The 5 Most Underrated Exercises In The Gym
“When is the last time you incorporated a new exercise in the gym?”
A lot of us (including me) probably can’t remember because it’s been such a long time.
Humans are, at our core, creatures of habit, and this tendency permeates into how we perform our workouts. Many of us rotate through a series of exercises that are proven to be extremely effective — the squat, deadlift, bench press to name a few. The rest of the workout is then built around these compound movements as part of a standard routine.
While I am not discounting the importance of the exercises above, there exist effective exercises and variations that many just can’t be bothered to do. Whether it’s because they’re awkward, not as appealing, or it’s the uncertainty of trying something new, these exercises are often overlooked. Ironically, some of these exercises can provide the biggest boost to a person’s strength on the big compound lifts.
It never hurts to try a new exercise, provided you do it with proper load and form. Doing so may help you notice imbalances or strength deficits that could then be improved. Here are 5 exercises I wish I had started doing sooner that should be in every lifter’s arsenal.
Barbell Hip Thrust
For those who really struggle with glute activation during the concentric portion of a squat or who struggle to engage the glutes properly during a deadlift, there is a high probability that you aren’t training your glutes enough.
The barbell hip thrust, while not the most appealing move due to its optics, has greatly improved my deadlift and my squat, both in technique and in load. I would argue that there is no other exercise out there that will target and overload the glutes as much as this one, and research supports this [1]. For an even bigger challenge, wear a hip band to actively engage the often-ignored glute medius.
Single-Leg Romanian Deadlift
One of the best movements you can do to strengthen your hamstrings and glutes is to focus on their role in hip extension, and the perfect way to target this is to perform conventional deadlifts, or for a more localized stimulus, Romanian deadlifts.
Humans are wired to have imbalances between both sides of our bodies. One of the best ways to expose this for your glute/hamstrings is with the single-leg Romanian deadlift, done either with a barbell or with dumbbells.
The key with this exercise, is to make sure that as you push your hips back and descend, that your hips remain level and that they don’t tilt towards the leg that is on the ground. For a more detailed explanation on proper form, check out the following video [2].
Single-Armed Dumbbell Bench Press
If you’ve ever spotted a person on a bench press, it’s likely that at some point, you’ve seen the bar rise unevenly on both sides, indicating that one side is stronger than the other.
As with the previous exercise, a one-armed dumbbell chest press can be a great way to resolve imbalances between your weaker and dominant side. To make this exercise really beneficial, make sure you are using weight you can really control for 8–10 reps throughout every stage of the movement. This is a unilateral exercise I’ve incorporated to enforce my own structural balance, and it has paid off. As a variation, try doing this exercise off the floor as opposed to a bench.
Bulgarian Split-Squats
This is the last unilateral exercise on the list, but this exercise has the potential for the most strength gains through added stability. Often times, when it comes to leg training, the majority of our workouts consists of elements such as different variations of squats, leg presses, leg curls, etc.
When you get into a routine that favors bilateral work, it can cause strength imbalances, which become more apparent as you progress through a workout. As fatigue kicks in, your more dominant side will start to overcompensate, leading to a cycle of feedback where the dominant leg gets stronger.
Bulgarian split-squats have been one of the most humbling unilateral exercises I have performed. The exercise becomes even tougher as you hold a weight in your hand or a barbell across your back, and you can really start to see how much weaker one side can be over the other. This movement is also great for the very neglected glute medius, as it will have to fire as you try to stabilize your hips, especially if you hold a dumbbell while doing so.
For a comprehensive guide on how to set up/perform the Bulgarian split squat, check out this video [3]. The good thing about this exercise — you can do this easily from home, with minimal equipment.
High-Elbow Cable Rows
When most people think of cable rows, they think of it as a classic back exercise meant to fire up the lats. Very commonly, you’ll see the V-bar attached to the chain and the elbows tucked in driving straight back. We can modify this exercise to target the commonly underdeveloped posterior deltoid.
To modify the exercise, attach a lat pull-down bar, and hold the bar just outside shoulder-width apart. Initiate the movement by driving your elbows back and keeping them high throughout the rep instead of tucked in. If a tucked-in elbow represents 0 degrees, keep your elbow at around 45 degrees (we don’t want to raise the elbows so high that we round our shoulders forward). You will feel the posterior deltoid doing the work, as well as the muscles of your upper back contributing.
If this is your first time doing this exercise, keep the weight low and control it throughout every stage of the movement, and as you get stronger and develop a better mind-muscle connection, increase the weight.
References
[1] Bret Contreras, Andrew D Vigotsky, Brad J Schoenfeld, Chris Beardsley, John Cronin. A Comparison of Gluteus Maximus, Biceps Femoris, and Vastus Lateralis Electromyographic Activity in the Back Squat and Barbell Hip Thrust Exercises. J Appl Biomech. 2015 Dec 31(6):452–8. doi: 10.1123/jab.2014–0301. 2015 Jul 24. PMID: 26214739
[2] “The BEST Single-Leg RDL Tutorial (Romanian Deadlift)” YouTube, uploaded by Squat University, 12 December 2020
[3] “The ULTIMATE Bulgarian Split Squat Tutorial” Youtube, uploaded by Squat University, 28 September 2019
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