Vigilante Strength: The 5 Non-Negotiable Compound Lifts

I've tested everything in the depths of the cave: machines, cables, exotic protocols from questionable masters. In the end, I always came back to the same five movements. They built the physique that makes henchmen reconsider their careers.

1. The back squat

The king. Quads, glutes, core and character. Full depth, stable bar, eyes fixed. If your knee complains, fix your technique before blaming the lift — I've fallen off more rooftops than you've done squats, and my knees are still in the game because of technique.

2. The deadlift

Nothing teaches the body to produce raw force like pulling dead weight off the floor. It fires the entire posterior chain — the musculature that actually matters when you need to lift a fallen ally. 1 to 3 heavy sets are enough. The ego stays at the door.

3. The bench press

Pushing with controlled violence. Shoulder blades retracted, feet driven into the floor, bar to the chest line. Chest, shoulders and triceps working as one tactical unit.

4. The standing overhead press

Standing, no back support, no excuses. The overhead press builds dense shoulders and a core that stabilizes everything. It's the most honest lift there is: it either goes up, or it doesn't.

5. The pull-up

The definitive test of relative strength. A vigilante who can't command his own bodyweight is just a man in a costume. Start with negatives if you must. Get to 15 strict reps. Then add load.

How to organize them

Spread the five across the week (the full-body routine from my other article already does this), progress slowly, and film your sets — the camera doesn't lie, and lying to yourself is the first step toward mediocrity.

Five movements. Decades of results. Everything else is accessory work — useful, but accessory.