Bodybuilding: Top 5 Muscle Building Exercises.

Top 5 Muscle Building Tips.

1. Dead Lifts

Dead-lifts are first on the list and are ranked number one. They are non-arguably part of the two top muscle-building exercises: squats and deadlifts. No other exercise comes close to these two. Many argue that squats should take spot one, whilst others say that dead-lifts are king. Deadlifts and squats should share the top rank. I decided to put dead-lift firsts because they involve your arms and shoulders more.
Muscles Involved
The dead lift activates over 20 muscles! Your calves, quads, hamstrings, glutes, core, lower back, upper back, traps, forearms, biceps and shoulder muscle groups are mostly stimulated in this exercise.
Variations
Standard, sumo, Romanian, stiff-legged and one-legged deadlifts are the most common variations. Beginners should focus on standard deadlifts.
Tips
• Stiff-legged deadlifts are great to isolate your lower back, hamstrings and glutes. I do this variation to strengthen my lower back.
• I use an alternate grip (one hand reverse grip and other hand standard grip) to prevent the bar from rolling out my hands.
• Deadlifts carry a high risk of injury if you do them wrong. Make that sure your form is perfect and start off low. Build yourself up slowly to avoid injury.

2. Squats

You must squat regularly. You don't want to be that top-heavy guy with skinny legs. I'd rank squats along with deadlifts at number 1, since both exercises are king. The squat is used to increase power and speed in many sports. It will also increase the height you can jump.
Muscles Involved
Squats also involve almost every muscle in the body. The muscle groups that get a lot of stimulation are the calves, quads, hamstrings, glutes and core.
Variations
Common variations include the standard, back, front, jump, one-legged, dumbbell, kettlebell, farmer, weightless, isometric, goblet and wall squat.
Tips
• You can hurt your lower back if you don't squat right, so focus on using the right form.
• There are things you can do if you feel light-headed or dizzy after squats or deadlifts (click for link more information).

3. Bench Press

Unlike deadlifts and squats, people aren't as scared of the bench press. It is one of the most popular exercises because of its well-known ability to explode chest and triceps size. The bench press earns the number 3 spot on the list.
Muscles Involved
The main muscles involved are the chest, shoulder and triceps muscle groups.
Variations
The bench press can be divided into bar and dumbbell variations. You also get close-grip, wide-grip and reverse-grip variations. The push up and cable cross-over stimulates the same muscle mechanics as the bench press.
Tips
• Try to use free weights (bar and dumbbell) instead of the machine bench press because it activates more muscle groups. Using the machine limits the challenge of stabilizing the weight, which recruits more muscles. For this reason, dumbbells challenge your shoulders more because they have to balance the weights individually.
• When doing barbell bench presses, try to get someone to spot you in case you fail and cannot lift the bar. It happens. If you are pushing your limits then it might happen more often. I always ask for a spot because I often fail and need assistance with placing the bar back on the rack.
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4. Pull-Ups

Pull-ups are touted as one of the best exercises you could ever do, for good reason. Our number 4 exercise will help you get that V-shape torso that everybody wants. As much as I personally dread this exercise, I cannot do anything but thank it for the wonderful effects that it's had on my body.
Muscles Involved
Almost every muscle in your upper back responds to the pull-up. The main muscles worked are your upper back, biceps, shoulders, traps and forearms. The core is also considerably involved in stabilizing your body during the movement.
Variations
Chin ups are pull ups with reverse grip. They target the biceps more, but are still good for your back. You get chin-up, assisted, plyo, Australian, kipping, dead hang, close-grip, and wide-grip pull-ups.
Tips
• The wider the grip, the harder the pull up will be and the more emphasis is placed on your lats.
• Focus on getting your grip right, or else you will end up slipping and disrupting the rest of your set. When you hold the bar right, you will get fewer calluses.

5. Rows

Rows have made it to number 5 on our list (it was a close call between these, dips or shoulder presses). While pull-ups will widen your back, rows will add bulk muscle. Rows are a fantastic exercise that also involves almost every muscle in your body in one movement. The picture is if a TRX suspension version of the row, but the best versions for muscle growth are bent barbell rows.
Muscles Involved
Depending on the variation, muscle groups used vary. Bent barbell rows use your entire posterior chain (the muscles at the back of your body) and your biceps. Rows zone in on your upper back muscles, biceps and rear shoulders.
Variations
Machine, incline, decline, wide-grip, suspension, TRX, close-grips, barbell, dumbbell, and bent-over rows are the most common variations
Tips
• Make sure that your lower back is straight and slightly arched in the right direction to strengthen it, promote good structure and avoid injury.
• Fully extend your arms and bring the weight close to your chest to get the full range of motion of this exercise.