I have settled over the years on five basic exercises in my weight training program. I call these the “basic five”. They are the squat, deadlift, bench, press, and row. There are countless exercises and variations from which to choose, but I have settled on these for several reasons:
Time. Frankly, I don’t have a lot of time to put toward exercise. I have a one-hour commute to work, so I lose over two hours a day just with going to and from work. I also have two kids and a wife. They deserve some of my time. I also need to sleep. Etc. Exercise is a priority, though. So, I have to make the best use of my time. Compound movements, such as the squat, deadlift, bench, press, and row, target the whole body in few exercises. I don’t need to do 8-10 exercises in a workout to get a whole-body response.
Access. I train at home. I have a fairly well-equipped gym in my garage. I have a power-rack/Smith machine combo with a high/low pulley and adjustable bench (Caribou III, Yukon Fitness, http://www.yukon-fitness.com/), two Olympic bars with 530 lbs of weight (6-45#, 4-35#, 2-25#, 4-10#, 4-5#,4-2.5#, and assortment of standard (1” diameter) bars (1 long, 1 ez-curl, and 8 dumbbells) with a sufficient number of plates to have a dumbbell weight as heavy as 160 lb (8-25#, 12-10#, 14-5#, 8-2.5#, 4-1.25#), a 17 kg Bulgarian Bag (Suples Ltd., https://suples.com/), and an assortment of other tools. It is enough for me. I don’t, however, have the variety of equipment one would find at a well-equipped commercial gym (e.g., leg press, cable crossover, pec dec, etc.) These would be nice, but aren’t really necessary. All of the basic five can be done with a single Olympic set. Some might need to add plates, but these can be added over time as needed. A basic bench and adjustable rack is not all that expensive (quality and durability become more important as strength improves and one is lifting “big” weights). The Caribou III is only $800.
I am not a body-builder. (Technically.) I want to increase strength and muscle mass, but my goals are not as refined as a body-builder. One who is training for physique, will, of course, need to perform a greater variety of exercises to maximize muscle volume. The basic five will, however, promote hypertrophy and strength. These can also be varied to some extent with no additional equipment.
Since I am less interested in physique, the basis five are enough to include overload of the biceps and triceps, as well as the abs/core. I can add a few accessories exercises throughout the week to target these, if so desired.
I like to keep it simple. Variety is nice, but it can also impede strength gains. Strength comes from both hypertrophy and neuromuscular adaptations. The notion that muscle needs to be “confused” to maximize gains is unfounded. My workouts have to be short and effective (“opportunity costs”). I do, on occasion, like to complicate thing with other movements—particularly unilateral movements that help with balance, etc. Over all, simple is effective. For the beginner, simple allows one to focus on technique and building strength, without the challenge of constantly learning new movements.
If you just want a simple, time-effective way to improve your muscle strength and muscle endurance, begin with the “basic five”. If opportunity permits, by all means do more. If time and opportunity are limited, these will serve you well.
Be your best today; be better tomorrow.
Carpe momento!