Squats, Dead Weight, Lifts and Rows (Free Weights) Bench Press and Shoulder Press the "Kings of Weight Training"

These exercises are considered the most basic and the “mandatory” in a good training plan, where the objective is namely performance or aesthetic improvements, although they also serve for other objectives, but they should always be adapted to it.

These exercises have several advantages over the others.

They are compound exercises, we can put on relatively a lot of load, they recruit large muscle groups and they have the capacity to physiologically help the production of muscle mass.

Why is this happening? It happens because when we perform any of these exercises with high loads, which always respect the individuality of each one, we require an enormous effort from our body, creating special conditions for a general adaptation.

For example, in the Squat, in addition to recruiting the quadriceps, the posterior and inner thigh muscles will also be recruited, especially if the load is quite high, to help and stabilize the movement, so far nothing new, but it challenged someone to perform 5RM (maximum repetitions) without having the “core” contracted, the scapulae adducted and isometrically creating tension between the support point and the bar, possibly they would not be able to perform the repetition.

This would happen because all the actions described above have an impact on the performance of the exercise, as you can see practically all the muscles of the body participate in some way in this "basic" exercise, this situation makes our body say instinctively "We have to stay more strong all over the body” causing greater production of GH (Growth Hormone), Testosterone, neural and physiological adaptations for the production of strength and hypertrophy.

These neural adaptations involve greater capacity and speed of recruitment of motor units (MU) and greater synchronization of them (ability to recruit more MU at the same time). At a physiological level, it undergoes greater hypertrophy, gain in body mass and bone mass.

With this small and very simple approach you can see that performing the Squat is beneficial, but as I said earlier it was an example, as what happens in the Squat also happens in the Dead Weight, Bench Press and Elevations.

In relation to the Shoulder Press and Rows, these also cause this effect, but with less impact, as they are compound exercises that recruit practically the entire musculature of the body.

Through all that was described above, it can be said that these exercises are the basis of all training, creating a strong structure to be worked on in detail later, as, by way of analogy, we cannot have an F1 engine mounted on a wagon. However, if we have an F1 car, we can improve the engine that the structure can handle.

Therefore, I advise the inclusion of at least 4 base exercises and/or their variations, Squat, Dead Weight, Bench Press and Elevations in a training program for those who want to improve not only their physical condition, but also to develop their physique for sports practice. of some modality.

Before concluding this short article, I advise you to carry out these exercises, as their correct execution is essential to take advantage of them and avoid injuries that could be quite serious, so I advise you to start with a good adaptation phase, technique of execution and whenever possible with our professional support.

Mikael