The Best exercises..The ones that work for you!!

You hear a lot of stuff about you have to do Deads, Squats and benches etc.....Which are great exercises for sure.....

But not everybody either has the tools to do them properly or responds like others to the exercises....

I for one haven't done benches for nearly 15 years and my back won't allow for deads or Squats these days....However lot's of chins and rows have increased detail on my back without losing mass..........and I'm currently pressing over 800 on the leg press........and lunges (ouch)

Point is If something doesn't feel right... or It doesn't seem to work... then do something that does!!!

The great thing about bodybuilding is that there are so many ways to "build" your body......

Don't be pressured into doing what doesn't come natural........find the formula that works......push it to the limit ... and enjoy the process!!!

The best exercises....are the ones that work for you!!!!!!!!!!!!

You're right, Truss. Me and deadlifts just don't go...doesn't feel right, part of it is mental as I worry about injuring my back quite a lot, so I tend to stick to the 'safer' options like front grip, wide arm pull ups which I think is far and away the best back exercise. Works the entire area.

Wide arm pull ups are a great one.

For core strength planks are a magnificent exercise.

Still love deads and squats though.

How long can you plank for? Im gettin up near 3 mins, the world record is 1 hour 20 mins!!

Never tried timing it, incontinentia. I'll have a go later, though I'm not overly hopeful of smashing the world record!!

So do you do it to failure fisto? Ever try it with a weight on your back?

5 minutes with a 20kg weight. Along way off the world record. 80 minutes is crazy.

Nope, I'm lazy and do it for a minute as a token gesture at the end of an abs session sometimes...

Fists of Fury wrote:Nope, I'm lazy and do it for a minute as a token gesture at the end of an abs session sometimes...

Might as well not bother.

What would you recommend, 3 x 2 mins as a starting point? I could comfortably do a plank for 2 mins, I believe (unweighted).

Lumbering_Jack wrote:5 minutes with a 20kg weight. Along way off the world record. 80 minutes is crazy.

impressive, i'm kinda new to this exercise so it really becomes a struggle after about 2 min with no weight! good for mental strength too i'd imagine as its so tempting to give up halfway through. Theres a video on youtube of the world record, the sweat is literally pouring off him near the end.

Lumbering_Jack wrote:5 minutes with a 20kg weight. Along way off the world record. 80 minutes is crazy.

5 minutes with a 20kg weight?? That's insane.

I do a planks after my back session, to help stretch out my lower back after deadlifts. Find it's a nice counter to the exhaustion of the lower back muscles.

Never do it weighted, but tend to do 4 sets of 2 minutes each.

5 minutes would bore me more than anything...2 mins is bad enough!

I usually play a 3 min song on my phone and try to last to the end, you could try that fists it might help with the boredom!

Good idea!

5 minutes is hard, takes a bit of work to get there... Long way to go for the 80!

Fists, as a starting point for someone with a decent level of fitness like yourself try 3 minutes followed by a one minute break, 2 minutes then break then 1 minute to finish.

As much as this does require core strength, I think it is more mentally challenging.

Will do buddy, I'll let you know how I get on. The plank is perhaps an exercise I've always under-rated.

Can I use some of the planks on here???

Ha, those and the dumb bells.

How did the planks go fists?

Haven't got round to it yet mate, I gave the gym a swerve as having problems with my delt..

Wonder if any of you guys have ever experienced this...when I'm doing an incline dumbell press in particular I have had the delt 'slip' almost, making me fail in that rep and send a sharp pain through it. It doesn't continue to hurt after, but it is worrying.

I'm lifting weights no heavier than what I always comfortably lift and I've never had such problems before, but it is happening almost as I'm reaching the top of the lift.

Lumbering_Jack wrote:5 minutes with a 20kg weight. Along way off the world record. 80 minutes is crazy.

5 min would be a great time without any weight, how long did it take you to get to that level?

Once had a problem with my delt slipping...fisty..

We had a guy in the gym who used to scream the words " like a bat out of hell" when he walked into the gym sometimes..

I was coming to the end of an incline set when he screamed those immortal words out at opera pitch right near my ear-hole!!

My life flashed before my eyes (equally as depressing) and the weight hit the deck nearly accompanied by my right delt!!

If he hadn't of been a dead ringer for Lou ferrigno he might have got a slap!!!

Ha, you go to a gym full of lunatics, it seems.

