Will A Bench Press & Pullups Get You Full-body Strength?

Bench presses and pullups are both upper-body compound exercises. Compound exercises require multiple joints and muscle groups to complete the movement. Both bench presses and pullups together can help develop strength in your upper body, but do little to strengthen your lower body. Include lower-body exercises into your training routine to develop full-body strength.

Bench Press

In the standard bench press, the primary muscles targeted are the chest and front deltoids. Bringing your hands closer together on the bar during the bench press places more muscle emphasis on your triceps. During the powerlifting bench press, some lower-body muscles are engaged. Powerlifting bench press requires a maximum amount of effort to press the weight, thus using your glutes, erector spinae and quadriceps as stabilizing muscles, notes ExRx.net. Conversely, the use of lower-body muscles during the powerlifting bench press is not significant enough to build size and strength in your lower body.

Pullups

Pullups primarily target the latissimus dorsi in your back and utilize your biceps, trapezius, rhomboids and shoulders as secondary and stabilizing muscles. Bringing your hands in closer together on the pullup bar places more emphasis on your bicep to help further develop your arms. Adding leg raises while hanging from the pullup bar can help to develop your core muscles.

Lower Body

Developing total-body strength requires you to include some lower-body specific exercises. Compound exercises such as squats, lunges and deadlifts can be very effective in achieving full-body strength. Squats primarily work your quadriceps and glutes. Lunges work your quadriceps, glutes and hamstrings. Taking a larger step in the lunge places more emphasis on the glutes and hamstrings; a narrower step stresses the quadriceps mores, notes Frederic Delavier, author of "Strength Training Anatomy." Deadlifts, on the other hand, work virtually every muscle in your body, including your quadriceps, glutes, hamstrings, latissimus dorsi, trapeziums, rhomboids, rectus abdominis and obliques.

Training Regimen

Use a variety of compound exercises in your training regimen to increase your overall strength. Do not limit yourself to one or two exercises. Training each of your major muscle groups with two or three different exercises helps increase strength.

Aim to complete at least two strength-training sessions a week, such as an upper-body workout on Monday and a lower body workout on Wednesday. Select a weight for each exercise in which muscle failure is reached between eight to 12 reps to promote muscle growth and strength. Perform two to three sets for each exercise, resting 60 to 90 seconds between sets.