It’s been established that lifting progressively heavier weighs over time is the best way to build muscle. Particularly, weights that cause failure between 4-8 repetitions.
Part of the reason most gym-goers avoid these low rep ranges is that it can feel uncomfortable and even dangerous. The truth is lifting heavy can cause injury, depending on the exercise and the way it’s performed.
In this article I want to address four multi-joint movements that make up the foundation of an optimal lifting routine.
Bench press
This is a staple in almost every successful weight lifting routine, and for good reason. No other movement allows the pectoralis to be progressively overloaded more effectively than the classic bench press. This compound pressing movement involves the deltoids (shoulders) and triceps in addition to the pectoralis, but in no way will these other muscles take away from your chest development.
While some prefer one over the other, barbell bench press and dumbbell bench press are both extremely effective and will promote muscle growth when performed properly. The barbell tends to allow for a heavier load to be put on the chest, however, dumbbells require more stabilizing muscles in the shoulders, making either an adequate choice.
Some argue that fly movements activate more of the fibers in the chest because they can “feel” the muscle working harder. Regardless of the feeling, the main issue with any isolation exercise is that it’s very difficult to add weight and progressively grow the muscle.
Supplementary exercises for the bench press include fly’s, close and wide grip press, dips, and push-ups.
Deadlift
The deadlift isn’t quite as common among the average fitness enthusiast. As surprising as it may seem, Olympic powerlifters and crossfitters aren’t the only ones who should incorporate heavy deadlifts into their routines. Most people don’t realize that the deadlift is not only a great way to strengthen your legs and lower back. Heavy pulling also requires the latissimus dorsi (lats), trapezius (traps), biceps, and every gripping muscle from the forearm down through the fingers. There really is no substitute for this lift that will equally strengthen your entire posterior chain.
Supplementary, not replacement, exercises for the deadlift include pull-ups, pulldowns, and rows.
Squat
There’s something particularly daunting about squatting down until your upper legs are parallel with the ground with any serious amount of weight on your shoulders. While there’s no denying that squatting can put strain on the knees and back without proper form, the same could be said for almost any physical activity. There’s also no denying that the squat is far and away the most beneficial exercise to strengthen your lower body.
Choose a weight that you can control throughout the entire range of motion and add heavier weight as you improve and become stronger.
Supplementary exercises for the squat include leg press, weighted lunges, one legged squats, and an endless plethora of other options.
Overhead press
Although it is vital for shoulder development, this exercise often falls in the shadows of more popular push workouts like the bench press. While the bench press does rely on the anterior deltoids (front of the shoulder) to some degree, the lateral and posterior deltoids (top and back of the shoulder) are targeted much more effectively when the weight is over your head. As with any pressing movement, the triceps are also quite heavily involved in the overhead press.
Some will say that isolation movements like shoulder raises (anterior, lateral, and posterior) are the best exercises to target the deltoids. Similar to the relation between flys and bench press for the chest, isolation exercises make it very difficult to safely overload the muscles with tension. However, for the shoulders in particular, isolation exercises are known to be a difference maker when used as a supplement to overhead pressing.
Supplementary exercises for the overhead press include dumbbell shoulder raises (anterior, lateral, and posterior) dips, and triceps press.
The main take-away here is not that isolation exercises have no place in a muscle-building routine, but that compound movements involving more than one joint will yield the best results in terms of overall muscle growth. Isolation exercises should be used to supplement the multi-joint movements to help you reach your target volume for muscle growth. More on optimal volume for hypertrophy is coming soon!
I hope this was helpful! I'm sure you have comments, questions and opinions, so feel free to reach out to me.
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