Prompted by our good friend "Trainer Kate" in NYC with her comments on what she considers the best and worst exercises I couldn't help but think about my own "best" and "worst" exercises for you.
So firstly I have to say any exercise that you don't do properly, is not really working for you hard enough. Have you ever seen those guys in the gym clutching heavy ass dumbells but not moving them very far? That's what I'm talking about. If you are squatting but you aren't really getting your bum down very far or you're benching but even though the weight might be heavy but it's only making half way down to your chest then maybe you should consider dropping the weight back a bit and working on getting the full range of motion. Full range exercise movements help strengthen the prime-mover, or agonist muscles, such as the quadriceps in a squat. Lifting in the full range of motion is also advantageous for stretching the antagonist muscles, like the hamstrings in a squat. Training in the full range of motion enhances both muscle strength and joint flexibility.
So back to the best and the worst. My personal favourite and exercise I will always do, is the deadlift. Here is its description in wikipedia, 'The deadlift is a compound movement that works grip strength with the erector spinae, gluteus maximus, adductor magnus, hamstrings and quadriceps serving as the primary muscles. The remaining muscles are involved in stability control. It is, in a sense, the purest test of strength because it is one of the few lifts of dead weight (weight lying on the ground).'
And you know why I really like it? Here is the list of muscles involved:
Torso
Rectus abdominis, aponeurosis, external oblique muscle
Back
Iliocostalis, Intertransversarii laterales lumborum, Latissimus dorsi, Levator scapulae, Longissimus, Quadratus lumborum, Rhomboideus major, Serratus posterior superior, Serratus posterior inferior, Splenius cervicis, Teres Major, Trapezius muscle
Legs
Quadriceps, Rectus femoris, Vastus lateralis, Vastus intermedius, Vastus medialis
Hamstrings
Biceps femoris muscle, long head, Biceps femoris muscle, short head, Semitendinosus, Semimembranosus
Hips
Gluteal muscles, Gluteus maximus, Gluteus minimus
Piriformis
Superior gemellus
Forearms
Flexor digitorum profundus
HEAPS! There you go - why wouldn't you do it? NOT ONLY does it work HEAPS of muscles so you are getting value for your time spent exercising, it doesn't require huge amounts of flexibility and balance so pretty much everyone can do it (my one and a half year old boy has awesome deadlifting technique - naturally). And better yet it is useful for actions that we perform in daily life. Picking shit up off the ground is something we do all the time. It's great to be strong in this lift, it's helpful.
And you know the exercise that I REALLY DON'T LIKE? The shoulder shrug. Why would you do that? Seriously. Have you seen guys doing it? It's the one where they are clutching a heavy dumbell in each hand and squeezing their shoulders up towards their ears as if they wish they looked like a rugby player whose neck has disappeared somewhere along the line. Do you know what the shoulder shrug does? It develops the upper trapezius muscle. One muscle, and it doesn't help you move anything anywhere - it just makes the top of your shoulder a bit puffy...
