If you could only do 5 resistance exercises

rebprest
rebprest Posts: 149 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I'm trying to get started weight lifting but I'm too intimidated by the chance of injury and my lack of knowledge. I want to keep it very simple, so if you could only do 5 exercises (cardio aside) for the rest of your life, which ones would you pick. I will probably expand once I feel comfortable with these.

I've looked into stronglifts 5x5 a little, but I find the idea of doing deadlifts terrifying. I'm really more comfortable with dumbbells than bars for now.

Replies

  • He1loKitty
    He1loKitty Posts: 212 Member
    Squats, lunges, push ups, sit ups, tricep dips, pull ups, reverse lunges and burpees. That's more than five and not really traditional lifting exercises. I do more of a cross fit style circuit training work out. But these work for me!
  • martyqueen52
    martyqueen52 Posts: 1,120 Member
    I'm sure there's a trainer at your gym or someone who would be more than willing to show your proper deadlift form and technique... it really isn't hard at all.

    1. Deadlift
    2. Front / back squats
    3. barbell lunges
    4. Decline bench press
    5. skullcrushers
  • navygrrl
    navygrrl Posts: 517 Member
    Don't be so scared of the barbell and deadlifts! If you start off light and work up, you'll have the opportunity to get your form down. Dumbbells can be used in place of the barbell, but eventually you will max out on the weights you can lift because of wrist strength limitations.

    The 5 exercises I'd go with are all the SL lifts.
  • yogicarl
    yogicarl Posts: 1,260 Member
    1. A push-up variation (according to how intense you need the resistance to be)
    2. A shoulder press variation (see above)
    3. A general core isometric: high plank, low plank and all the other variations on this theme
    4. A squat variation: starting with bodyweight squats and progressing through single leg squats, pistols etc.
    5. A pulling variation: Australian pull-ups, chin-ups, pull-ups, with or without resistance bands for assistance as you progress.
  • BigT555
    BigT555 Posts: 2,067 Member
    1. OHP
    2. Squat
    3. Deadlift
    4. Bench
    5. Barbell rows

    thats pretty much my whole routine. everything else i do is just to supplement these 5 base lifts
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    1 - Dead Lift
    2 - Squat
    3 - Cleans
    4 - Bench
    5 - OH press

    There are numerous variations of the above exercises using either barbells or dumbbells/kettle bells depending on what your ultimate goals are. If you want to get really strong you will need to do the above with more traditional variations with barbells because you are limited in RE to weight capacity with dumbbells and kettles.

    Strong Lifts and Starting Strength are very good programs...really, there is nothing better in RE to a beginner strength program...but there are also a whole bunch of other beginner programs out there that don't focus solely on optimal strength gains.

    I personally would recommend that you at least read New Rules of Lifting for Women...it's a pretty good program, but even if you don't do it I would recommend reading it...it would put a lot of these irrational fears of the barbell to rest.
  • jim180155
    jim180155 Posts: 769 Member
    Pushups, pullups, dips, squats & planks.
  • rebprest
    rebprest Posts: 149 Member
    I personally would recommend that you at least read New Rules of Lifting for Women...it's a pretty good program, but even if you don't do it I would recommend reading it...it would put a lot of these irrational fears of the barbell to rest.

    Wait...are you saying the barbells aren't sentient beings that are just waiting to destroy me? I HAVE BEEN LIVING A LIE??? I'm not really afraid of barbells, I'm afraid of me with barbells. I want to ask a trainer but I go to LA fitness and they are super aggressive in their sales pitches for personal training. I don't want to start that whole spiral off again. I'll definitely look into rules of lifting for women/ strength training
  • weightliftingdiva
    weightliftingdiva Posts: 522 Member
    1. OHP
    2. Squat
    3. Deadlift
    4. Bench
    5. Barbell rows

    thats pretty much my whole routine. everything else i do is just to supplement these 5 base lifts

    Yup.
  • jimmmer
    jimmmer Posts: 3,515 Member
    A push, a pull, a hinge, a squat and a loaded-carry.

