Here is a list of the top 5 exercises everyone should be doing to get stronger and build muscle mass. If you aren’t doing them, you better start! These are not an option, no excuses. Get it done.

#1: Deadlift
Nothing makes you feel manlier than stepping over a huge amount of weight and muscling it up off the floor.
In the earlier stages of my training, I made the rookie mistake of ignoring this. Don’t be like me.
Deadlifting is the best total body exercise you can do. Most new lifters are weak in the posterior chain (glutes, hamstrings, back), so immediately putting this into your routine will help bring up your weaknesses.
If you look at some of the strongest and most impressive physiques around, you will notice the size of their upper back. Deadlifting will build mass on your traps unlike anything else, and having strong glutes and hamstrings will improve your ability in a lot of other areas; jumping, sprinting, squatting, etc.
Another often overlooked benefit of deadlifting is the improvement it will have on your grip strength. Getting over the bar and picking up heavy sh*t will improve your grip strength exponentially.

#2: Squats
You know how I tell the difference between serious lifters and “pretenders” at the gym? The size
of their legs and whether or not I ever see them squat.
You want to be strong, you gotta squat. Quads, abs, glutes, hamstrings, I can’t think of a better lower body exercise to do.
Squatting is an essential part of your routine. The beauty of squats is the versatility of the exercise. Bodyweight squats, front squats, back squats, zercher squats, jump squats, the list goes on and on.
But we train for strength here, so start with back squats. Using a box is a good way to get your form down correctly before you progress to free form squatting.
#3: Bench Press
Want to build a big chest? Get off the pec dec machine, put down the dumbbells and step away from doing flys.
Get under the bar and move some heavy weight. Bench pressing is king. And lets face it. If you are trying to be an alpha male and impress some people, what’s the first thing most people will ask?
“What do you bench?”
If you have a choice, set the bench to an incline of about 30 degrees. It’s a bit easier on the shoulders, and helps incorporate more upper chest into the exercise. A big upper chest is what most people look for in their physique.
Bench pressing is a great upper body exercise, not only because it builds your chest, but also your triceps, shoulders, and forearms. I never do direct forearm work and I attribute my growth there to doing rep after rep of heavy bench.
Keep adding weight to the bar and improving this lift. Aim to bench press 1.5x your bodyweight; that’s an honorable accomplishment.
#4: Overhead Press
Picking up heavy weight and pressing it over your head doesn’t get any more Primal than that.

Shoulders, upper back, triceps, and core strength are just a few of the areas worked by this classic exercise. If you perform these standing (which you should be), or progress to a full clean and press, you are talking about an awesome total body exercise.
This press is a great example of an exercise you can do with anything, anywhere. You name it, you can press it. Odd objects like kegs, sandbags, stones are awesome tools,
or just your standard barbells, dumbbells and kettlebells.
Regardless of how you are performing the exercise, incorporating heavy military presses in your routine will build some serious upper body strength.
**Note** NEVER perform these presses behind your head. I know you’ve seen people do it, doesn’t mean you should. It’s just an injury waiting to happen, unless you are rigidly strict with your form.

#5 Farmers Carry
Farmer carries will crush you. If you want to build some serious mental toughness, start performing these.
The beauty of farmer carries is, like the military press, you can do them anywhere, with anything. Sandbags, jerry cans, kettlebells, dumbells, stones; just pick up something heavy and walk around with it.
Grip strength, your entire back, forearms; they all get worked over doing this exercise. If you perform these while only carrying an object in one hand, you will work your obliques and core.
At Primal Strength Camp, we try to emphasize this lift because it’s simplicity and versatility yield great benefits for any kind of lifter.
Honorable Mention
“Only 5 exercises? These possibly can’t be all you need to do!”
Yep, you are right. There are a number of exercises you should be doing that aren’t on here. Maybe one day I’ll expand this to a top 10.
So what didn’t make the cut?
- Pull-ups — You can argue for these over military press. Either way, you need to be doing these.
- Pushups — An oldie but a goodie.
- Snatches — A great power exercise and overall strength builder.
- High-Pulls — I’m big on building an impressive back. These will add meat on your traps.
- Power cleans — Awesome exercise leading up to incorporating the full clean and press into your routine.
Now What??
Start doing these NOW! If you want to get bigger and stronger, you have to do these on a regular basis. If you don’t, you will be missing out on some serious gains and you won’t be meeting your potential in the gym. There is a reason these have been around forever; it’s because they work!
Evolve!!
–Tank