List your single, most effective exercise for each muscle (group)

[psteng19]

The thing about shoulder presses is that I feel it involves too much triceps.
Lateral dumbell raises (front and side) probably hit the shoulders better, but I hate doing them.

 

[Red Dawn]

Originally posted by: psteng19
The thing about shoulder presses is that I feel it involves too much triceps.
Lateral dumbell raises (front and side) probably hit the shoulders better, but I hate doing them.

Of course it uses your triceps, that's why you can lift so much more with shoulder presses than you can with lateral raises. I don't see what's the problem with hitting your tri's and shoulders (among other muscles) with one exercise.

 

[sao123]

Wet towel lift... - you figure out what muscle its excercising.

 

[Sukhoi]

Originally posted by: Nebor

Originally posted by: yobarman

Originally posted by: Nebor
All of you people should stop doing squats. They're very hard on your back and knees.

You seemed to have pretty much nailed everything that you named.

For your back, I'd say rowing excercise.

For your forearms, try a reverse curl. Basically, grab a barbell, grip it palms down, hold it at thigh level, then raise it up to your chest\neck without moving your elbows. This will use your forearms

Nomination for the most misinformed health post of 2006 ?

But seriously, where did you read that ? Cosmo?

Well known these days. Every men's health magazine will tell you not to do it, as well as any new "workout book." AFAIK the armed forces have stopped using squats as well. Also all the PTs at my gym advise against them.

I think you're the one in the dark here, not me.

I've never heard that before from anyone in my life other than you. Sources? Yes squats can be hard on the knees if you go all the way down where your ass is just about touching your feet. But that's why everyone except powerlifters just goes to parallel with the thighs. And hard on the back doesn't even make much sense. Sure the back is used but it's completely rigid and arched.

 

[fbrdphreak]

Triceps: I call it the "trifecta." Start with "skull crushers" or whatever they're called, do 10 reps. Keeping same grip, immediately move to chest presses keeping your elbows as close to your sides as possible when taking the weight down, extend full out, do 10 reps. Hand bar off to partner and immediately move to doing "dips" off the side of the bench you are using. By "dips" I'm referring to putting your hands at your sides and extending body out from the bench, keeping legs straight and core tight. Then use your arms to lower and raise yourself at least 10 times, go until you die. The form of this last set is important, but will get difficult to maintain towards the end as your muscles die. Very good tricep workout IMO. I vary my overall tricep routine up, but when I do the "trifecta" I do two sets of that and then a final tricep workout of 2 sets of machine tricep extensions or the rope on a universal.

 

[greys2k]

@b$ = l3g lift$ @ll th3 w@y

n0 ch3@ting w/ kn33 lift$

t0t@l b0dy w0rk0ut = t3nni$

 

[Koing]

Originally posted by: Sukhoi

Originally posted by: Nebor

Originally posted by: yobarman

Originally posted by: Nebor
All of you people should stop doing squats. They're very hard on your back and knees.

You seemed to have pretty much nailed everything that you named.

For your back, I'd say rowing excercise.

For your forearms, try a reverse curl. Basically, grab a barbell, grip it palms down, hold it at thigh level, then raise it up to your chest\neck without moving your elbows. This will use your forearms

Nomination for the most misinformed health post of 2006 ?

But seriously, where did you read that ? Cosmo?

Well known these days. Every men's health magazine will tell you not to do it, as well as any new "workout book." AFAIK the armed forces have stopped using squats as well. Also all the PTs at my gym advise against them.

I think you're the one in the dark here, not me.

I've never heard that before from anyone in my life other than you. Sources? Yes squats can be hard on the knees if you go all the way down where your ass is just about touching your feet. But that's why everyone except powerlifters just goes to parallel with the thighs. And hard on the back doesn't even make much sense. Sure the back is used but it's completely rigid and arched.

PL go to parallel.

WL go to rock bottom.

The MOST STRESSFUL part of the squat is EXACTLY PARALLEL. Going to parallel you spend more time to parallel = BAD. If you go down to the bottom you spend LESS time at your knees weakest part.

Most people barely move their legs and 'claim' a squat and are so full of sh!t. Most PT are full of sh!t also.

Everything you do you have to do properly and safely. Don't push too much weight too soon. Leave your ego at the door. Seen many crazy kids try to bench press loads of weights without warming up or doing them so poorly it is crazy. I have seem guys had to dump weights to the side because they didn't ask for a spot...etc etc etc.

Jumping causes 3x your bodyweight to go through your foot and the shcok on your back is HUGE. Your back is very very strong even if it is undeveloped.

Any exercise can be dangerous if you do it incorrectly. I have seen videos where guys have dropped the bar on their dam necks in the bench press...

