The one upper body exercise to rule them all!

dbmata
dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
This is a simple thought experiment thread. What is potentially the one upper body exercise that could create the strength the average person needed for daily life?

I was thinking pullups, but that's mostly back and tri.

I'm not sure on this one.

Replies

  • Vonwarr
    Vonwarr Posts: 390 Member
    Upper body leaves out too much of your posterior chain.

    In my opinion, deadlifts would be the single exercise to create the most strength, and picking something heavy up off of the ground is a natural used movement pattern that many people would benefit from training.
  • beardedwarriortx
    beardedwarriortx Posts: 238 Member
    I agree. Deadlifts.
  • jim180155
    jim180155 Posts: 769 Member
    Pushups. Otherwise, after sex you have to lay there until she pushes you back up.
  • RavenLibra
    RavenLibra Posts: 1,737 Member
    I think the push up... given the sheer number of variations and ability to add weight...
  • Wookinpanub
    Wookinpanub Posts: 635 Member
    Pushups. Otherwise, after sex you have to lay there until she pushes you back up.

    Depends on the position, right?
  • SweeDecadence92
    SweeDecadence92 Posts: 218 Member
    Pushups. Otherwise, after sex you have to lay there until she pushes you back up.

    Whoa, this got creepy way fast.
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
    Hahahaha, and you can do pushups in different orientations.

    While the DL is may favorite single exercise, it's dq'ed, it's not upper body specific.
  • Sam_I_Am77
    Sam_I_Am77 Posts: 2,093 Member
    Deadlift is a good candidate, helps build traps and upper back as well as hips, quads, hammies, lower back. The Squat should be considered as well. Try holding a heavy barbell on your back if you have a weak upper body, not gonna workout too well. If strictly an upper body exercise I think the Dip would have to be one of the top candidates. It's more challenging than the push-up, by far.
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
    I think I'd *almost* go so far as to allow the dip and pushup to be viewed as the same, as the pushup could be argued as a dip variant, and vice versa.
  • jimmmer
    jimmmer Posts: 3,515 Member
    Deadlift.

    I'd pair it with something like the push press (if I can cheat and sneak in a second exercise?)

    You could build a pretty good programme around those two...
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
    Ok, I've never seen the DL listed as an upper body specific. If you can show me that. We're done here, because the deadlift wins hands down.

    Maybe create a "deadlift / that's my wife" variant, where you pull the weight, then throw it at someone to get a full push/pull cycle.
  • KylaDenay
    KylaDenay Posts: 1,585 Member
    Pushups. Otherwise, after sex you have to lay there until she pushes you back up.

    Depends on the position, right?

    Hahaha that didn't take long!
  • jlclabo
    jlclabo Posts: 588 Member
    if strictly upper body focused, then i would say Pendlay Rows..... builds Back/Bicep/Core/Hams/Glutes.
  • BenVoiles
    BenVoiles Posts: 17
    I would think that power clean and press, or push press or jerk is the number one exercise even though some people might consider it two exercises. I got my first weight set at 13 years old. We didn't know anything about exercise. We just would try to lift as much as we could over our heads. Within a few months my brother and I and a few of our friends could lift our weight over our heads and it wasn't long before we could press our weight. Before I finished the 8th grade I could press my own weight 10 times. I'm not recommending it but I think you could develop a good body by just doing clean and jerks for reps. I would recommend doing clean and press and then push press and finally jerks as the weight and or reps go up. I had a goal of lifing my bodyweight sixty times in sixty minutes on my sixtieth birthday but I failed miserably. Maybe next year if I lose about 30 pounds I'll be able to. I do think dead lifts for reps are a good exercise but I think power cleans are better.
  • mayfrayy
    mayfrayy Posts: 198 Member
    standing military press, this is an obvious choice.
  • PetulantOne
    PetulantOne Posts: 2,131 Member
    Upper body leaves out too much of your posterior chain.

    In my opinion, deadlifts would be the single exercise to create the most strength, and picking something heavy up off of the ground is a natural used movement pattern that many people would benefit from training.

    Agreed.

    I catch myself deadlifting anytime I have to pick something up off the floor now.
  • Wookinpanub
    Wookinpanub Posts: 635 Member
    Pushups. Otherwise, after sex you have to lay there until she pushes you back up.

    Whoa, this got creepy way fast.

    I could say another upper body exercise is one of my favorites. It is one I do alone when the mood strikes.
  • Timshel_
    Timshel_ Posts: 22,834 Member
    Push ups with lots of variation - wides, diamond (narrow), one arm, raised, lowered, etc.
  • Cherimoose
    Cherimoose Posts: 5,208 Member
    What is potentially the one upper body exercise that could create the strength the average person needed for daily life?

    It's like asking which food contains every nutrient we need. It's the wrong question to ask. There are 3 major upper body movements - pushing, pulling, and overhead lifting.. and it's tough to combine them, so i would do 3 exercises at a bare minimum. If the person leads an otherwise sedentary lifestyle, i would add a torso rotation or anti-rotation exercise, since that's an essential neuromuscular skill in daily life.

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