When it comes to strength training, it’s easy to get caught up in trendy moves or the latest workout gadgets. But the truth is, the exercises that deliver the greatest return on investment have been around for decades. These staples build total-body strength, improve mobility, and carry over to everyday life. They also form the foundation of nearly every effective training program.

If you want to get stronger, move better, and stay injury-resistant, these are the most important exercises you should be doing.

1. Squats

Squats recruit nearly every muscle in your lower body, including your quads, hamstrings, glutes, and calves, while also engaging your core. Beyond building muscle, squats teach you how to move well: sitting down, standing up, and even climbing stairs all become easier when you squat regularly.

Variations like back squats, front squats, goblet squats, or even bodyweight squats give you options to progress over time.

2. Lunges

Lunges challenge each leg independently, forcing you to improve balance and stability while strengthening your glutes, quads, hamstrings, and core. They’re also highly functional: you lunge every time you step forward or climb uphill.

Walking lunges, reverse lunges, and Bulgarian split squats are all great ways to add variety.

3. Deadlifts

Few exercises build raw strength like the deadlift. This hip-hinge movement lights up your entire posterior chain: hamstrings, glutes, lower back, and traps. It also develops grip strength and teaches proper lifting mechanics that directly transfer to real life, like picking up a heavy box without straining your back.

Choose from conventional, sumo, or Romanian deadlifts depending on your comfort and mobility.

4. Overhead Press

Pressing weight overhead strengthens your shoulders, triceps, and upper chest while demanding full-body stability. Standing presses, in particular, turn this into a total-body movement as your core fires up to keep you balanced. Dumbbells, barbells, or kettlebells all work here, depending on what you have access to.

5. Bench Press (or Push-Ups)

The bench press has long been a staple for chest, shoulder, and tricep development. It’s one of the most effective pushing movements you can do, and it’s easy to progressively overload with weight.

For a bodyweight-friendly option, push-ups are equally valuable. They challenge your chest and arms while engaging your core and can be scaled from beginner to advanced with simple modifications.

Upper Body Pull Movements

6. Rows

Rows are crucial for building a strong back and counterbalancing pressing exercises. They target the lats, traps, and rear delts, helping improve posture and shoulder health. Bent-over barbell rows, dumbbell rows, and inverted bodyweight rows are all excellent options.

7. Pull-Ups and Chin-Ups

Ask any trainer: pull-ups are a true test of upper-body strength. They work your lats, biceps, shoulders, and grip, while forcing you to control your own bodyweight. Chin-ups (palms facing you) place more emphasis on the biceps, while pull-ups (palms facing away) hit the back harder.

If you’re not there yet, band-assisted pull-ups or machine-assisted versions will help you build up to your first full rep.

8. Planks

Planks are one of the most effective ways to train core stability. They strengthen the deep abdominal muscles that protect your spine and improve performance in lifts like squats and deadlifts. Side planks or plank variations with movement (like shoulder taps) add even more challenge.

Putting It All Together

These exercises collectively cover every major movement pattern:

• Squat (squats, lunges)
• Hinge (deadlifts)
• Push (overhead press, bench press)
• Pull (rows, pull-ups)
• Core Stability (planks)

Build your routine around these fundamentals and you’ll develop balanced strength, functional movement, and resilience. From there, you can add isolation work or accessory lifts to support specific goals, but the foundation should always be these proven movements.

Back to Basics

The most important exercises you can do aren’t flashy. They’re timeless. Squats, deadlifts, presses, and pulls have stood the test of time because they work. Whether you’re chasing strength, performance, or simply a healthier, stronger body for daily life, these moves should be your go-to. Master them, progress steadily, and your results will speak for themselves.

Written by Emily Greffenius. Reviewed by Meghan Farrell, CPT, BSN