6 Big Muscle Exercises to Help You Get Bigger

The bench press, pull-ups, deadlifts, and squats are among the most common exercises.

The reason they're so popular is that they're great for building muscle mass and strength, but also because they're easy to learn and modify. If you want to get bigger, a few must-do moves can help you reach your goal faster.

Big Muscle Exercises

Here's a look at six such exercises:

#1 Bench Press

The bench press is a compound exercise that targets the chest, shoulders, and triceps. It can be done with either dumbbells or a barbell, but it's generally recommended to use weights in a gym setting, if possible.

The exercise works by using bodyweight as resistance against gravity while you push the weight away from yourself.

The bench press is one of the best exercises for building upper body strength, as it works out multiple muscle groups at once, particularly those related to pushing and pulling motions.

To do the exercise:

Use a loaded barbell, and arch your back on the bench.
As you unrack the bar, bring it down till it touches your chest, and slowly push it till your arms are almost fully extended. Perform a few reps.

#2 Pull-Up

Pull-ups are the best exercise to build muscle mass. They work a wide variety of muscles and are very effective in building strength and power.

Pull-ups can be done by hanging from a bar, or with an assistance machine that helps you do them (if you're not strong enough to do one).

To do a pull-up:

Grab hold of the bar at shoulder width apart, with the palms facing away.
Pull yourself up till your chin is over the bar before slowly lowering back down again till the arms are fully extended.
Repeat the motion for a few reps that you can manage without cheating by using momentum to help yourself lift up or swing from side to side as you raise yourself up.

#3 Deadlift

Deadlifts are some of the most effective exercises you can do to build muscle mass in the lower body. They also help improve overall strength, helping you lift more weight during other lifts, like squats and bench presses.

The deadlift is a compound exercise that builds muscle in the lower back, glutes (butt muscles), hamstrings (the big muscles on the back of each thigh), and quads (the quadriceps muscles at the front of each thigh).

Compound exercises work multiple joints and major muscle groups together, making them more effective than isolation exercises for building bigger muscles.

To do this exercise:

Start by hinging forward and bending your knees so that you can comfortably grasp a loaded barbell.
Arch your back, and drill your feet into the ground.
Take a deep breath, and exhale as you slowly lift the weight up till your knees are fully extended, and the back has locked out.
Lower down till the bar hits the floor, and repeat.

#4 Lat Pulldown

Lat pulldowns are a great way to work the lats, which is the back muscle.

Here's how it's done:

Sit down on the lat pulldown machine, and grasp its handles with both hands, placing one foot up on the stool.
Starting at shoulder level, slowly move your arms towards yourself till they're straight out in front of you with a slight bend at the elbow and palms facing away from each other.
When you're ready for more resistance (and greater results), make sure to add more weight. You can also make it easier by lowering how far down you go so that it's not as difficult for beginners, or simply take it slow.

#5 Squat

If you're looking for a way to build muscle and strength, squats are an excellent choice. Squats can be done at home or at the gym, with or without weights.

Squats work the entire body as you work to lower yourself down and raise yourself back up again. They're done as follows:

Squat down till your thighs are parallel to the floor, and push yourself back up.

There are many different types of squat exercises that can help you get bigger in all areas. Next time you go to the gym, try doing some squats.

#6 Dip

Dips are a compound exercise that targets the chest, shoulders, triceps, and biceps.

They're done as follows:

When you perform dips, place your hands on a bench or chair to support your bodyweight.
From this position, you can go up and down from being bent over at the waist (as if reaching for something on your desk) to straightening out your arms at shoulder height multiple times.
This movement is known as the dip or dipping down, in fitness lingo.

Takeaway

Hopefully, you’ve picked out some new exercises to try in your gym routine. Remember that the most important thing is to keep going.

Don’t let a few failed attempts get you down. Muscle takes time and perseverance to build, so don’t be discouraged if you can only do one set of each exercise at first — that’s still progress.

Just keep moving forward with your goals; work hard every day, and soon enough you will be able to lift more weight than before.