TL;DR
- Efficient lifts = more muscle in less time.
- All exercises hit multiple muscle groups.
- Focus is on compound movements with deep stretch and balanced muscle engagement.
Why Efficiency Matters
For folks who can’t spend hours in the gym, exercise selection becomes crucial. Dr. Mike lays down three key criteria for choosing the most time-effective lifts:
- They must target multiple muscles at once—no single-joint, isolation-only moves.
- No single muscle group should dominate the movement and limit overall stimulus.
- The lift should include a good range of motion, especially with a challenging deep stretch.
With these in mind, let’s talk about the golden eight.
Top Efficient Lifts for Maximum Gains
Here are a few standout movements from the list:
- Stiff-Legged Deadlift + Barbell Row Combo: This Frankenstein lift works hamstrings, glutes, and the entire back. Row as you rise from a deep stretch—painful but worth it.
- Deficit Deadlifts: Brutal but effective. The deeper start position activates more posterior chain muscles and builds real-world strength.
- Walking Lunges (Upright): When performed with short steps and upright posture, these torch your quads, adductors, glutes, and calves—total leg annihilation.
- Underhand Pulldown: A rare gem that hammers lats and biceps simultaneously. Bonus points for improving pull-up strength.
Each lift earns its spot by delivering maximum muscle bang for your time-investment buck.
Not Just About Strength
These moves aren’t just efficient—they’re designed with hypertrophy in mind. Most of them incorporate:
- Stretch-loaded positions, which boost muscle growth.
- Balanced joint mechanics to avoid overtraining a single area.
- Built-in progression potential for long-term gains.
It’s not about doing more exercises—it’s about doing the right ones, hard, and often.