Did a chest session last night, but stayed away from dumbells as that is where my problems have originated. Felt quite weak, but didn't have the delt slip at all.

Maybe just a case of staying away from dumbells for a couple of weeks and seeing if I can re-build some stability in the delt?

incontinentia wrote:

Lumbering_Jack wrote:5 minutes with a 20kg weight. Along way off the world record. 80 minutes is crazy.

5 min would be a great time without any weight, how long did it take you to get to that level?

I've boxed (so do typical boxing training) on and off for 10 years now, so quite a while. I'm not especially strong on traditional weight lifting exercises, but have always had a strong core. My current training partner can out do me in every other body part, except abs...

One of my training partners did the plank for 15 mins a few weeks back. I thought that was quite impressive.

I Love doing:
Deadlifts,
Squats,
Dumbbell bench (hate barbell bench)
Wide Pull ups
Heavy Clean and Jerks
and
Burpees

I don't like barbell bench either...........

Never done a burpee and admitted to it though!!!

First comment here...

So, a little question here - does pain really mean gain?

Par example, I have no problem with barbell bench but my God on the same movement with the cable movement my chest and tris are screaming.

And with barbell squats, although you can feel it all over your body a weighted wall sit can leave me in tears.

Look forward to hearing your thoughts.

Thing is bench and Squats are proven mass builders....staples in the bodybuilding diet.....

Increase strength......stress the body.....

However no reason why crossovers can't work for you.......time will tell because you'll be able to notice increases in size or you won't....

Knew a guy that competed on stage and all he ever did was crossovers for chest..

Try it...tell us how you get on..

Lol I actually meant performing a bench on the cable machine.. I think it's down to all that stabilising business. Crossovers don't work pour moi.

Btw I reckon I'm reasonably fit but I only joined a gym in November so still kinda feeling my way in. Looking to progress from 5"10 150lbs to maybe 165lbs but still somehow lower body fat

Generally find the guys that want to use cables and isolation exercises don't want to do the hard stuff..

theslosty wrote:First comment here...

So, a little question here - does pain really mean gain?

No. A little soreness maybe but if you are writhing in pain then your probably overdoing it and increasing the risk of injury. Injury means no gain.

Losty, i'm no expert but i believe its fairly common knowledge that if you are just starting out and looking to gain strength and bulk then you should stick to the compound exercises like squat, deadlift and bench and also eat the right foods and plenty of them. I would leave the cables alone at this point if i was you, train and eat like a beast. Have a look at the stronglifts website theres a lot of useful info there.

Thanks for the advice incontinentia but I am well aware of the importance of compound movements. My gym is great in the sense it only costs me 8 pounds a month but muscle building wise all I have to work with are a weights room and the multi-purpose cable machine. So I have to mix it up a little.

The original question was more hypothetical because I will continue the compounds but it was questioning that just because I don't find barbell bench the most excruciating exercise does that mean it doesn't work for me?

TRUSSMAN66 wrote:Generally find the guys that want to use cables and isolation exercises don't want to do the hard stuff..

I would happily solely perform the likes of the "Big Three".
For me sometimes isolation and cables is the hard stuff.

Losty, have you tried one-arm push ups?

Lol back in the day I prided myself on my push ups - even though I was practically putting on zero mass. I could do 90 in a minute with decent form - helps that I'm mostly an ectomorph - but never could perform the one arm stuff.
Can I get to that stage quicker than I thought?

Back in the day he says and only 20! 90 in a minute is very good, so have you been doing mostly calisthenics up to this point? I have been on a mission like yours since sept 2011 when i started lifting relatively seriously- 157lbs at the start 170 lbs now and i am a really hard gainer, would love to get to 200 but would prob take me 10 years!

I set that push ups PB when I was 16 but I think it took me a year to get to that level, almost purely with calisthenics with a massive focus on high rep press-ups (I knew of variations like the close grip or elevated but for some strange reason I largely rejected them... ) After that I moved on to dumbbells at home and whilst I have grown stronger I can no longer get anywhere near that push up PB.

Even at my very limited gym, it is much more enjoyable and motivating than the calisthenics in my teenage bedroom lol

For all you chaps who are limited in the dead lifting dept, (my definate favourite even at 6'5), have you tried a trap bar? Takes a load of pressure off the spine and knees but still seriously taxing in that whole body kinda way?

Thanks Ultra...Used to deadlift 400 for 9 back in the day but now Squats and deads are out for me.....

