Weightlifting exercises are the most powerful tool in your body transformation arsenal as they sculpt your body into a leaner, stronger version of itself.
Countless great physiques have been developed with just a handful of exercises, a barbell and some weight to stick on the end.
If all you need to get that body you’ve been sweating for is a few weights and a small selection of exercises, then why doesn’t everyone who lifts weights look awesome?
The answer is because they ignore a number of CRITICAL areas such as:
• Learning proper technique and employing it consistently
• They don’t do the most effective exercises because they are hard
• They don’t do the most effective exercises because they don’t know how
If you recognise yourself as one of this people then I’ve got good news for you!
Now that you’ve found this page I’m going to tell you which weightlifting exercises are the most effective and EXACTLY how to perform each exercise safely.
The Most Effective Weightlifting Exercises For Each Muscle Group
There are literally hundreds of thousands of different exercises so it’s easy to see why so many people get confused about which they should be doing.
In reality there are a number of exercises which are generally accepted as the most effective weightlifting exercises for each muscle group.
On this page I’m going to tell which exercises you need to focus on and show you exactly how to do them!
Let’s get started!
On This Page…
Chest Exercises
Back Exercises
Upper Leg Exercises
Calf Exercises
Bicep Exercises
Tricep Exercises
Ab Exercises
Chest Exercises
One of the most sought after muscles for any gym goer is a powerful looking chest that’d be right at home on a comic book superhero!
It’s why when people find out you workout, their first question is how much do you bench press?
Build a powerful chest with these specific weightlifting exercises which are the best suited to the job!
Barbell Bench Press
Dumbbell Bench Press
Push Up Technique
Dumbbell Pullover
Chest Dips
Back Exercises
Despite the fact that your back is a huge area of your body, many people ignore back training as its not one of the “T-Shirt muscles”. Ignore your back training at your peril as you’ll end up looking like Quasimodo with biceps!
A common excuse for not training your back is an existing injury or ongoing back problems, well training your back properly can help you overcome those ailments by strengthening those muscles.
It’s doubly important for office workers who sit at a desk all day, commute in the car hunched up and then slouch on the sofa when they get home!
Learn to train your back properly and fix your posture, pains and problems and build an impressive back!
Deadlift
Chin Ups
Weighted Chin Ups
Pull Ups
Barbell Bent Over Row
One-Arm Dumbbell Row
Upper Leg Exercises
Ignoring leg training is another common mistake trainee’s make as they generally are not too bothered about increasing leg strength or size.
Big mistake, possibly the biggest mistake you could make!There a reason squats are known as the “King of Exercises” and the reason is because leg training releases the most testosterone and translates to increased strength and development everywhere in the body!
Don’t end up looking like a lollipop bodybuilder who only trains their upper body!
Start training your legs now!
Squat
Front Squat
Leg Press
Dumbbell Lunges
Calf Exercises
A strong body needs a strong foundation and neglecting calf training is all to common, even in people who do train their upper legs.
Part of the reason for this is misunderstanding how best to train calves as they respond differently to other muscles.
Use these exercises in the prescribed rep ranges and build a solid base that supports the rest of your training!
Seated Calf Raises
Standing Calf Raise
Shoulder Exercises
Broad shoulders are a coveted asset to a complete physique and cap off the impressive V shape which starts at your shoulders and ends at your waist.
Shoulder training can be fraught with injuries if you don’t use the right exercises and take the right precautions. These shoulder weightlifting exercises will keep them safe, make them stronger and help you increase the weights you use in all of your upper body exercises.
Overhead Press
Barbell Shoulder Press
Dumbbell Shoulder Press
Bent Over Lateral Raise
Bicep Exercises
The iconic bicep flex pose is synonymous with muscle and biceps are probably the most over trained muscle of all despite the fact they are a small muscle group.
Your biceps get a lot of work supporting other weightlifting exercises such as back training but also any exercise where you hold weight in your hands. It’s for this reason you don’t need to kill them with 100 sets of curls.
Use these exercises to train them hard, but briefly and they’ll grow all you want!
Barbell Bicep Curl
Dumbbell Bicep Curl
Tricep Exercises
Another common newbie mistake is focussing on bicep training exclusively when they want to build big arms. Bearing in mind that a large proportion of your arm is made up by your tricep this is misguided.
Your triceps help you bench press more and assist in a number of other upper body pushing exercises so give them the attention they deserve!
Tricep Dips
Weighted Dips
Close Grip Bench Press
Abdominal Exercises
Nothing says “I’m in great shape” like a chiselled set of abs and they really are the centrepiece of any physique.
The most common question personal trainers get is “how do I get a six pack?” well 1000’s of sit ups are not going to do it, like any other muscle they need resistance to grow and low body fat to show!
Here’s the best weightlifting exercises for your abs:
Hanging Leg Raises
Cable Crunch (Prayers)
Don’t make the mistake of constantly switching the weightlifting exercises you use simply because you want to do something different or because you saw someone at your gym doing it.
Know that these exercises are the most effective weightlifting exercises for each body part and stick with them. The focus should be on getting stronger in each exercise every single workout and once you’ve learned the correct form you’ll be confident enough to up the weights.
You might be the only person in the gym squatting or deadlifting and that’s because 90% of trainees don’t do these exercises for one reason…
But remember, nothing of value ever came easy and 90% of trainees never reach the level of development they want to despite regularly training and dieting.
You want a physique that stands out from the crowd, well doing exercises that make you stand out from the crowd is the difference!
Embrace these exercises, perfect these exercises and you’ll be a step closer to getting that lean, strong body that eludes the rest of the world!
Go for it, there’s nothing holding you back but yourself!
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