Hello all!
I really want to have more functional brutal strength.
What is the best movement? Since I work 9 hour shifts I dont have time do do them all. So I need 1 or 2 the most effective strength moves with barbell or dumbell.
Good strength exercises that I know are: snatches (db and bb), cleans, deadlift (I like this one), clean&jerk, bent one arm press (pavel likes these). What is your opinion?
Which is the best? Reply please!
thank you all!
You are off to a great start. I would throw in Squats, Chins, Dips and Turkish Get-ups into your list.
Honestly, they all are good exercises, but I can't narrow it down to only 1 or 2 that are the best.
You need to periodize your training appropriately so that you can do many of these exercises during the week rather than trying to do them all in one workout.
Plumber, I like the C&J and the ‘ass to grass’ squat. The deep squat, to me, packs a systemic wallop, especially after 10 reps.
PowerClean-FrontSquat-Pushpress/Jerk. One compound movement. That’ll put hair on your chest, mate.
Deads and squats. 
I would start with the three powerlifts – bench press, squat, and deadlift. Throw in some bent-over rows and pull-ups and you’ll be all set.
For me, it would have to be the power clean.
If I had to choose just one exercise, I would say the snatch.
Deadlifts are king.
Deadlift hands down. When done properly you will get massive gains in your legs, back, traps and biceps. A friend and I used to do this crazy compound set. We would put something around 315 on the bar and do 10reps of deadlift then at the top of the last rep immedietly do 10 reps of shrugs. Then we would strip one plate off and do 10 reps of bent rows then strip another plate and do 10 reps of curls then switch to an over hand grip and do 10 reps standing presses then 10 reps of high pulls. I know this sounds nuts but do this for 3 compound sets(by the way the reps will decrease with each set at first but stick with it). When you are done all you’ll have left to do is a chest and tricep execercise and you are basically done and its a friggin cardio like workout at the same time.
You can’t just pick one. But if your going to narrow it down, I would say hybrid lifts like C&J or Snatch+Push Jerk. The hybrid Olympic lifts take care of most the major muscle groups.
Thanks all.
btw, how do you like my name?
Wouldn’t this come down to “which do you prefer?”: I particularly love the deadlift. In terms of functional brutal strength, IMO, it certainly demands more (functional strength) than the squat. But what’s catching up in my “preference arena” are cleans. To perform that exercise properly, it takes alot more than sheer strength, but coordination. I haven’t tried the one arm press, but the more that I read about them, I certianly am going to.
But as Jason Norcross pointed out, it's awfully difficult to pinpoint just one or two of the best. They all have their purposes, and all will do the job.
Clean & press with a)a barbell b)1 dumbell or c)2 dumbells.
In my opinion, and many others, the deadlift is probably the best exercise for building functional strength and quality muscle mass. The squat would be next as far as building or testing functional strength. The bench press is often thrown on there, but it is really not a measure of functional strength being we rarely perform a day to day task in the manner that is used to bench press, unless you are a human car jack. The snatch and cleans are also more geared towards sport specific strength, being they incorporate explosive movements, again not something we use while performing day to day tasks.
Farmer’s carries. There’s nothing in the world like picking up two huge dumbbells and trying to walk with them.
If I had to just pick one exercise as the best, I would agree with many of the others and say the clean and press with just about any medium that you can come up with.
Plumber Jack your name sucks. But it’s better then INnOut. this one REALLY sucks.
No, you all have it wrong, deads, cleans, etc, are great and should be included in all programs, but there is one best for functionality. The overhead squat. It takes legs and core to squat it and all of your upper body to stabilize. Even getting it up there can be a workout. Old time throwers would do nothing but a snatch with overhead squats. It’s pretty crazy.
John Berardi introduced me to an exercise that he appropriately refers to as “The Exercise.” It basically consists of a power clean (though you could snatch it up I suppose) followed by an overhead deep squat (half way down you lower the bar behind neck to shoulders) once all the way down, one explodes up with a push press and then finally returns the bar from above head to ground.