The Most Important Resistance Exercises

Resistance training makes you a better athlete on the field and in life. It offsets the natural loss of muscle that occurs as you age, discouraging weight gain and disease. Regular resistance training makes even the simplest of tasks, such as walking and thinking, happen more efficiently. Athletes who strength train avoid muscle imbalances that could send them to the bench, while enhancing their competition skills. Any resistance training program should target all the major muscle groups, and certain standard exercises are important for exercisers of all levels.

  1. Squats and Lunges

    • Squats and lunges target the muscles of the thighs, buttocks and hips and calves. They help you build power in the lower body and are infinitely modifiable for all fitness levels. In response to training these large muscles, your body releases growth hormone, which supports muscle growth throughout your body. Beginners can do body-weight squats and stationary lunges. Athletes train with jump squats and walking lunges. When they place a loaded barbell on their back, bodybuilders build serious leg muscle with squats and lunges.

    Rows and Chest Press

    • Rows target most of the major muscles of the back, while the chest press works the muscles on the opposite side of the body. Including both promotes balanced strength in your upper body, discouraging injury and postural anomalies. Each of these exercises also train the arm muscles -- the row uses the biceps and the press, the triceps -- so you don't have to spend time isolating separate muscle groups. Rows may be done in a bent-over position, using dumbbells, kettlebells or barbells, or, for those with low back pain or beginners, off a cable or selectorized machine. In 2012, the chest press was named the most effective exercise in targeting the muscles of the chest by an American Council on Exercise-sponsored study. Use a barbell or dumbbells and a bench for the classic bench press, or head to a machine to simulate the movement when free weights aren't an option.

    Shoulder Presses

    • Strong shoulders enable you to reach overhead with ease and enhance your posture. The press is one of the simplest shoulder exercises to master and also one of the most effective in training the deltoids, the three-headed cap of the shoulder. Presses, especially performed from a standing position, also strengthen your core. You can do presses with a barbell, kettlebell or a dumbbell, or use a weight machine if you are a beginner. Because the shoulder muscles assist during many other upper body exercises, regularly including the shoulder press in your workouts also enhances your overall upper-body strength capacity.

    What About You?

    • You also have to consider your particular needs when determining the most important resistance exercises. For example, if you spend much of your day slumped over a computer keyboard, exercises that strengthen the upper back and spine are most important -- including rear deltoid flyes and spinal extensions. For runners, single-leg deadlifts and lateral band walks target muscles vulnerable to injury. Consult a trainer to help you determine which additional exercises are most important for your particular fitness goals and needs.