Will give it a go.

Can't recommend it enough....as someone who's had, ahem, one or two injuries over the years culminating in a series of ops ending two years ago, (mostly on the back and knee....flamin' rugby), I re-habbed on the trap bar, got up to some heafty pundage and am now back on the straight bar, almost to my old numbers....and I haven't had in twinge in my busted back for over a year!
Not many gyms have 'em tho but I reckon they're quite inexpensive over the web!

TRUSSMAN66 wrote:Thanks Ultra...Used to deadlift 400 for 9 back in the day but now Squats and deads are out for me.....

Will give it a go.

Surely in lbs??

in lbs.........

theslosty wrote:Thanks for the advice incontinentia but I am well aware of the importance of compound movements. My gym is great in the sense it only costs me 8 pounds a month but muscle building wise all I have to work with are a weights room and the multi-purpose cable machine. So I have to mix it up a little.

The original question was more hypothetical because I will continue the compounds but it was questioning that just because I don't find barbell bench the most excruciating exercise does that mean it doesn't work for me?

Do you mean you don't find it hard work doing it or that you don't have any soreness the day after? I must admit I haven't done any weights for about a year now, have been doing other forms of sport/training, but a chest workout was the one that really took it out of me both doing it & muscle soreness the next day. My workout was pretty basic, barbell bench, flat or incline dumbell press & dumbell flys. My form was good with barbell but improved it with the dumbell press by lighter weight with some extra reps that way I kept good form.

sohotnot wrote:

theslosty wrote:Thanks for the advice incontinentia but I am well aware of the importance of compound movements. My gym is great in the sense it only costs me 8 pounds a month but muscle building wise all I have to work with are a weights room and the multi-purpose cable machine. So I have to mix it up a little.

The original question was more hypothetical because I will continue the compounds but it was questioning that just because I don't find barbell bench the most excruciating exercise does that mean it doesn't work for me?

Do you mean you don't find it hard work doing it or that you don't have any soreness the day after? I must admit I haven't done any weights for about a year now, have been doing other forms of sport/training, but a chest workout was the one that really took it out of me both doing it & muscle soreness the next day. My workout was pretty basic, barbell bench, flat or incline dumbell press & dumbell flys. My form was good with barbell but improved it with the dumbell press by lighter weight with some extra reps that way I kept good form.

I meant as I'm performing the reps. For my bench press routine I perform 3 sets of 6 and the fourth set to failure.
But I don't find it that painful when performing the bench, I find it's more of a case of whether I can lift the weight or not.
For some strange reason however, when I basically perform the same exercise but instead push a barbell attached to cables, the exercise is significantly more intense.

theslosty wrote:

sohotnot wrote:

theslosty wrote:Thanks for the advice incontinentia but I am well aware of the importance of compound movements. My gym is great in the sense it only costs me 8 pounds a month but muscle building wise all I have to work with are a weights room and the multi-purpose cable machine. So I have to mix it up a little.

The original question was more hypothetical because I will continue the compounds but it was questioning that just because I don't find barbell bench the most excruciating exercise does that mean it doesn't work for me?

Do you mean you don't find it hard work doing it or that you don't have any soreness the day after? I must admit I haven't done any weights for about a year now, have been doing other forms of sport/training, but a chest workout was the one that really took it out of me both doing it & muscle soreness the next day. My workout was pretty basic, barbell bench, flat or incline dumbell press & dumbell flys. My form was good with barbell but improved it with the dumbell press by lighter weight with some extra reps that way I kept good form.

I meant as I'm performing the reps. For my bench press routine I perform 3 sets of 6 and the fourth set to failure.
But I don't find it that painful when performing the bench, I find it's more of a case of whether I can lift the weight or not.
For some strange reason however, when I basically perform the same exercise but instead push a barbell attached to cables, the exercise is significantly more intense.

Same for me, I have no answer why you find the other way more intense.

Does everyone stay at the same rep range..ie 5-10 dependant on weight...or do you sometimes swtich to 20+ reps..

Push ups have done more for my chest than the Bench ever did. Currently benching 280lbs, and it hits less than angled weighted Push ups..

Bench press is generally an over-rated exercise I believe. Not a great athletic movement and a potentially dangerous exercise too (partly down to the fact its a big ego lift and many go heavier than they should).
I personally find dips the best exercise to develop the chest and upper body.