performed. Doing the clean and push press in this way is a form of power bodybuilding and will really pop your traps and shoulders. If you could only pick one weight training exercise to build muscle, this might be the one. It’s a shame you don’t see this on more bodybuilding shows.

6) Bench press –

This is one of the three powerlifting exercises and, along with the Military Press, is the greatest of all pressing movements for building upper body muscle. When looking at the effectiveness of an exercise, the questions to ask are what will allow the lifter to use the most weight and what exercise engages the most muscle mass. The bench press meets these prerequisites, and in addition to being incredibly effective as a muscle-building exercise, it’s 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 bench press; each weight training exercise was done standing up. The bench press was dismissed as an exhibition lift and real men only did overhead pressing to build muscle. The bench press took over with the development of powerlifting and bodybuilding and the military press took a backseat. However, it is still 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 entire upper body. Although some uninformed doctors would have you believe that overhead lifting could be dangerous, the strongmen of yore argue that there wouldn’t be as many shoulder injuries as there are today if military weightlifting it would have 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) Inclined Rows –

When it comes to building muscle in your upper back and lats, bent over rows are hard to beat. This weight training exercise can be performed in many different ways; palms up, palms down, wide grip, close grip, tummy, sternum, ez bar or straight bar. Regardless of how you do them, nothing will build back thickness quite like rowing, and anyone who’s been involved with bodybuilding for a while will tell you that there’s nothing more impressive than a well-developed, muscular back.

9) Good morning –

Although they are a weight training exercise rarely performed by the vast majority of bodybuilders, good mornings are still one of the staples of a good size and strength gaining program. Weightlifters seem to be the only ones who know about the muscle building properties of this excellent exercise. The reason this muscle-building exercise is often avoided is that the good days are brutally hard work. But that hard work brings great rewards. Good mornings will quickly build muscle and pack on size tones in 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) Push-ups –

Yes, you read that right, I said that pushups are one of the best weight training exercises to build muscle fast. For a beginner, pushups are the best muscle-building exercise for the pectorals, deltoids, and triceps. However, as you progress and get stronger, push-ups become too easy and are usually forgotten. That is a big 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 that hang from chains and are suspended about a foot above the ground to make them even more challenging. When any of these versions of this incredible muscle-building exercise become too easy, you can ask a partner to hold a weight on your back, wear a weighted vest, or even attach heavy chains to your back. If you’re looking for more variety, Hindu push-ups 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 to build muscle fast. All the food, supplements, and drugs in the world are worthless if you train like a Nancy boy. Machines and isolation movements are just as effective as running on a treadmill when it comes to getting big and strong. Continue with the weight training exercises above; make them a workout staple and start saving for a new wardrobe. It’s time to build muscle fast!