The Exercise That Changed Your Physique Forever

Nested

Nested

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What’s the one movement that completely transformed your body?

For me, it’s deadlifts. I’ve only been doing them for the last two months, but the changes are already visually noticeable, and my strength has gone through the roof.

I avoided them for years because of lower back pain, but I found a way to modify my form, and now they’ve actually strengthened my back instead of hurting it. At this point, I can’t live without them.

The only issue? I want to do them every single day, but I know that’s probably not the best idea for my body.

What’s the one exercise that changed your physique forever? And if it’s something you love, how often do you actually do it?
 
I love deadlifts too but can't say they ever contributed anymore than some solid trap development and a thick waist haha. I've opted out of deadlifts for quite a while now because I simply don't feel like I get a ton out of them hypertrophy wise and they're quite expensive fatigue wise. I'd say once or twice a year i'll get the impulse to go in the gym and rip some heavy weight, but I can't sustain that on a regular basis. I still incorporate deadlift variations like RDLs though.

I can’t choose a single exercise that changed my entire physique but I’ll list a few exercises that I feel contributed a lot of growth to certain body parts.

Leg press - In terms of building the quads as a whole, leg press has to be number one for me. I've always focused on great execution with these (deep ROM, controlled tempo, pause in the whole, etc) and I've put some good size on my quads in the last ~2 years. I do squat variations as well, but I just feel like I get more out of leg press as a whole.

Adduction machine - Lots of people neglecting direct adductor work, as did I for a long time. For the past 1.5-2 years I've started every leg day with the adduction machine. Closing that thigh gap can make your legs look so much bigger.

Chest supported T-bar rows - Love these machines. The chest pad allows me to really open up my entire back and get a good stretch. I'm not gonna lie, I dont preform these with perfect execution and often take the set past failure with a moderate to high amount of momentum to get a few more reps out. Might not work for everyone, but I've made significant progress in my back shots over the course of a couple years of doing them this way.

JM press on the smith machine - My triceps have always been and continue to be a weak point. I've made notable progress in their growth in this current push phase I'm doing. The biggest change I made was focusing on building strength in my tricep movements. The JM presses have allowed me to load a lot of weight on them compared to what I could achieve on something like a cable press down or extension.
 
BanditNOLIMIT said:
I love deadlifts too but can't say they ever contributed anymore than some solid trap development and a thick waist haha. I've opted out of deadlifts for quite a while now because I simply don't feel like I get a ton out of them hypertrophy wise and they're quite expensive fatigue wise. I'd say once or twice a year i'll get the impulse to go in the gym and rip some heavy weight, but I can't sustain that on a regular basis. I still incorporate deadlift variations like RDLs though.

I can’t choose a single exercise that changed my entire physique but I’ll list a few exercises that I feel contributed a lot of growth to certain body parts.

Leg press - In terms of building the quads as a whole, leg press has to be number one for me. I've always focused on great execution with these (deep ROM, controlled tempo, pause in the whole, etc) and I've put some good size on my quads in the last ~2 years. I do squat variations as well, but I just feel like I get more out of leg press as a whole.

Adduction machine - Lots of people neglecting direct adductor work, as did I for a long time. For the past 1.5-2 years I've started every leg day with the adduction machine. Closing that thigh gap can make your legs look so much bigger.

Chest supported T-bar rows - Love these machines. The chest pad allows me to really open up my entire back and get a good stretch. I'm not gonna lie, I dont preform these with perfect execution and often take the set past failure with a moderate to high amount of momentum to get a few more reps out. Might not work for everyone, but I've made significant progress in my back shots over the course of a couple years of doing them this way.

JM press on the smith machine - My triceps have always been and continue to be a weak point. I've made notable progress in their growth in this current push phase I'm doing. The biggest change I made was focusing on building strength in my tricep movements. The JM presses have allowed me to load a lot of weight on them compared to what I could achieve on something like a cable press down or extension.
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It's great that you've found exactly what works for your body! I’m also a big fan of the leg extension machine—I like going really deep and bringing my knees out. Whether it’s a deep squat or a deep leg extension, it just feels so much better.
 
Nested said:
It's great that you've found exactly what works for your body! I’m also a big fan of the leg extension machine—I like going really deep and bringing my knees out. Whether it’s a deep squat or a deep leg extension, it just feels so much better.
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Our training is forever evolving & I'm sure my answer will be different from this a year from now.
"Everything works... until it doesn't" lol.
 
Deadlifts... Nothing better for my back/traps/legs/biceps..

If I look at myself in the mirror after a back work out, there is a HUGE difference between back worksouts where I did deadlifts compared to back workouts where I did not do deadlifts.. I can even tell a difference in the mirror the next days.. and more importantly, mother of god I can feel a difference in the soreness of muscles when I do them in a back workout compared to not..

I have slowly evolved into just doing 1 heavy set of dead lifts per workout when I do them. That 1 heavy set is either 1 set of 20 reps or 1 set of 8 reps. I never use a weight I can not get 8 reps.




