BEST WHOLE BODY EXERCISEs Forum Topic

Oct 9, 2009 6:23pm Kboerema 5 posts	I have limited time to workout and want to know what are the best whole body lifts to do?

Oct 9, 2009 6:29pm banthafodder 99 posts	Hands down, the number one lift is a full depth barbell squat (in the low bar position if you want to lift the most weight). If you only have time for a few sets of one exercise, do that. Other great compound exercises: deadlift, bench press, standing overhead press, pullups/chinups. You can get very strong doing just those.

Oct 9, 2009 6:51pm jakjak 85 posts	agree wholeheartedly with banthafodder. He basically described the core lifts of Stronglifts 5×5 and Starting Strength. You might wanna google those. Compound lifts are the way to go for maximum muscle use, and the barbell squat is the king of them all. If you’re looking for a sport that’s all around strength builder, I’ve recently started rock climbing and I find it a great all around workout. And it’s tons of fun. If you’re short on time AND equipment, pullups, pushups and body weight squats will pretty much work out all your major muscle groups.

Oct 9, 2009 7:27pm davidolson22 131 posts	If you don’t have any equipment, you can do burpess with a pushup at the bottom and a jump at the top.

Oct 10, 2009 3:21pm halljr07 5 posts	Some lifts that utilize practically every muscle group are things like deadlifts, power cleans, snatch, and overhead squats. They all are very compound movments, wehre you’ve got several joints working to move the weight. Done explosively, you’ll definitely yeild good results and hypertrophy everywhere.

Oct 11, 2009 8:52pm chaddukes 891 posts	If I could only do one exercise it would be a Power Clean to Push Press. Thankfully, I don’t have to restrict myself to one lift…..So, I do all the best “bang for your buck” exercises, like deads, squats, bench, pull ups, and military press, etc.

Oct 12, 2009 10:27am jakjak 85 posts	One series of lifts I do is called the Bear. It’s similar to what chaddukes described but throws in some squats as well. I usually use it with a lighter weight for interval training, but you could use it as your core lift. Consists of: Power Clean (either from the floor or holding the bar upright) Front Squat Overhead Press (lift from chest, end with bar behind your neck) Back Sqaut Overhead Press (from back of neck to chest) Then start over You do all five of these lifts in succession and that’s one rep. I usually to 5 sets of 5 reps. Again I use this for interval training with a light weight. You may want to adjust according to your needs. This will work out everything, and you don’t need to move at all. Really works the heart out hard for intervals.

Oct 12, 2009 10:31am jakjak 85 posts	Here’s a video of the Bear: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WOP9J7QPwI&NR=1

Oct 12, 2009 6:57pm davidolson22 131 posts	Does it take all of 30 seconds to kill yourself on that exercise?

Oct 12, 2009 7:47pm chaddukes 891 posts	I’m sure that I could manage to kill myself in much shorter time!

Oct 12, 2009 8:55pm TheAng 773 posts ...	I’m pretty sure I died watching the video…

Oct 13, 2009 6:56am marcelovieira 25 posts	Same here… That’s just.. insane! I lost 2 pounds just watching.

Oct 13, 2009 9:00am chaddukes 891 posts	I actually don’t like complexes like this. There OK for conditioning, but shouldn’t be a substitute for a more dedicated strength program. The issue is that you’re limited by the weakest movement. The weight that I’d use for a military press from behind the neck is only about 25-30% of what I’d use for a back squat. So, what is that back squat really doing for me? Not saying its a bad thing to do. Just realize what it for. It’s for conditioning, not strength or mass. When I do complexes I pick exercises where the weight used is equally challenging for all the movements.

Oct 13, 2009 9:51am skinnytostrong 6 posts	I agree that doing various routines with the same weight means you are limited by the weakest link. I consider squats to be the best exercise. If you can only do one exercise then that should be it. Followed by deadlifts, bench press, military press, rows and chin-ups (wide grip).

Oct 13, 2009 11:55am jakjak 85 posts	yeah, like I said earlier, I use the bear for interval training with a light weight (usually just the bar), so I doubt you could get a lot stronger doing it. OP said he was limited in time. This would keep you in shape and relatively strong and only takes like 15-20 minutes. So no, it’s definitely not a substitute for a good strength/mass building program. A nice change of pace though, especially if you’re short on time.

Oct 13, 2009 12:04pm jakjak 85 posts	BTW, don’t get too intimidated by the video. The participants are all elite crossfit athletes. The woman actually won top performer in the 2007 Crossfit Games (read: probably one of the fittest women in the world).

Oct 20, 2009 6:08pm Bentelligent 22 posts	Squats are the best whole body excercise. There’s nothing else that recruits more muscle fibers throughout the entire lift. If you arent doing squats, then you arent trying. Unless you have had back surgury, there is absolutely no reason you cant do squats. They dont have to be heavy, but you have to do them.

Oct 24, 2009 1:57pm sparkblade 15 posts	I agree with Bentelligent. Squats are a definite must, as it works your core and is a staple for plyometrics as well. But if you’re limited, you can do other exercises such as deads, presses, rows, etc.