The squat! The squat is a fantastic exercise; it targets all the muscles in the lower body whilst also adding some strength and stability to the abdomen and lower back area. The squat also gets a large amount of upper body muscles engaged too.
1. Walking. Any exercise program should include cardiovascular exercise, which strengthens the heart and burns calories. And walking is something you can do anywhere, anytime, with no equipment other than a good pair of shoes.
Deadlifts. By that fact alone, the deadlift is king. Of the three major compound lifts, the deadlift is the only movement that occurs within one motion, not two.
The reason the deadlift is considered the king of all the exercises is that it is a great indicator of strength. If you can deadlift an impressive weight, there is a good chance that you can handle heavyweight in general, as proven in previous points it works most of your body.
The Deadlift
The deadlift is first on the list for a reason. It not only works your back from top to bottom – from the upper traps down to the spinal erectors in your lower back – it also works your quads, glutes, forearms, biceps, and rhomboids, just to name a few.
If you want to build whole-body strength with an emphasis on your legs, then the squat (and squat variations) is the better choice. If you want to build whole-body strength with an emphasis on your hip and back, then the deadlift (and its variations) might be the best exercise.
Exercises differ in quality. Some are superior to others. A chosen few are also known as the "big three." The bench press, squat, and deadlift are the "big three." These are the three lifts that powerlifters utilize to compare their strength to that of the competition using the combined total.
Though there are thousands of different exercises we could do in the gym, barbell training comprises just four exercises, the so-called “Big Lifts.” These compound movements — the squat, press, deadlift, and bench press — should make up 90% of any athlete's strength program, regardless of their level of advancement.
Push-ups are an essential part of every bodyweight workout routine. The mother of all exercises strengthens the muscles in your shoulders, arms and chest.
What do deadlifts, barbell bench presses, squats, and military presses have in common? They're all going to put you in a lot of pain (the good kind). These classic moves are also some of the hardest exercises to master.
'The three compound lifts beginners should be using are squats, deadlifts and pull-ups,' says Davies.
The only 5 weight training exercises you'll ever need
The basic 5 weight training exercises that will make you strong, fit, and healthy are the squat, hip hinge, overhead press, row, and chest press. They work all major muscle groups in the body, including the core.
But there is another way, in the form of The Holy Trinity of muscle: the squat, the deadlift and the bench press.
Start with 3 reps, then rest for 15 seconds. Then complete 4 reps and rest for another 15 seconds. Then 5 reps, then 6 reps and a final set of 7 reps. Resting for 15 seconds each time.
#1: Increases the Risk of Injury
As mentioned, squats and deadlifts are both exhausting, taxing exercises. Even when using proper form and technique, doing both exercises on the same day puts a lot of strain on the tendons, muscles, and ligaments in the lower body and back.
In this workout you will complete 5 minutes of cardio (5 exercises for 1 minute each), 4 minutes of lower body (4 exercises for 1 minute each), 3 minutes of upper body (3 exercises for 1 minute each), 2 minutes of core (2 exercises for 1 minute each), and 1 minute of cardio (1 exercise for 1 minute).
In powerlifting competitions, you squat, then bench, then deadlift. Most recreational lifters always squat before they deadlift as they feel that squats “warm them up” for heavy deadlifting. This makes sense as many individuals hurt their low backs when deadlifting because they aren't warmed up sufficiently.
Deadlifts Increase Muscle Mass
Deadlifts promote muscle growth because they involve heavyweights and a compound movement that engages many muscle groups. If you include deadlifts in your fitness program and do them correctly, you'll gain more lean muscle mass in your legs, back, arms, and shoulders.
So should you squat or deadlift more? The average lifter will squat 90% of their deadlift. Therefore, if you deadlift 100lbs, you should squat at least 90lbs. However, the lower the body-weight, the more someone should be able to deadlift, and the higher the body-weight, the more someone should be able to squat.