Is there a best exercise in strength training? If so, which one is it?

Is there a best exercise in strength training?

How often have we heard that this or that exercise is the best exercise for the arms or the legs. Is there a best exercise? We clear things up.

How can exercises be divided?

Training exercises can be divided into guided exercises and free exercises. In addition, a further division into single-joint exercises and multi-joint exercises can be made. In single-joint exercises, only one joint is moved. This is the case, for example, with the leg extension machine.

So how do I find out which exercise is the best?

When people talk about good or bad exercises, they often mean the effectiveness of the exercise. That is, what training effect can I expect from an exercise? When you observe the people training in the fitness studio, you get the feeling that free exercises that are multi-joint are better for building muscle than single-joint exercises. Most muscular people train in the fitness studio more with free weights than with machines. However, this is more for traditional reasons. Since many bodybuilders train with free weights, many trainees copy this. Top bodybuilders, however, do not look so muscular because of their training, but unfortunately often make use of forbidden substances.

Multi-joint exercises engage the muscles of a muscle loop at the same time. Since the individual muscles of the muscle loop have different force curves, the cam (eccentric) is "only" effective for two thirds of the range of motion in multi-joint exercises. This is due to the fact that multi-joint exercises exert an almost straight-line (linear) pressure and therefore do not apply the resistance directly as single-joint exercises do.

Is there a best exercise at all?

There is not THE exercise. For an exercise to be effective, certain criteria must be met. Firstly, the resistance in the exercise must be able to be applied to the target muscle. The more isolated, the better. This is one reason why you often feel the target muscle much more strongly than with multi-joint exercises.

Furthermore, in a strength exercise the movement should end eccentrically and be performable safely up to muscle failure. Bench pressing is certainly not first in this respect (unless you train with a training partner).

You see, there are many criteria to consider. So there is no best exercise.

Choose the exercise where the target muscle burns the most and perform several different exercises per muscle group. That way you have already done a lot to build large and strong muscles.

It is often said that squats are particularly effective because testosterone levels rise extremely after the exercise. If you then train the biceps, the biceps also benefit from this high testosterone level. However, this belongs more in the realm of fairy tales. After a hard leg workout, the testosterone concentration in the blood is roughly at the same level as after getting up in the morning.