The 5 Fundamental Exercises

Powerlifting comprises a variety of exercises, but only a few can be considered as important exercises. Five of these few are regarded as fundamental ones, a must-have in your workout program.

Here are five of the best exercises suited for building muscle and power. Be sure to include these as they are the basic of all exercises.

* The Squat. Termed as the "big boy" of all weight bearing exercises, it has also often been called "The King" of all exercises. Squats' indirect effect works at just about every muscle in your body, starting from your thighs, quads, with the inclusion of your calves.

* The Deadlift. This exercise works the whole body and a combination with a pressing exercise is highly recommendable. Deadlift also has huge indirect effects, making hamstrings and back the hardest hit. If you're looking for the best abs exercise, then the deadlift is for you. Try a couple sets of good and hard deadlifts once and see how your abs has greatly improved.

* Overhead Press. This would be a perfect exercise for your shoulders and upper back. For best results, do it while standing up instead of sitting down. As you may notice, old timers always do heavy presses standing. Experienced lifters also like to press heavy dumbbells and make them work one arm at a time. Barbells or dumbbells, the choice isn't really a big deal as either which can be used to do presses.

* Bench Press. If you want to sculpt those triceps and chest of yours, this works best than pushdowns or French presses. Start the heavy benches to work on those muscles.

* Chins. Chin up is the best bicep exercise there is. Experiment on this: Flex your bicep in such a way that the palm of your hand is facing away from you (you should be seeing the back of your hand). Then hold your bicep with your other hand, feel how soft it is. Now, turn your wrist so that the palm of your hand on the flexed bicep is facing you. Do you feel the contraction? During heavy chins, that is how contraction happens. If in case you're getting off too many repetitions, you simply have to add weight to your body. If you are unable to do chins, an alternative is pull downs, but you must keep your palms facing you.

And now you're all set. These are the five fabulous exercises you can incorporate in your program. Follow them religiously and you're sure to hit your goal.