What's your favorite and least favorite weightlifting exercise?

Favorite: Power Snatch

Nothing is more satisfying than throwing heavy shit overhead

Least favorite: Bench Press

This lift just always felt awkward to me. Close Grip Bench always felt a lot better. When I'm medically cleared to lift again, no more standard grip bench for me (especially with my injury profile).

I also have a bad history with bench - always felt awkward and injured my AC joint about 10 years ago going for 1RM with bad form. But I've switched to 5-finger monkey grip for all barbell lifts and haven't had any shoulder injuries since. I couldn't lift as much and had to relearn my form with lighter weight, but the lift now feels much cleaner. On bench, the 5-finger "suicide grip" feels similar to close grip because it keeps your elbows tucked and makes it impossible to flare them out like I was doing with standard grip.
 
I also have a bad history with bench - always felt awkward and injured my AC joint about 10 years ago going for 1RM with bad form. But I've switched to 5-finger monkey grip for all barbell lifts and haven't had any shoulder injuries since. I couldn't lift as much and had to relearn my form with lighter weight, but the lift now feels much cleaner. On bench, the 5-finger "suicide grip" feels similar to close grip because it keeps your elbows tucked and makes it impossible to flare them out like I was doing with standard grip.

I've heard good things about the swiss/football bar bench press for shoulder health, never personally tried it though.
 
I've heard good things about the swiss/football bar bench press for shoulder health, never personally tried it though.

I've benched with one once, years ago at a gym that had one. Motion felt cleaner to me but it's the same motion as dumbbell BP (with palms facing each other) that suicide grip approximates. But for best neutral grip shoulder health and if money and space were no object, I'd probably go with swiss bar for BP and bent over rows, hex bar for DL and OHP and regular barbell for squats and cleans only.
 
Hitting up this thread again because it's great reading and I'm motivated again after a couple weeks off. Going back was hard af but now I'm a week in I love it again.

The upper exercise I like the most has to be the single arm Viking press, or barbell corner press in a split stance leaning in so it hits the shoulder more than the pec. That or heavy single dumbell press with a tiny hint of leg drive later in the set.

Upper exercise I like least is single row, it's just got too heavy for me to enjoy anymore, probably not much for a lot of people but once I got past 50kg, now at 60 for 10, my elbow started to not like it every so often.

Lower favourite has got to be dumbbell step ups, it feels so natural, that or bodyweight explosive step ups, love em. Split back squats are fucking dope too.

Least favourite lower is anything barbell front loaded like a front squat. My bio mechanics, long legs and lack of flexibility in the ankle means the weight oft has to go forwards. I find myself switching to back mounted barbell for the heavy sets.

Least favourite,
 
Squats are my favorite and bent row.

Bicep curls... geigh & boring.
(I do them anyway).
Also decline bench... annoying setting upside down.
 
Faves are:
Triceps pushdowns
Lat pulldown
Farmers' carry

Least favorite has to be the benchpress. It just isn't any fun to do and it is annoying how it has become the arbitrary benchmark for lifting. I actually don't care for most chest exercises actually outside of flies; they certainly do feel great afterwards though.
 
Maybe surprisingly, I don’t enjoy the sensation of doing biceps curls for some reason, and I really do enjoy the sensation of deadlifts.

Please note that this has nothing to do with the merits of the exercises really, just the pleasure I get at the time I’m actually doing them. No idea why this is.

Re op, I don’t particularly enjoy upright rows - guess my shoulders aren’t made for them. I prefer squats in that case.

Purely based on how much I look forward to performing the exercises:

Deadlifts 10/10
Squats 7/10
Upright row 4/10
Biceps curls 3/10
 
Maybe surprisingly, I don’t enjoy the sensation of doing biceps curls for some reason, and I really do enjoy the sensation of deadlifts.

Please note that this has nothing to do with the merits of the exercises really, just the pleasure I get at the time I’m actually doing them. No idea why this is.

Re op, I don’t particularly enjoy upright rows - guess my shoulders aren’t made for them. I prefer squats in that case.

Purely based on how much I look forward to performing the exercises:

Deadlifts 10/10
Squats 7/10
Upright row 4/10
Biceps curls 3/10

Try straight bar barbell curls. Start strict but allow yourself to cheat a bit as you get heavy. Might feel more worth it than simple db curls and the like.
 
Least favorite: abs.

Always forget to do 'em and then tell myself squats/deadlifts "work the core" as an excuse. Kinda dislike any sort of dumbell fly movement as well.
Lol, i feel you.

Has been the same for me for a long time.
I'd suggest you to work the abs as well though, because it really makes a difference - certainly in optics; if you're somewhat lean and train your abs regularly you'll already get a solid looking mid-section.
Makes you look leaner than you are!
 
I've heard good things about the swiss/football bar bench press for shoulder health, never personally tried it though.

If I bench at all, it's with a football bar. Great for shoulder issues. Floor press is also easy on the shoulders, as long as you don't use the shortened ROM as an excuse to ego lift.
 
Smith Machine RDL


Trap Bar RDL
images
 
Upper exercise I like least is single row, it's just got too heavy for me to enjoy anymore, probably not much for a lot of people but once I got past 50kg, now at 60 for 10, my elbow started to not like it every so often.
That's an exercise I need to add in. I really dislike barbell rows. It's so hard to increase the weight and keep good, strict form.
 
That's an exercise I need to add in. I really dislike barbell rows. It's so hard to increase the weight and keep good, strict form.

I've been doing them unsupported as well, just brace the mid section. Brutal.

I find barbell rows much easier to maintain form as the torso is balanced between the pulling arms. On singles I get some torso twist in there at the top, so I just go heavier..
 
I've been doing them unsupported as well, just brace the mid section. Brutal.

I find barbell rows much easier to maintain form as the torso is balanced between the pulling arms. On singles I get some torso twist in there at the top, so I just go heavier..

I'm not a big fan of any supported rows. You get more bang for your buck by forcing your body to hold a good position instead of propping yourself up. Barbell rows are great. I'll do heavy unilateral single arm rows standing and unsupported too.


I think right now my favorite lift has got to be hang snatch. Not my best lift, but it's a fun one to work on.

My least favorite is probably bench press. It's mostly because I lift alone so I wind up having to beg for spots with a bunch of people any time I want to push it.
 
Favorite: rack pulls and military press.

Least favorite: any high rep squatting or deadlifting, 15 reps or more. I always feel like passing out at the end of every set lol.
 
I'm not a big fan of any supported rows. You get more bang for your buck by forcing your body to hold a good position instead of propping yourself up.
Nonsense. Josh Bryant disagrees with you.
 
You get more bang for your buck by forcing your body to hold a good position instead of propping yourself up.
Not if the goal is to use the most weight in order to make your upper back as strong as possible.
 
Last edited:
Back
Top