Choosing the right movements during your workout is essential to train effectively and build the most muscle.
When people want to get fit and start working out, the most common question they have is, what exercises should I do?
Assuming you don’t want to spend multiple hours in the gym every day, the answer is going to be compound exercises.
They are the most effective and valuable type of exercise to incorporate into your workout and you will get the most bang for you buck!
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What are Compound Movements?
These compound exercises target multiple muscle groups in the same movement making them extremely effective and valuable. Compound movements are extremely beneficial and effective in toning your body and shedding fat because it burns more calories in less time compared to isolated exercises. This is because more muscles are being working and engaged.
Isolation exercises are really good at targeting certain muscles if you want to enhance or train one specific muscle. However, unless you want to spend a ton a time at the gym and your goal is precision, compound exercises are what you should start incorporating and focusing on in your workouts.
For the majority of people, they want an exercise routine that is effective and efficient at getting them the results they want. The majority of your transformation and sculpting will be the most effective and efficient using compound exercises.
So, let’s talk about why they are so valuable!
Benefits of Compound Exercises:
1. Compound exercises burn more calories.
The body burns calories based on the body’s oxygen intake. More muscle are being used; therefore, the body is using more oxygen to get though the stress and physical demand of the exercises. This results in burning more calories.
The more calories burned results in the greater chance of decreases body fat and losing weight.
2. Improves the bodies coordination and balance.
Multiple muscles are working at the same time, so your mind’s coordination is being stretched and worked. Your body is learning how to move different muscles at the same time.
In addition, compound exercises require you to use balance by tightening your core to stabilize your body. This helps with improving and working the core muscle as well.
3. Increases cardiovascular endurance.
Compound muscles increase your heart rate a lot more than isolated movements. Because they have a higher physical demand, the heart works faster to pump blood to keep your muscles fueled and working.
This elevation of the heart, helps to increase cardiovascular endurance.
4. You can lift heavier.
Compound exercises allow you to lift heavier and build muscle faster because each exercises uses multiple muscle.
You need strength and balance to lift heavy and compound exercises combine multiple muscles and joints. Multiple muscles can lift more weight than only one muscle is capable of.
Important Tips:
One important tip to remember when doing compound exercises is to focus on your form. Start by lifting really light weight until you get accurate form and then you can add weight. You want to make sure your form is proper in order to the get the most out of each exercise, hit the target muscles, and avoid injury. It often takes practice and time to master.
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3 Basic Compound Exercises:
Chance are you are already incorporating some compound exercises into your workout without even knowing it. These 4 basic compound exercises target multiple muscle for maximum effectiveness and are extremely valuable in your fitness journey.
1. Squats
Squats are a very common exercises but that is because they are super effective and valuable.
Start standing with your slightly outside of hip width and your feet slightly pointed out. Squat down and drive yourself back up by pushing your feet into the ground and squeezing your glutes.
2. Deadlifts
Deadlifts are a great exercise in which you can work yourself up to really heavier loads because it works a lot of big muscles including the glutes, hamstrings, back, hips, core and trapezius.
Begin standing with your legs hip distance apart. The barbell should be on the ground. Bend your knees and lower your hips to grab the bar. Keep your back upright and tall with your head inline. Don’t hunch over. Keeping your arms straight, use your legs, glutes and hamstrings to stand up.
Click here for more basic compound movements for your next leg day!
3. Push ups
Pushups are great to increase upper body strength, but they also require a lot of core strength.
Start on the ground in a plank position. Your hands should be shoulder width apart and in line with your shoulders. Keeping your head, body, and glutes in line, bend your arms and lower yourself down. Drive yourself back up quickly with lots of force in your arms. Your body should act as a board. It shouldn’t bend or arch.
4. Bench Press
Bench press is great for upper body as it works the chest muscles, shoulders, arms and core.
Start laying on the bench, feet on the ground and back slightly arches. Your body and core should be tight and engaged.
Grab the bar with your hands shoulder width apart. Remove the weight from the rack. Bend your arms and lower the bar down. The bar placement should be around the bottom of your sternum.
Drive the bar back up quickly and forcefully.
5 Advanced Compound Exercises:
For these compound exercises, you are essentially combining multiple different exercises into one. The majority of these compound exercises work the full body.
1. Dumbbell Squat Clean & Press
For this exercise, you’re going to start with your feet hips width apart and your toes pointed slight outward. Squat down with the dumbbells hanging by your side.
As you stand up, curl the dumbbells up by using your biceps. Then, press the dumbbells above your head and extend your arms. Bent your arms and curl the dumbbells back down into the starting position.
This full body exercise is great because it is combining a squat, bicep curl and shoulder press together and doing it in one fluid motion.
Dumbbell exercises are super effective and is a very valuable piece of equipment to add weight into your workouts. Click here and you can get your own mini set of dumbbells so you can do these at home too!
2. Dumbbell Row to Triceps Kickback
Stand with your feet hip distance apart, knees slightly bent and body leaning over and hinging at the hips. You arms should be perpendicular from the ground with dumbbells in your hands and arm extended long.
Bring the dumbbells up to your chest, pause in this position while you squeeze your shoulders and back. Extend your arms behind you. Bent your arms back in and lower your arms away from your chest.
Keep your back muscles engaged and tight the entire time. Your body and legs should remain in the same position. The only thing that should be moving is your arms.
This exercises combines a dumbbell row and a tricep extension.
3. Pushup to Renegade Row
Start on the ground in a plank position with your hands gripping the dumbbell shoulder distance apart. Keeping your head, back and glutes in line, perform a push up.
In your plank position, driving your elbow up, bring one dumbbell up to your side and lower back down. Repeat on the other arm.
As you arm goes up, engage your core, and keep your hips facing the floor. Avoid rotating your hips. Your body should stay still the whole time.
4. Back lung to Dumbbell Front Curl
Start with dumbbells in each hand and your legs hip distance apart. Lunge one leg back until your knee is about to touch to the ground. Stand back up by bringing your back leg to your front leg.
As you are standing up, curl the dumbbells up with your palms facing inward. Repeat with the other leg.
This exercise works combined a lunge and a bicep curl.
5. Bulgarian Split Squats
Find a bench or chair to rest your back leg on. Grab a dumbbell in each hand and place your back leg on the bench. Find a stable position for your front leg. Not too far out and not too far in.
Control the bend of your front leg to reach the bottom of your split squat and then using your top leg and quads, drive yourself back up.
This exercise works the quads, hamstrings, glutes, and calves.
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