From Beginner to Advanced:

Train smart, train hard...
1. Front squat to press
You can do this exercise with a pre-set barbell or, if you don't have the flexibility in the wrists and forearms, you can do it with dumbbells. This exercise activates the core by having the load in the front of your body, your body will activate more muscle throughout the glute,hip complex, pectorals, delts and lats.
2. Deadlift (Barbell or dumbbells)
The deadlift is a great movement to increase lower body and core strength. You will also improve your grip strenth. There are many different versions to the deadlift and you'll get different opinions but I like placing my feet at hip width and placing my hands at a shoulder width on the bar so that they are outside of my legs when I descend. This exercise burns maximum calories and builds maximum muscle.
3. Chest press (includes push-ups, bench press, ect...)
The good 'ol chest press, and even the push up is a timeless exercise. The primary muscles are the pectorals, but the lats, rhomboids, triceps and shoulders are all being activated in this movement. You can do these on a stability ball, alternate arms up and down. Use a barbell on a flat, incline and/or decline bench.