There Is Substitute For Every Exercise
Last Update On December 13, 2011
Many people believe that you MUST do certain exercises like: bench press, squat, deadlift, military press, pull-ups...etc and while those movements can be great and very effective I would still say that there is a way to achieve similar results while avoiding some of the BIG exercises for whatever the reason.
Muscles grow because of the stress placed on them. The damaged tissue repairs itself, builds more capillaries, nerve endings...etc. However your muscle does not know the difference between hack squats and front squats - it knows the feeling. In other words my body will grow if I find a way to stress if even if some of the big movements are not used.
Truth is you can build big legs without squats, big back without deadlifts, big biceps without curls, big triceps without bench press, big chest without dips.....etc. However there is one ingredient that cannot be changed - HARD WORK. There is no substitute for hard work if you want to succeed. You can lie to your body with baby weights and expect to grow in return but it ain't gonna happen. Ask nature why.
"Hmmm...you are again full of shit. Can you give a good substitute for the deadlift? There is none. U MAD?"
There is no exercise that replicate the deadlift of course but there is a way to develop the same muscle groups hit during the exercise by performing other back and leg exercises. In general rows and good mornings are a good idea. The rows will build the well know deadlift upper back thickness while the good morning will make your posterior chain and spinal erectors scream for mercy while using a much lower weight. Of course there are other ways to “hack it” but it depends on your current situation and goals.
"Please!!! give me an alternative to the bench press? Sucker...r"
This is easy. While the deadlift is in top 3 for a good reason the bench press is yet to earn its place there. The following list will make your pushing muscles stronger and bigger: weighted ring push-ups (personal favorite), dips, dumbbell bench press, incline press..etc.
"Still not convinced. Substitute for squats? Bitch."
Technically there is no substitute for squats because squatting is the most basic leg movement after walking and is a closed chain movement on top of that. However there are other squatting movements besides the barbell back squat that build leg mass - hack squats, leg press, front squats, hip belt squats..etc.
"Can you give me examples of successful bodybuilders that don't do squats, deadlifts....?"
Yes, but keep in mind that this worked for them and most of the pro-builders should never be followed blindly. Dorian Yates never did back squats as a pro. Lee Haney stays away from deadlifts and had one of the greatest backs of all time. The same goes for Serge Nubret. However like I said don't copy other people unless you know what you are doing. For example the Bulgarian row did wonders for my upper back and I wouldn't change it for anything even if it's considered a “light exercise”.
Conclusion: What makes you grow and progress is not the exercise itself but the effort you put into your training. No exercise will make you stronger by itself unless you push it to the limit. I don't care what you do unless you give your absolute best during your training nothing is going to happen.
Of course if you are a powerlifter for example you must do bench press, deadlift and squat because that's your sport after all. However most people are not interested in powerlifting or Olympic weightlifting and they got into lifting for health and/or bodybuilding orientated purposes. I for example started reading about training around six years ago because I wanted to finally fix my poor posture.
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