Do you guys want to train for looks or performance? Any guy training for performance will be squating properly and doing variants of the OLifts.

BTW most people can't squat past parallel anyway. Too much running and not enough stretching = tight hams = can't break parallel in a squat.

Just because some guys can't do it properly or do it poorly doesn't mean it isn't safe. You ask a Gymnast if doing what they do is 'safe'. Safe if you build up to it and train, but if you don't and just start to do what they do you will come out of one session with broken joints easily. Not everyone can do it to start off with and you have to build up to it.

Koing

 

[cirrhosis]

Kegel exercises for me privates

 

[Accipiter22]

for overall muscle recruitment, decline DB bench press has been shown to recruit the maximum number of fibers, followed by weighted dips, and flat DB pressing.

 

[oddyager]

Originally posted by: Nebor
All of you people should stop doing squats. They're very hard on your back and knees.

EDIT: Nevermind. Enough people have proven the above statement is only true if the squats are done incorrectly.

 

[alexeikgb]

Deadlifts for Back.... and everything else since DL > squats> *

 

[vi edit]

Here's the best forearm exercise that I know -

First, you need an 18" long piece of 2" PVC pipe.
Now, drill a hole in the middle of it and knot off a 5' long peice of rope.

What you do is tie on a weight plate to the bottom of the rope. Now stand on top of a weight bench or chair while holding the pipe around your waist and just start twisting on the pipe to "roll up" the rope. Then reverse it back down and repeat. Add more weight if required.

Holy hell that will make your forearms BUUUUUURRRRRRNNNNN.

 

[Koing]

Originally posted by: vi_edit
Here's the best forearm exercise that I know -

First, you need an 18" long piece of 2" PVC pipe.
Now, drill a hole in the middle of it and knot off a 5' long peice of rope.

What you do is tie on a weight plate to the bottom of the rope. Now stand on top of a weight bench or chair while holding the pipe around your waist and just start twisting on the pipe to "roll up" the rope. Then reverse it back down and repeat. Add more weight if required.

Holy hell that will make your forearms BUUUUUURRRRRRNNNNN.

Yeah that one is always a good one.

My exercise of choice is rock climbing for forearms. I never cared much for forearms but they beasted out after many hundreds of hrs climbing. Granted not a lot of guys care to rock climb.

Koing

 

[Anghang]

Originally posted by: Koing

Originally posted by: vi_edit
Here's the best forearm exercise that I know -

First, you need an 18" long piece of 2" PVC pipe.
Now, drill a hole in the middle of it and knot off a 5' long peice of rope.

What you do is tie on a weight plate to the bottom of the rope. Now stand on top of a weight bench or chair while holding the pipe around your waist and just start twisting on the pipe to "roll up" the rope. Then reverse it back down and repeat. Add more weight if required.

Holy hell that will make your forearms BUUUUUURRRRRRNNNNN.

Yeah that one is always a good one.

My exercise of choice is rock climbing for forearms. I never cared much for forearms but they beasted out after many hundreds of hrs climbing. Granted not a lot of guys care to rock climb.

Koing

rockclimbing is awesome, used to do it all the time while living in texas...back in nyc tho, not many places to climb...maybe bouldering in central park...but the gyms for indoor climbing cost too much 🙁

 

[Koing]

Originally posted by: Anghang
rockclimbing is awesome, used to do it all the time while living in texas...back in nyc tho, not many places to climb...maybe bouldering in central park...but the gyms for indoor climbing cost too much 🙁

How much do they cost?

They cost £3.50 or £5 or £8 here. That is reasonable imo and I don't mind paying for sports related stuff :thumbsup:

I have a rock climbing place near my work place. Surrey Uni is near me and I have a new rock climbg place that opened up last year :thumbsup:. I think in a few weeks I'll go and bust some moves on them again.

Koing

 

[zanieladie]

Fingers = changing the channel with my remote during commerical breaks...

 

[jread]

I have found weighted lunges to be more effective for my legs/gluttes than squats.

Also, do not forget about deadlifts. It seems that nobody does these anymore. I was the only person in my entire gym doing them and everyone seemed to think I was weird.

 

[Atlantean]

I dunno I just use the bow flex... it seems to work fairly well.

 

[Koing]

Originally posted by: jread
I have found weighted lunges to be more effective for my legs/gluttes than squats.

Also, do not forget about deadlifts. It seems that nobody does these anymore. I was the only person in my entire gym doing them and everyone seemed to think I was weird.

What do you mean by 'effective' though? What didn't squats give you? Just wondering.

If you were a runner lunges would be a good compliment with squats.

Koing