If you had to pick 5 lifts/movements

Deadlifts
Bent-over rows
Overhead Press
Sled drags (either as a walking drag, or a reverse pull and hip movement)
Flat dumbell press

Didn't include squats as they antagonize my low-back. Some times I can do them, other time I do light squats and I'm fucked the next day. I like the sled drags as they also engage the core, but they put more focus on stabilizers/balance, which I feel has more utility.
 
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Haha I knew someone would bring this up,
I never liked squats for some reason, I’d feel it more in my upper body than lower body when I was done

smith machine squats weren’t bad but I would have to load the bar with weight which I felt was dangerous

leg press was always my go to for legs, but don’t have one at home. I also found I eventually had to load quite a bit of weight on the leg press which started to feel dangerous

I think it’s cause I dislocated my knee and tore my MCL /patella tendon (or however you spell it)

one wrong foot position and it’ll probably be a long day at the hospital and with covid I am avoiding the hospital at all costs, even for chicken legsI
I agree, if there are issues with doing squats then don't do them ... I don't think Dorian Yates ever used them ... he experimented with leg exercises and he found leg presses and machine hack squats did more for his legs tham free weight squats. Everyone gets to choose the exercises they want and lift the way they like. It is a democracy :). I don't do much squatting now either, I use a cambered bar when I do squat. Most of all my development comes from deadlifts as this is the exercise that at my age gives me the most full body impact. Cheers
 
I agree, if there are issues with doing squats then don't do them ... I don't think Dorian Yates ever used them ... he experimented with leg exercises and he found leg presses and machine hack squats did more for his legs tham free weight squats. Everyone gets to choose the exercises they want and lift the way they like. It is a democracy :). I don't do much squatting now either, I use a cambered bar when I do squat. Most of all my development comes from deadlifts as this is the exercise that at my age gives me the most full body impact. Cheers
I think I read he used to squat but tore something

Yea, I don’t know what it is with deadlifts but everytime I start doing heavy deadlifts I gain strength and muscle quickly, I think it stresses the body and makes it send signals to grow and get stronger.
 
I think I read he used to squat but tore something

Yea, I don’t know what it is with deadlifts but everytime I start doing heavy deadlifts I gain strength and muscle quickly, I think it stresses the body and makes it send signals to grow and get stronger.
I am not sure what they do but when they get heavy they get very hard, when they get hard I get very good endorphin rushes which I like a lot :)
 
I am not sure what they do but when they get heavy they get very hard, when they get hard I get very good endorphin rushes which I like a lot :)
That’s actually the only reason why I did squats before, something about lifting heavy weight is fun. Never did them for my legs lol

i didn’t know about this but the olympic weightlifting barbells bend a bit which makes deadlifting even more fun, didn’t know these things existed
It gives a different type of tension on the muscle, kinda like a cable machine/bands, can’t explain it
 
slight incline barbell bench press
hammer strength iso lateral press
tricep pushdowns with a good bar
chest supported row
leg press
 
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