7 Muscle Building Exercises You Have Never Done (But Should Start Immediately) | Mind Pump 2889
Want rapid muscle gains? Do exercises you've never attempted before and master them. This 'novel stimulus' hack triggers neurological adaptations similar to beginner gains, even for experienced lifters. Choose movements with proven pedigree—like bent presses, circus presses, or weighted carries—that
1h 49mKey Takeaway
Want rapid muscle gains? Do exercises you've never attempted before and master them. This 'novel stimulus' hack triggers neurological adaptations similar to beginner gains, even for experienced lifters. Choose movements with proven pedigree—like bent presses, circus presses, or weighted carries—that challenge stability and coordination. As you improve technique and add load, you'll see strength jumps that carry over to your traditional lifts.
Episode Overview
This episode explores seven unconventional muscle-building exercises that most people have never tried. The hosts discuss old-time strength movements that have fallen out of favor but offer tremendous benefits for building strength, stability, and muscle when mastered.
Key Insights
Novel Stimulus Creates Newbie Gains for Experienced Lifters
When you've been lifting consistently for 3-5 years, gains slow dramatically. One of the best hacks is finding exercises you're not good at and mastering them. This creates a novel stimulus that triggers rapid strength and muscle gains, similar to when you first started training. The key is choosing movements with proven effectiveness, not just weird exercises.
Overhead Stability Builds Bigger Shoulders Than Volume
Traditional bodybuilding advice says never lock out at the top to 'keep tension on the muscle.' But mastering heavy overhead carries and learning to stabilize significant weight overhead develops shoulders better than endless volume. The ability to hold and stabilize heavy loads overhead creates strength that carries over to all pressing movements and produces better muscle development.
The Simplest Fix for Shin Splints Nobody Uses
Shin splints plague runners and athletes, leading to endless ice baths, massage, shoe changes, and time off. The solution is remarkably simple: strengthen the tibialis anterior through tibialis raises. This addresses the actual weakness causing inflammation between the tibia and fibula. Combined with ankle mobility work, it eliminates shin splints almost immediately.
Farmer's Carries Build Total-Body Strength Like Nothing Else
Heavy farmer's carries activate your entire nervous system from fingertips to toes in a way few exercises can match. Unlike a static deadlift, the movement component requires lateral and rotational stability. Training with 500+ pounds in heavy carries creates a feeling of functional strength that transfers to everyday life—making you feel genuinely strong, not just gym-strong.
Notable Quotes
"Do an exercise you've never done before and get good at it. That's why we came up with the seven best muscle building exercises I'm pretty sure you've never done."
"Lifts fall in and out of favor with strength training all the time. We've been doing it for so long that we've seen trends come and go. It's not because people stop doing an exercise because it's not effective. Often times it's because they just get popular because a particular lifter or social media person promotes something."
"When you do an exercise you're not good at cuz you never done it, especially if you're an experienced lifter and you start to practice it and get good at it, you get these gains that happen."
"There's some lifts that you can do that make you feel big and then there's lifts you can do that make you feel strong. And this one makes you feel strong in my everyday life. Like in my everyday life just moving around when I was getting good at this, I just felt really strong like I could move things and lift things and do things."
Action Items
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1
Add One Novel Exercise to Your Routine
Choose one exercise from this list (bent press, circus press, Zottman curls, weighted windmills, overhead carries, farmer's carries, or tibialis raises) that you've never done before. Start with very light weight to learn proper technique. Practice 2x per week for 4-6 weeks, progressively adding load as your technique improves. Track strength gains and notice carryover to your main lifts.
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2
Master Overhead Stability for Shoulder Development
Incorporate overhead carries into your training twice per week. Start with a light dumbbell or kettlebell, lock your arm out completely overhead, and walk 20-30 yards maintaining stability. Gradually increase weight over weeks. Apply this principle to all overhead pressing—pause and stabilize at lockout for 1-2 seconds instead of immediately lowering the weight.
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3
Eliminate Shin Splints with Tibialis Training
If you run, hike, or do plyometrics and experience shin splints, add tibialis raises 2x per week. This simple movement strengthens the front of your shin. Combine with ankle mobility work (like the couch stretch) for complete shin splint prevention. Start with bodyweight and progress to weighted variations.
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4
Build Functional Strength with Heavy Carries
Add farmer's carries to your program once or twice weekly. Use heavy dumbbells, kettlebells, or trap bar. Start conservatively and work up to carrying significant weight (eventually approaching your deadlift max). Walk 20-50 yards with perfect posture. This builds grip strength, core stability, and total-body strength that transfers to daily life better than almost any other single exercise.