Muscle Building Exercises – Squats and Deadlifts

By: FitNRG.net

The best muscle building exercises are compound exercises that involve multiple muscle groups and multiple joint movements. Compound exercises such as bench press, military press, squats etc. involve the most amount of muscles in every rep. These types of exercises will help you develop good core strength, strengthen your joints, improve muscle balance and stability, and allow you to lift heavy loads to build more strength.

Squats are one of the most fundamental exercises for building muscle and strength in your legs. The major muscles used during squats are the quadriceps and the glutes. Other muscle groups such as the calves, back, and hamstrings are also recruited during the squat exercise. Proper form and execution is important when performing squats to avoid potential injury.

• Setup your barbell with weights on the squat rack at about shoulder height
• Step under the barbell so that the bar rests across the back of your shoulders and traps
• Secure the bar with your hands, and lift up the weight from the rack and take a step back
• Keeping your head up and looking forward, feet shoulder width apart, bend your knees and lower yourself until your thighs are parallel or slightly below parallel with the floor
• Push yourself back up to starting position

Deadlifts is one of the best compound exercises that involves almost every single muscle in your body. It requires strength, coordination, and balance to execute. When performing deadlifts, you must execute it with proper form by keeping your back tight and straight. Curving or rounding your back in any way can lead to potential back injuries.

• With the barbell in front of you, bend your knees and slightly lean forward to grip the barbell
• Keep your back straight, and face looking forward, drive up with your legs until you are standing straight up
• Lower the weight back down to starting position to complete your rep

Many, if not most, people in the gym avoid doing compound exercises such as these. For one, they are tough to do, and are very physically demanding, which is what makes squats and deadlifts the best exercises you can use to develop strength and build muscle. Compound exercises such as these should make up the core of your workout routine. There's no reason to waste time in the gym and not perform exercises that will deliver the best gains in muscle and strength.