The BEST Exercises For YOU

What’s the best exercise for building strength, improving mobility, stability, or developing more power? If you’ve spent any time researching workouts or looking through fitness content online, you’ve probably come across plenty of people claiming they’ve found the best exercise for just about everything. And while I understand wanting to make sure you’re getting the most out of your training, I think we sometimes get too caught up in finding the “best” exercise instead of understanding what actually makes an exercise effective. There are plenty of exercises I prefer and use regularly with my clients, but that doesn’t automatically make them the “best” option for everybody. Before deciding whether an exercise is right for you, I think there are 3 important questions worth asking. Best for who, what, and why?

WHAT Are You Trying to Accomplish?

Before worrying about which exercise you should be doing, think about what you’re actually trying to improve. Are you looking to build strength? Develop power? Improve your mobility or stability? Maybe you’re trying to build muscle, improve your conditioning, or simply move and feel better throughout your day. It could be all of the above but all of these goals can influence the exercises we choose and also how we perform them.

Take a squat for example. Depending on the resistance, tempo, range of motion, and overall programming, we can use that same movement to develop different physical qualities. A slower, controlled squat might emphasize movement control and strength through a certain range of motion, while a faster, more explosive variation could focus on power development. Neither variation is automatically better than the other. They’re simply being used to accomplish different things. And that’s something I want you to understand. An exercise isn’t effective just because it’s difficult or because you feel a certain muscle working. What matters is whether it’s helping you develop what you’re actually trying to improve.

WHO Is Performing the Exercise?

Now this is where I think people sometimes overcomplicate things, and honestly where I see a lot of unnecessary distinctions being made. Let’s say I’m working with a hockey player, a construction worker, and someone who simply wants to stay healthy and active as they get older. Their daily demands and individual goals might be different, but does that mean they all need completely different exercises?

Not completely. They have different goals but there’s naturally a lot more crossover in training than people want to admit. We’re all working with the same general human movement patterns. We squat, hinge, push, pull, rotate, carry, and move through different ranges of motion. Whether you’re an athlete trying to improve performance or someone looking to make everyday activities easier, strength, stability, mobility, and movement control are qualities that can benefit just about everybody. There’s a lot more crossover between training for sports, work, and everyday life than people sometimes realize.

Where the differences become important is in the individual’s sport or occupational movement demand. This means their current ability, experience, and limitations all on what specific movements they need to excel in for their craft. Maybe the hockey player needs a greater emphasis on producing force quickly. The construction worker might benefit from developing strength and endurance for repetitive physical tasks. Someone newer to training may need more time learning certain movements and building confidence with resistance. Sometimes the exercises stay the same but it’s how we perform them that changes.

WHY Are You Choosing That Exercise?

This is a question I want you to get the most comfortable asking yourself, as it is one that’ll always lead you to more learning for yourself. Why this exercise? Why this variation? Why this amount of resistance, these repetitions, or this tempo? You don’t need to have some advanced scientific explanation for every movement you perform, but there should be intention and some connection between what you’re doing and what you’re trying to accomplish.

I enjoy experimenting with different exercises and variations, and I think there’s plenty of value in trying new things. Sometimes a different movement can help address a limitation, challenge your body in a new way, or simply make training more enjoyable. But different doesn’t automatically mean better. If you’re getting stronger, improving your movement, and progressing toward your goals, don’t feel the need to keep replacing an exercise just because you’ve seen something new online. Keeping variety in your activity is needed but sometimes the better decision is to continue working on what you’re already doing if you’re not seeing slower results.

Improve your technique, increase resistance when appropriate, or learn to control the movement through a greater range of motion. On the other hand, if something isn’t working well for you, your goals have changed, or there’s a specific quality you’re trying to develop, maybe switching exercises makes perfect sense. The important part is understanding the reason and intetion behind that decision rather than changing something just for the sake of changing it.

Finding What’s Best for You

I don’t want you thinking there’s some perfect collection of exercises you’re missing out on. There are plenty of effective ways to build strength, power, mobility, stability, and overall fitness, and a lot of those exercises can serve people with completely different lifestyles and goals. Your training doesn’t need to be complicated or completely unique to be effective. It needs to make sense for what you’re trying to accomplish, where you’re currently at, and how your body responds over time. Keep experimenting, learn from what you’re doing, and don’t be afraid to question your exercise choices. Just make sure you’re giving yourself enough time to actually develop the movements you’re practicing. The next time you find yourself searching for the “best” exercise, remember to ask yourself what you’re trying to improve, who the exercise is for, and why you’re choosing it.