Newsflash there is no best exercise for anything. You’ll hear a lot of people demonize or glorify this exercise program or that one, but that is just personal opinion. Rarely do they have any data or scientific evidence to back up their statement. 

Phrases like “the best exercise for fat loss” or “drop 10 lbs in one week with these 4 moves” are common in magazine headlines. They don’t really have any carryover to real life though. 

Now there are exercises that are better suited for certain goals but the notion that any one exercise or mode of exercise is the best is a little silly. A lot of times these statements are used to sell more magazines or a product/service and are just marketing hype. 

Before you consider an exercise program there are a couple of questions you need to answer. The first is, what is your endgame?

What is it that you want to accomplish by starting that program, or class, or even joining that gym. Is it fat loss, to build strength, or to drive the ball further down the golf course. 

Each of these goals means a different approach to exercise. For a goal like fat loss my first response is pick an exercise mode that you enjoy and is not a chore to do consistently. (Even more important for fat loss is what and how much goes in your mouth not how much you exercise)

If you like to lift go for it. If you like to cycle have at it. When it’s enjoyable you will actually stick with it which is more important than the mode of exercise you choose. 

However, if your goal is pure strength then you have to strength train. Or if you want to be a better golfer you might need to improve flexibility and mobility. 

What I’m trying to say is that “best” is really context specific. A specific goal will require a specific set of actions to reach. And those actions are highly variable based on the goal. 

Much of the time people just think starting the latest magazine workout or joining the gym will help them reach their goals. I’d much prefer someone sit down and ask themselves a bunch of questions first. This will help clarify the goal and the course needed to get there.