Tip How to Find the Best Exercises for Your Body Search Skip to content Menu Menu follow us Store Articles Community Loyal-T Club Loyal-T Points Rewards Subscribe to Save Search Search The World s Trusted Source & Community for Elite Fitness Training Tip How to Find the Best Exercises for Your Body Think of a weight-training exercise Is it the best choice for YOU Here' s how to know by Charles Staley November 22, 2018August 18, 2019 Tags Bodybuilding, Tips, Training Optimize Exercise Quality For any given lifter at any given time, some exercises are better than others. By "better" I mean a more optimal benefit/drawback ratio. What makes an exercise "better?" Lots of things: Exercises you can perform safely and effectively are better. If bench presses hurt your shoulders and you don't really feel them in your pecs, either fix your technique or find a better alternative. Exercises that target large muscles tend to be better than those that train smaller muscle groups. Sure, getting bigger biceps will require "small" exercises (curls), but overall, big exercises for big muscles are the most effective way to get big. Guys who squat, bench, and pull big numbers tend to be big all over. The best exercises are those that permit a high degree of loading. Ask any accomplished strength coach what the best exercises are, and he's very likely to say squats, pulls, flat and overhead presses, rows, and pull-ups. Four hundred pound squats will ALWAYS do more for you than 80-pound pushdowns, even if big arms are your primary goal. Exercises that allow more ROM are better than those performed over a smaller ROM. Generally speaking, standard bench presses and deadlifts are better than board presses and block pulls. Static (isometric) exercises such as planks are very poor muscle development tools. Sure, they might be good for "activation" (does anyone know what that means by the way?), or maybe you just like them for unknown reasons. Just don't expect them to directly contribute to a great physique. Stable exercises are better than unstable or less-stable movements since they allow for greater loading potential. Smith machine step-ups are better than standard step-ups. Standard military presses are better than overhead pressing on one foot or from a BOSU ball. Sure, there's always a place for exercises that are exceptions to these rules; just don't major in minors. Get The T Nation Newsletters Don' t Miss Out Expert Insights To Get Stronger, Gain Muscle Faster, And Take Your Lifting To The Next Level related posts Training 4 Mistakes Men Still Make in The Gym Trying to build muscle or get stronger? Here's why you won't, unless you stop it with this stuff. Bodybuilding, Powerlifting & Strength, Training Paul Carter June 1 Training Blast Metabolic Interval Training Call it whatever you want: circuit training, interval training, whatever. Two things are certain: 1. It ain't for wimps. 2. It'll rip the fat off you. Fat Loss Training, Metcon, Training Chad Coy March 30 Training The Superior Circuit - Part 1 We have some good news for you. The New Year's resolution crowd, famous for clogging up the gym for the first two months of every year, is starting to dwindle. As they devolve back into their sedentary lifestyles, you have the opportunity to evolve your training program to reach even greater heights. In this series, we'll show you how! Training Mike Robertson & Carl Valle March 15 Training The 6 Mental Hurdles of Getting Ripped Getting lean requires mental preparation. Here's how to get your mind ready and your body lean. Christian Thibaudeau May 17