When you’re brand new to the weight training game it can be both exciting andoverwhelming to walk into a well-equipped commercial gym for the first time. You take a look around and there are barbells, dumbbells, benches, cables, and fancy machines all around you. It’s easy for a beginner to get lost among so much iron, especially if you have no training background or a mentor to help guide you. This is where we step in. I want to provide the novice lifter with these six vital exercises that they need to master before proceeding to those cables or any chrome covered contraptions.
While there are many other essential exercises that belong on this “must master” list, these six essential moves will get you off to a great start on your road toward becoming a true gym veteran.
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Barbell Bench Press
This is perhaps the most well known exercise in the world, even among those who have never set foot in a gym. If you are a pretty big guy, chances are that you have been asked by a random person more than once, “Hey, how much can you bench?” But, it is very important for a beginner to understand from the outset that how you bench is more vital than what you bench—that is, if your main goal is to build a big, thick, impressive chest. Done with proper form, range of motion, and rep tempo, the bench press will rapidly stimulate size gains in the pecs (primarily), shoulders, and triceps. However, when performed with the only goal being to get the bar from point A to point B, you are more likely to get injured than build a massive chest.
Bonus Tip: Set your torso correctly to get the most out of the bench press! This involves lying down; raising the rib cage high; slightly arching the low back and shrugging the shoulders down into the bench.
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Triceps Dip
Every lifter I know who includes dips regularly in their routine has an upper body filled with muscle mass. This very basic movement builds significant size in the pecs, delts, and triceps, while also creating true functional strength. Exercises like dips, where you are forced to “move your body through space,” have been shown to stimulate the nervous system (and muscle fiber firing) to a great degree.
Bonus Tip: Perform dips with your torso held upright to target the triceps. Force greater pectoral recruitment by leaning your torso forward at about a 45-degree angle.
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Edgar Artiga
Barbell Bentover Row
This movement is one of the best back builders available to us. It helps build mass throughout the entire back, from lats to traps and rhomboids to erectors. And because you must keep your knees slightly bent throughout each set, your quads, hams, and glutes will also be positively affected.
Bonus Tip: This exercise can be performed with both an overhand or underhand grip, each of which stimulates the back musculature in a unique manner.
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Seated Shoulder Press
This is the most basic movement for the shoulders, but also one of the most effective. While this exercise primarily works the anterior (front) head of the deltoid, there will also be some activation of the lateral and rear heads as well. Additionally, the upper chest and traps will also get some work. The keys to doing shoulder (AKA military) presses correctly are: (1) Make sure you are sitting straight—not leaning back to any great degree, and (2) be careful to only lower bar to a level just under your chin.
Bonus Tip: On some training days you can also do this movement behind the head, lowering the bar to a point just below your ears. This will activate more of the lateral shoulder along with the anterior heads.
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Barbell Squat
The biggest and strongest thighs in the world have primarily been created by squats. When you think of huge quads—men like Tom Platz, Ronnie Coleman, and Kai Green come to mind—each of them were “monster squatters.” Proper technique in this movement involves proper bar placement, torso angle, head position, and depth, as well as adequate balance and coordination. Take your time to learn and master this movement, as it will provide gains in overall size unmatched by most other exercises.
Bonus Tip: Some lifters find that squatting with the heels elevated by 10 lb. weight plates provides a more natural movement pattern and targets the quads to a greater degree.
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Per Bernal / M+F Magazine
Dumbbell Pullover
While this movement was once a mainstay in gyms throughout the world, these days very few lifters still dig into this awesome exercise. Personally, I think that this is a shame, as pullovers are tremendously valuable to anyone seeking an impressively massive upper body. Not only do pullovers help thicken the chest, but they also help build the outer lats, giving the torso a greater “V” taper. Arnold himself used to train chest and back on the same day using pullovers as a transition exercise between the two body parts.
Bonus Tip: I have found that if I want to target the lats more than the chest with pullovers, I can keep my arms a bit straighter while lowering the dumbbell both down and back. When looking for more intense activation in my pecs, I keep a greater bend in my arms and lower the dumbbell straight down behind my head, but not back.