    Cash those out any way you see fit (bw, kb, db, bb, sb, etc)
  • astronomicals
    astronomicals Posts: 1,537 Member
    By asking for a short list you're asking for a list of complex compound movements. Anyone who wants to get the most out of the fewest number of lifts will inherently choose ones that use as many muscle groups as possible (or they don't know f all about training). So, maybe asking for 5 wont net the responses you're looking for.
  • steve1686
    steve1686 Posts: 346 Member
    squat
    pull up
    incline bench
    dumbbell shoulder press
    dips
  • LiftAndBalance
    LiftAndBalance Posts: 960 Member
    I've recently started AllPro's beginner routine (http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=155009423&page=1) since, for some reason, it seemed far less intimidating to me than SL, SS etc. The routine already includes warm-up sets.

    It consists of

    Squats (-> Goblin Squats)
    Bench Presses
    Bent-Over Rows
    Overhead Presses
    Stiff-Legged Deadlifts
    Barbell Curls (I do Standing Upright Rows instead.)
    Calf Raises

    As far as I understand which muscles do what, the last two would probably not be strictly necessary but I have riddiculously weak arms, shoulders and calves so I'm happy to do them.

    I do everything with dumbbells except for the deadlifts since I actually found those easier with the bar when I tried all the exercises. (Even if I wanted to, I'm not strong enough to even lift the empty bar for any of the other exercises.) I go to my uni gym and there aren't any trainers there so I watched a bunch of youtube videos and practiced form with 1 kg dumbbells at home first. In a way I actually think the heavy weights help with form cause they make it impossible to just go through the motion but force you to move very consciously, at least for me. If I didn't continuously pay attention, I'd probably fall over squatting with the heavy dumbbell whereas I find it pretty easy to mentally trail off when I do bodyweight squats. Nevertheless I still plan to ask a friend who's been lifting for years to come and check my form when he has time - maybe you know someone who could do that for you as well?
  • MissHolidayGolightly
    MissHolidayGolightly Posts: 857 Member
    You can work on your form and confidence with dumb bells doing the variations of the 5 SLs then graduate to using a the bar. Bench/incline bench, squats and lunges/split squats, OHP, rows, cleans, stiff-legged DL, are all possible with dumb bells. NROLFW explains a lot of these exercises and puts them into a program. You'll want to eventually use a barbell so that you can continue to progress.
  • Sam_I_Am77
    Sam_I_Am77 Posts: 2,093 Member
    squats
    deadlifts
    bench press
    standing press
    pull-ups
  • rebprest
    rebprest Posts: 149 Member
    By asking for a short list you're asking for a list of complex compound movements. Anyone who wants to get the most out of the fewest number of lifts will inherently choose ones that use as many muscle groups as possible (or they don't know f all about training). So, maybe asking for 5 wont net the responses you're looking for.

    No, I think that's exactly what I'm looking for. I'd like to use bars eventually, but I feel like it would be better to start off with dumbbells since I'm slightly more comfortable with them. I can really only curl like 8 lbs for more than a set, so I will probably need to work up to a 45 lb bar. I want to hit as many muscle groups as I can so I can focus on getting the form down on a few exercises instead of the seemingly endless lists I find when I search.
  • busywaterbending
    busywaterbending Posts: 844 Member
    squats
    deadlifts
    bench press
    standing overhead press
    pull-ups/ chin ups


    I can't stress enough how important form is for generating power and preventing injury, so get a personal trainer for 1 week of working just these exercises.

    Then get another trainer. And the following month another. Out of three certified strength trainers you should be educated enough on how to properly do these exercises with a barbell inside a rack!

    happy training,
    Teresa, advanced CPT
  • Stage14
    Stage14 Posts: 1,046 Member
    Squat
    Deadlift
    OHP
    Bench Press
    Barbell Row

    You can totally start StrongLifts 5x5 with dumbbells (and maybe a kettle ball for deads) then work your way up to the bar. I actually worked to a weight PAST the empty bar with dumbbells and kbs before going to the bar, because I wanted the extra strength to help while I was learning to balance with the bar.
  • Dragonwolf
    Dragonwolf Posts: 5,600 Member
    By asking for a short list you're asking for a list of complex compound movements. Anyone who wants to get the most out of the fewest number of lifts will inherently choose ones that use as many muscle groups as possible (or they don't know f all about training). So, maybe asking for 5 wont net the responses you're looking for.

