I am looking for a resource that gives the best exercise (bar none) for any particular muscle.
for example:
Biceps femoris: what is the very best excercise for this specific muscle?
And for Gluteus?
There are no “best” exercises. There are no “secrets”. There is only stimulus and response. A good exercise is one that stimulates your muscles so you make yourself stronger and at the same time does not injure you.
If you havn’t done much strength training before start off with a year of general strength training. Work on Squats, Deadlifts, Pullups, Rows, Overhead Press and Pushups. Take it easy, start slow and build up gradually. Use a moderate tempo (no less than 3 seconds raising the weight) and avoid jerking.
During this year, try reading the following books: Supertraining (Siff), Functional Training For Sports, Science and Practice of Strength Conditioning/Training and any book by Ellington Darden. This will give you a good understanding of the varying philosophies within the strength training world. Each will say they are the “truth”, it is up to you to decide who you believe.
By this time the year is up your muscles, bones and tendons will be pretty strong so when you go mad trying to figure out what exercises will make you the most “powerful”, the “fastest” you hopefully will not injure yourself too much. When you do go looking for the truth however, stay away from too much plyometrics, olympic lifting etc. If you find yourself hurting, you are probably damaging your body.
Good Luck.
During your first introduction to weight trainig some of the keys are to develop your musculotendinous system (anatomical adaptation), balanced musculature, and your general physical preparation. These elements will give you the foundation to learn more complicated and demanding programs, with greater loads. It’s not only important to know what you need to train, but how you need to train. I believe you can find the quality information you need, from programs to instruction, from Istvan Javorek www.istvanjavorek.com. His resume speaks for itself, and he is very approchable (email). He is a very good teacher, and has excellent video instructional programs.
Back Squat! There isn’t a magical book out there yet so you’ll have to discover this one through trial and error.