My Top 5 Overall Exercises

Before reading my top 5 overall exercises remember a few things. These are only the top 5 of many exercises that I use as staples in not only my workouts but my athletes workouts as well. I did not include any odd object lifting, body weight exercises, or strongman training into this group. The reason being is I will be making a similar list for those specific groupings. What it comes down to is the fact that there are so many beneficial exercises I could not make only one list for you! The way I came up with this list of my top 5 overall lifts was simple. I looked at all the clients I train and thought of how I structure all of there programs for there specific needs. All five of these exercises listed below are staples in everyone of my clients success and should be part of your routine as well!

#5 Turkish Get-Up
This may be the sore thumb of this list but I don’t care, it is an unbelievable exercise. The Turkish Get-Up is one of the most functional exercises that can be done, if not these most. If you do not agree, perform a high rep set with a heavy kettle bell and let me know how your shoulders, legs, and core are feeling at the end. Also try performing a 5 or 10 min set as your warm up and I will guarantee your fitness levels will improve drastically.













#4 Over Head Presses
Strict Press, Push Press, Jerks, Split Jerks, it doesn’t matter what style you choose pushing heavy weight overhead will increase your overall strength and pack on the upper body muscle like no other! I am a big fan of your horizontal style presses also (bench press) but they are overuses by many athletes. I also believe adding strength onto your overhead press will drastically improve your overall bench press while increasing your bench wont do much for your overhead presses. Don’t believe me? Why did I just break a PR in flat bench two weeks in a row barely every bench pressing? From doing heavy push presses that’s how!












#3 Squat
Just a few short months ago this lift would have been number 1 on my list without any questions. Sure I have read all the articles about how squatting isn’t for everyone and certain body structures aren’t made to perform this lift. To me this was and still is bullshit…to a certain extent. Coming off a knee surgery less then half a year ago I continue having trouble with that same knee, which ultimately was taken away from my overall training. What did I do to change this? I scaled down on my squatting. I used to feel that once a week any serious lifter needed to be squatting heavy. Well what good is this gunna do for you if it takes away from 2-3 other training sessions that week? I am still a huge fan of the squat and feel that it is essential for success in sport but may not be as important as other lifts due to the risk factor.















#2 Pull Up
As much as I wanted to sneak this exercise up as my #1 overall lift I couldn’t do it. I love pull-ups and regularly tell people they are by far my favorite exercise. Mixing the grips on your pull-ups not only builds a massive and strong back for you but will also hit the back from all different angles while also improving your overall grip strength. There is also a direct correlation between overall speed and relative body strength. What does this mean? The more pull ups you can perform the faster you will become!
















#1 Dead Lift
My #1 overall exercise is the dead lift. This is one of the most functional exercises that can be performed. Think about how many people have injured themselves bending over to pick something off the floor. This is because, as humans, we have developed lazy habits while picking things off the floor. The deadlift teaches you the proper way to pick heavy weight off the ground while utilizing the proper muscle groups to minimize the risk of injury. Also the dead lift is gunna pack on muscle and strength in your posterior chain as well as your lower back, both major muscle groups that are utilized for many other lifts and many sporting events. I get asked all the time at my gym how did I get my back so big. The answer? Performing a shit load of Pull Ups and Dead Lifts!