    No, I think that's exactly what I'm looking for. I'd like to use bars eventually, but I feel like it would be better to start off with dumbbells since I'm slightly more comfortable with them. I can really only curl like 8 lbs for more than a set, so I will probably need to work up to a 45 lb bar. I want to hit as many muscle groups as I can so I can focus on getting the form down on a few exercises instead of the seemingly endless lists I find when I search.

    Curls only use a couple of relatively small muscles, so it's not really a good indicator of whether you can do the big lifts with a barbell. Even the bench press uses far more muscles than just the biceps.

    To be honest, the only way to stop fearing the bar (or yourself with the bar) is to suck it up and start doing it. Talk to some of the people who are lifting and see if they'll be willing to spot you and help you. Don't be ashamed to acknowledge that you're new and are starting with just the bar.

    You mentioned that you fear deadlifts, specifically. Why is that?

    Are you afraid of dropping it on your feet? Rest assured, if you drop it, your feet are safe if you're lifting anything more than the bar (which you should be able to do, because it's a full body lift). The plates raise the bar off the ground enough to keep it from going anywhere near.

    Are you afraid of doing it wrong? Look up deadlift form videos on YouTube, especially Mark Rippetoe's videos (for all lifts, really), and ask someone at the gym for help on form, or get a trainer (you don't have to use the ones at the gym, there are others that aren't associated with the gyms).

    Fear is usually just a reaction to the unknown. Knowledge is the cure. So find out why you're fearful, and learn about it.
  • DR2501
    DR2501 Posts: 661 Member
    Squats
    Bench press
    BOR
    Deadlift
    OHP

    There's a reason that these form the foundation of most strength programs.
  • 6ftamazon
    6ftamazon Posts: 340 Member
    Squats
    Deadlift
    Clean and press
    Russian twists
    Barbell row
  • rebprest
    rebprest Posts: 149 Member

    Curls only use a couple of relatively small muscles, so it's not really a good indicator of whether you can do the big lifts with a barbell. Even the bench press uses far more muscles than just the biceps.

    To be honest, the only way to stop fearing the bar (or yourself with the bar) is to suck it up and start doing it. Talk to some of the people who are lifting and see if they'll be willing to spot you and help you. Don't be ashamed to acknowledge that you're new and are starting with just the bar.

    You mentioned that you fear deadlifts, specifically. Why is that?

    Are you afraid of dropping it on your feet? Rest assured, if you drop it, your feet are safe if you're lifting anything more than the bar (which you should be able to do, because it's a full body lift). The plates raise the bar off the ground enough to keep it from going anywhere near.

    Are you afraid of doing it wrong? Look up deadlift form videos on YouTube, especially Mark Rippetoe's videos (for all lifts, really), and ask someone at the gym for help on form, or get a trainer (you don't have to use the ones at the gym, there are others that aren't associated with the gyms).

    Fear is usually just a reaction to the unknown. Knowledge is the cure. So find out why you're fearful, and learn about it.

    I'm mostly scared of dead lifts because I'm not sure I have proper form. I watched all kinds of videos as well as gym users, but I know the only way to learn to do it correctly is to start doing it. I'm really just not at the point where I'm comfortable trying that yet. I've heard a lot of horror stories about how you can mess up your back with improper form (either rounding or hyper extending). I wish I could afford a trainer of any kind but with my income and student loans, it would be fiscally irresponsible. I'm wary of asking random people at the gym for help because I have no way to really know if they are doing it right themselves. And finally, I recently found out that you aren't actually supposed to dead lift at my gym because of floor damage.

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