Another exercise that changed my physique forever is barbell benchpress, but not in a good way lol... That damn exercises caused me so many shoulder injuries over the years and ultimately it caused me to have a pec tear.. Over 50% tear in my pec that was not repairable.. Destroyed my phsyique from the front looks wise, and has forever negatively affected my chest and shoulder training.
 
animal-inside said:
Deadlifts... Nothing better for my back/traps/legs/biceps..

If I look at myself in the mirror after a back work out, there is a HUGE difference between back worksouts where I did deadlifts compared to back workouts where I did not do deadlifts.. I can even tell a difference in the mirror the next days.. and more importantly, mother of god I can feel a difference in the soreness of muscles when I do them in a back workout compared to not..

I have slowly evolved into just doing 1 heavy set of dead lifts per workout when I do them. That 1 heavy set is either 1 set of 20 reps or 1 set of 8 reps. I never use a weight I can not get 8 reps.




Another exercise that changed my physique forever is barbell benchpress, but not in a good way lol... That damn exercises caused me so many shoulder injuries over the years and ultimately it caused me to have a pec tear.. Over 50% tear in my pec that was not repairable.. Destroyed my phsyique from the front looks wise, and has forever negatively affected my chest and shoulder training.
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Everything was very well articulated. Deadlifts are truly unmatched when it comes to overall development, and it’s crazy how noticeable the difference is when they’re included in a workout. That single heavy set approach is exactly what I do—brutal but effective.

As for the barbell bench press, that’s rough. Shoulder injuries and pec tears are no joke, and it's frustrating when an exercise that’s supposed to build strength ends up causing long-term damage. Definitely a cautionary tale for anyone pushing heavy on it for years.
 
I'm gonna say bent dumbbell rows

I have a fucked lower back and neck so some stuff is a no go. Sorry I just end up fubar and at almost 60 I know my limits. . Dumbbell rows allow me to really hit my lats as well as rear delts without aggravating my injuries. Yeah I miss bent rows on a box but we old now. DB rows done properly produce all kinds of results.
 
Pippyhippy said:
I'm gonna say bent dumbbell rows

I have a fucked lower back and neck so some stuff is a no go. Sorry I just end up fubar and at almost 60 I know my limits. . Dumbbell rows allow me to really hit my lats as well as rear delts without aggravating my injuries. Yeah I miss bent rows on a box but we old now. DB rows done properly produce all kinds of results.
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I've realized that the right exercise is the one that works best for you. Everyone has different circumstances, unique physiology, and different phases in their fitness journey. Personally, I’m really into dumbbells right now—I used to love cable machines and still have a soft spot for barbells, but dumbbells just feel great, and I can go heavy with them. The most important thing is that you’ve found what works for you. Clearly, it’s paying off, so stick to the bread and butter. Working out should always be enjoyable!
 
Heavy hip thrusts since I think I neglected glute work. I also think men should start training directly their glutes more.
If not my staples are ; leg extensions, adductor machine, seated/lying leg curl, cable bicep curl variation, lateral raise variation (dumbbells, machine), a horizontal cable row and a vertical cable pulldown.
I guess I can say that except for the hip thrusts, the good old cables are what helped my physique the most overall lol.
 
Jussik said:
Heavy hip thrusts since I think I neglected glute work. I also think men should start training directly their glutes more.
If not my staples are ; leg extensions, adductor machine, seated/lying leg curl, cable bicep curl variation, lateral raise variation (dumbbells, machine), a horizontal cable row and a vertical cable pulldown.
I guess I can say that except for the hip thrusts, the good old cables are what helped my physique the most overall lol.
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I love me some glute bridges. Whether in boxing or doing Muay Thai, all the power comes from the hips and glutes, so I love training them.

It's actually one of The Rock's favourite exercises, and that guy's glutes are built like a powerhouse.
 
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Back squats

Favourite exercise… no other exercise has contributed to my overall strength like squats.

When i was young and cycling, my best was 455 x 3 and 315 x 15. I know many folks can lift way more but for a guy 6’1 and just over 200 pounds at the time, that was pretty good.

I won’t or can’t lift those kind of weights anymore, but I still do back squats every other leg day. My goal for 2025 is to squat 225 for 25 reps. (I am up to 18 reps right now)
 
SteelersFan said:
pendlay rows

View attachment 88825
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I'll be honest, I started doing these a few months ago. I didn't know they had a different name than bent over row, I just felt I was "too upright" when doing mine so I went straight back like this. Pretty cool it's actually different than a BOR.

Either way, I feel it on the very first rep to the last and I can see the difference.
 
Oldguyjiujitsu said:
Back squats

Favourite exercise… no other exercise has contributed to my overall strength like squats.

When i was young and cycling, my best was 455 x 3 and 315 x 15. I know many folks can lift way more but for a guy 6’1 and just over 200 pounds at the time, that was pretty good.

I won’t or can’t lift those kind of weights anymore, but I still do back squats every other leg day. My goal for 2025 is to squat 225 for 25 reps. (I am up to 18 reps right now)
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For thighs, squats are the goat. Nothing makes my thighs as sore as squats.

I’m finally up to 225 for 11, so getting there. 300 for 8 is my max goal. I want to fit into normal pants, so they will be big enough by that point. The advantage of being short and easier to fill out.

I am hoping to post up thigh pics instead of just my arms, lol.
 
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