Exercise Selection
A good strength training program will incorporate four basic movement patterns: a hinge, a squat, an upper body pull and an upper body push. Of these, priority is given to those exercises that utilize a full range of motion, admit of incremental loading, lack artificial limiters, and have the greatest carry over to daily life.
Full Range of Motion
We want to train a muscle through its full range of motion. We don’t simply want to get stronger at the top half of the squat or the bottom half of the deadlift. Rather, we want to make sure that we can squat all the way down and stand all the way back up. This ensures that we are training the muscle eccentrically as it lengthens and concentrically as it contracts. It also helps guard against muscle imbalances. For those that are unable to access their full range of motion, we might begin with partial movements, but the goal should always be to work towards a full range of motion squat, hinge, pull or press.
Incremental Loading
We want to choose exercises that can be incrementally loaded and precisely dosed. This is useful because it allows us to constantly adjust the dose of the workout just enough to trigger an adaptation without over-stressing the body. While dumbbells and kettlebells are great training implements, they only allow for 10-22 lb. jumps. The barbell, on the other hand, can be loaded in increments as small as 2.5 lb.! This is not to say that strength cannot be built with dumbbells and kettlebells. The programming just has to account for the fact that jumps between weights are much larger. So rather than increasing the weight each week, one might increase the reps instead and then make a larger jump in weight every 4 weeks or so.
Artificial Limiters
An artificial limiter is some variable that is introduced into a lift which comes in the way of building strength. For example, single leg exercises introduce the artificial limiter of balance to our strength training. In other words, you cannot truly challenge your single leg strength because balance will always limit how much weight you can lift. Single-leg exercises have their place, but, in my experience, they are best used as remedial exercises to correct imbalances if and when they occur. For most people, training two-legged movements is a fine place to start.
Similarly, someone who chooses to only deadlift using a double overhand grip is introducing the artificial limiter of grip strength. His body is capable of lifting much more but he cannot truly challenge his hips, legs, and back if he is choosing to limit the amount of weight he can deadlift by the grip he is choosing to use. If the goal is to strengthen the muscles involved in the deadlift, then the movement needs to be trained without the limiting factor of a double overhand grip.
Likewise, choosing to squat only with kettlebells means that your lower body strength will always be limited by your upper body strength. So even though you might be strong enough to squat 150 lb., if you can only clean 100 lb. you will not be able to effectively train and improve your lower body strength. In fact, this is one of the main reasons why after years of kettlebell training, I began using barbells. I realized that I would not be able to satisfactorily train my lower body with kettlebells.
Carryover to Life
One might argue that barbell training introduces an artificial limiter to strength because it forces you to balance and stabilize in a way that a machine does not. Therefore, you will always be able to leg press more than you can squat. While this is true, it ignores the real-life carryover of barbell training. Leg press strength does not guarantee what you will be able to perform outside of the gym. Whereas, a strong two-legged squat does guarantee that you will able to perform any daily activity that requires squatting down without falling over or losing balance.
To conclude, the exercises that I believe best meet these criteria are:
Barbell Back Squat
Barbell Sumo or Conventional Deadlift
Barbell or Kettlebell Overhead Press
Barbell Bench Press
Chin Ups or Pull Ups.
This is not to say that all other exercises are futile. It just means that these are the best exercises for most beginners. As a trainee progresses there may be instances where machines, partial range of motion exercises, or single-leg work will be useful. But for now, programming these five lifts is sufficient.
