By Vic Magary, Personal Trainer and former U.S. Army Soldier

Whether it is your first gym membership, or you’re a veteran who has finally found the willpower to get in shape, there are five exercises you must learn if you want results.

While bodybuilding magazines and websites are bombarding you with isolated muscle exercises, beginners in fitness need to focus on the basics called compound movements.

Compound movements use many different muscle groups at the same time, thus maximizing strength gains and boosting fat loss. If you focus on these 5 lifts, you’ll be well on your way to tangible results in 4-8 weeks.

The 5 exercises are:

• Squat
• Deadlifts
• Pull ups
• Shoulder press
• Bench press

#1 – Squats

The squat is another effective full body exercise that places its main emphasis on the glutes and the quads. Hamstrings, calves and lower back are also exercised during squats.

Make sure you start with a small amount of weight when you start out doing squats and work on your form. Also, do NOT use the Smith Machine for doing squats no matter how much easier it seems to make them. While using the Smith Machine, many things can go wrong because it promotes an unnatural range of motion which can result in improper knee flexion and problems with the lower back because of foot positioning.

Learn how to squat properly the old fashioned way with a bar in the cage and you’ll see major improvements in your muscle gains.

#2 – Deadlifts

The deadlift is excellent for overall body development. I firmly believe that the deadlift and the squat are the two most useful exercises you can do while at the gym.

The deadlift exercises the lower back muscles primarily, the abdomen, quads, hamstrings and glutes. As you see it works a load of muscles. The deadlift feels awkward to new lifters, and it takes a while to perfect the technique. Start training with only the bar or with a very light weight until you have refined your technique.

#3 – Pull Ups

Pull ups are a great test of upper body strength and endurance. It is without a doubt the best compound pulling exercise you can practice. The pull up mainly exercises the lat muscles but also works many other muscles like the biceps, triceps, delts and muscles in the chest.

Pull ups can be done different ways, including weighted pull ups, one arm pull ups or kipping pull ups. Adding weight to your pull ups is an excellent way to vastly increase your strength once you are able to do a decent number of these on your own.

#4 – Shoulder press

The shoulder press is the best exercise for developing your shoulder muscles. When performing the lift while standing, the shoulder press also works the arms, abs, back and obliques. The stabilizing body muscles, especially in your core can be strengthened by doing this lift with the use of dumbbells.

#5 – Bench Press

The bench press is an excellent upper body exercise for increasing muscle size and strength. The bench works your pec muscles primarily, as well as the delts, triceps, serratus anterior and other smaller muscles.

Using the bench press and doing pullups really helps you build your upper body. Make sure you are using a spotter when you decide to raise your weights and start doing heavy weight/low rep combinations.

* If you don’t have a spotter available, or just want to do something different every few sessions, try using dumbbells for working your stabilizing muscles. Dumbbells make you have to stabilize and practice your balance while a barbell is evenly weighted and provides for steadier movement.