What Are The Best Muscle Building Exercises?

What are the best muscle-building exercises? It's a question we all ask, so here's my version, based on the effectiveness of the exercise to build muscle on a specific body-part.

Chest
We're looking to build as much muscle mass as possible right? Cable flyes are a great isolating exercise, but nothing sparks full on hypertrophy like a heavy bench press. Using a pair of heavy dumbbells with good form will have your chest ripping through your vest!

Concentrate on the lower part of the movement, always focusing on the stretch and squeeze of your pecs and focus on reps, not how much weight you can lift. Go to your gym and see all those wannabes using a heavy weight and only moving the weight half way down and back up again, then look at their underdeveloped pecs! Don't make that mistake - remember you're a bodybuilder not a weight lifter. You build your body, you don't lift weight (you know what i mean..)!

No. 1 exercise - dumbbell bench

Shoulders
To get those boulder shoulders you need to hit them from different angles, but the best mass builder has to be the barbell press (sometimes called military press).

No.1 exercise - barbell press

Back
The deadlift is an amazing exercise. Make sure you get the form spot on, then watch your back split your t-shirts.

No.1 exercises - deadlift

Biceps
Some people may say that the classic barbell curl is the best for overall mass, but technology has advanced and the cable machine provides much better resistance. At the top of the movement on a barbell curl the bar doesn't provide any resistance against your bicep, but a cable will provide constant tension against your muscle giving a much better stretch.

No.1 exercise - cable bicep curl

Triceps
The best way to build mass is to perform exercises where you can pile on the weight. Dips have been a mainstay of bodybuilders for many years, and for good reason - they work! To concentrate fully on your triceps make sure you perform the top half of the movement. Dipping too low or leaning forward will bring you chest and shoulders into the movement.

No.1 exercise - dips

Abs
Traditional abs exercises like sit ups are terrible for the back and also aren't that great at actually recruiting your abdominals. Choose an exercise that can really focus on your core. Put a 5kg plate on each end of a barbell, grabbing the bar, and on your knees roll forward, and then back.

No.1 exercise - Barbell roll

Quads
Squat, squat and squat again.

Hamstrings
Your hamstrings will be worked when you squat, but if you want to isolate them stiff leg deadlifts will do the job!

No.1 exercise - SLDL

Calves
There is pretty much just one exercise you can perform for you calves. Just make sure you work them heavy like all your other lifts.

No.1 exercise - Calf raise

The Best Exercise For Building Muscle?
There are obviously a lot more exercises and movements that you need to incorporate into your bodybuilding regime to develop muscle mass and also keep things fresh, but these should form the basis of you lifting schedule. There is no one best exercise for building muscle in my opinion, but these exercises recruit the most muscle fibre and will make the biggest change.