Another factor not yet mentioned is the hormonal release that different lifts and their corresponding weights trigger. @TrainForPain made a great point about focused muscle stimulation causing the most localized muscular growth. Conversely, I’m firmly convinced (and studies also demonstrate) that heavy compound lifts, particularly explosive moments and/or those incorporating spinal compression, cause greater testosterone and growth hormone production than isolation exercises.
Anecdotally, I couldn’t do lower body lifts for a half decade, so I did upper body lifts three or four days each week. Despite lots of super body lifting, a mere couple months after returning to leg workouts my arms had grown and I was stronger at upper body lifts.
I think the article’s list is a good reference point, as it demonstrates a key principle. Merging it with @hankthetank89’s list, we arrive at compound lifts of each major type of movement that have the capacity to be heavily loaded as the best general muscle builders, particularly when augmented with focused isolation exercises. Kinda sounds like a sport I’ve read about, something about bodies and building them…