All muscles, minimum exercises.

[mercutiouk]

So, was trying to work out the tightest set of compound exercises that would hit pretty much every muscle.

So far:
Deadlift, into something like a "clean", into overhead press.

So as I see it, the deadlift covers quite a bit of legs (and walking lunges covers the rest). The "clean" (lift weights up to resting on top of chest/collar like in a powerclean but from a deadlift position rather than from the floor) is going to be mostly biceps and lat. The overhead press will hit triceps and top deltoid.

For a better idea of the exercise, take the weights from the floor, lift them above head but after they are off the floor the further forward you lean the more it's like a standing row (lat) the straighter you stand the more biceps are engaged to bring them up to shoulder height (something to be said for going straighter and protecting ones back). The overhead press is then using mostly triceps with a bit of shoulders (delts). The whole lift engages most of core for stability. I usually do 3x8, 3x7 with about as much weight as I could comfortably bicep curl.

Walking lunges with a sack on the shoulders (I use a 25kg "core bag").
So, basic walking lunge, about 16-18 steps x4.
Having the weight on the shoulders rather than holding dumb/kettle bells means the arms and chest have to do a bit more work rather than the weights hanging on ones arms and just relying on grip. Having the weight on the shoulder rather than at the end of the arms means it's harder to keep balance (more core engagement for stability again) and having to hold the weight on the shoulders has a bit more arms and chest involvement (don't just rest the backs of your arms on the tops of shoulders).

Something like a basic set of chest fly's to complete chest.
Something like a basic set of standing rows for lat.
Sit ups/leg raises/crunches with some twisting motions to cover abs and obliques.
Dumbell shrugs to cover quads.

I missed much?

[Velaniz]

Gotta be blunt with you. It's not immediately clear what your goals are, and the the thought process behind your programming suggests you might be better off sticking with a program designed by someone else for the time being.

So, was trying to work out the tightest set of compound exercises that would hit pretty much every muscle.

So far:
Deadlift, into something like a "clean", into overhead press.

So as I see it, the deadlift covers quite a bit of legs (and walking lunges covers the rest). The "clean" (lift weights up to resting on top of chest/collar like in a powerclean but from a deadlift position rather than from the floor) is going to be mostly biceps and lat. The overhead press will hit triceps and top deltoid.

You just described the clean and jerk. One of the most eminent Olympic lifts. Basically a power clean and then a push press in sequence.



I'm also not sure what you mean by this bit:

The "clean" (lift weights up to resting on top of chest/collar like in a powerclean but from a deadlift position rather than from the floor) is going to be mostly biceps and lat.

You mean you're going to deadlift, pause at the end position, and then clean it up? Dude, don't do that. Just do a power-clean. If you're using a weight so light that you're able to clean it from the end-position of a deadlift after pausing, then the initial deadlift you did won't have trained anything to any kind of meaningful degree. Just do a power-clean. Done properly, it's a Deadlift > High Pull > Front-Squat anyway.

Your lats also will most certainly NOT be the main muscles involved in doing a clean straight from the floor. The main muscles the 'cleaning' part of it involves are your medial & rear deltoids, upper & middle traps/rhomboids, and yes, your biceps. Your lats work merely as stabilizers, not as the prime movers. There is no adduction component in a clean that would directly engage the lats. If you're intending to hit them, you must do vertical/horizontal pulling.

I usually do 3x8, 3x7 with about as much weight as I could comfortably bicep curl.

...Well this is kind of underwhelming. Again, I'd suggest you make it clearer what your goals are, because whatever they are, there's probably a better way to work toward them than doing what you're intending to do.

Something like a basic set of chest fly's to complete chest.
Something like a basic set of standing rows for lat.
Sit ups/leg raises/crunches with some twisting motions to cover abs and obliques.
Dumbell shrugs to cover quads.

Like I said, 'standing rows' (upright rows, I think you mean?), are barely going to hit your lats. The crucial thing missing is vertical/horizontal pulling. I would add Squats just because I think they can't ever be substituted when it comes to leg development, and then I'd also add Leg Curls/Glute-Ham Raises for hamstring isolation.

Dumbbell shrugs don't work the quads, they isolate your upper-traps. Unless you meant power shrugs? Even then, I'd just stick to squats.

[Realsykes]

Should've just stopped at Deadlift.

Dls are the best compound exercise, and work almost every essential muscle that lifters even care about. To do a sizeable amount, you can't just clean and jerk that crap, or you can, but that means you're not doing enough weight on the deadlift.

[Deleted]

5x5 strong lifts, simplest program for maximum strength.

Personally I like the back to basics program wich is really simple as well. 2 day split, 7 excersices each day. Although when my back is back in order I will be trying Jonnie Canditos 6 week strength program.

[Badpaladin]

As an alternative, here's my smallest ratio of muscle_surface_area/num_workouts:

- Incline Dumbbell Bench
- Deadlifts
- Situps
- Dumbbell one-arm rows
- Running or Cycling

Not quite sure what the goal here is, though. More efficient workouts? No matter what you do, there's no substitute for time in the gym if you want to get bigger and stronger. Cutting down the number of workouts in an attempt to be more efficient won't really make a difference.

[Deleted]

What are you looking to achieve?
Why do you want to work all muscle groups with minimum exercise?
There is no fast way or shortcut to build muscle, strength, endurance etc..

[Dayjungenie]

Deadlifting heavy with very low reps IE: 3x5, 3x3, 3x1
1 warmup
1 90-95%
1 drop down 10% from 90-95%

The most important part is maximizing muscle tension when performing this excercises and doing it slowly. Three seconds up and three seconds down. Remember to place heavy emphasis on bracing your core to provide strength and for injury prevention. Also, grip the bar as tightly as possible this will automatically activate muscle tension.

Do the same as above with any kind of pushing compound lift. IE: Side presses, bench press, floor press, and etc. You'll find noticeable gains very quickly. Don't forget to rest!

[vep]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0vOH_XGWFU

A lot of these exercises work several different muscle groups. Might be worth checking it out, if you're interested. It's a rock climbing video but it still works for other aspect, it's not climbing specific training except the first part where he does circuits.