Do Less, Get More: The Compound Exercise
Though I’m sure to some of you that title sounds too good to be true, I can assure you that this is one of few places where what sounds too good to be true…is actually true. The purpose of this post, is to offer you perspective and insight behind what compound exercises are, and how much of a hack they are in the workout world. I have always been a believer in the “minimum effective dose.” This principle revolves around the idea that we should always attempt to complete a task with as little effort as possible, while still achieving the desired effect. Some of my friends would ask how I have more time in a day despite having so much on my plate. Efficiency. Especially when it comes to the things that are non-negotiables for me such as investing into my own health. So, I’m going to go through some of the compound exercises out there, how to do them, and ultimately, why they are critical towards creating success in your health and fitness journey.
What Are Compound Exercises?
Compound exercises are strength training movements that engage multiple muscle groups and joints simultaneously. Unlike isolation exercises, which target a single muscle or muscle group, compound exercises recruit multiple muscles and require coordinated movement across multiple joints. Incorporating compound exercises into your workout routine offers several benefits, including increased efficiency, functional strength development, and enhanced calorie burn. Here are some common compound exercises:
1. Squats:
Squats target the lower body, including the quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and calves. They also engage the core and lower back muscles for stabilization. Variations include back squats, front squats, and goblet squats.
2. Deadlifts:
Deadlifts primarily work the posterior chain, including the hamstrings, glutes, lower back, and traps. They also engage the core, forearms, and grip strength. Variations include conventional deadlifts, sumo deadlifts, Romanian deadlifts, and trap bar deadlifts.
3. Bench Press:
The bench press targets the chest, shoulders, and triceps. It also engages the stabilizer muscles of the upper body, including the rotator cuffs and upper back. Variations include flat bench press, incline bench press, decline bench press, and dumbbell bench press.
4. Pull-Ups/Chin-Ups:
Pull-ups and chin-ups are excellent compound exercises for the upper body, particularly the back, biceps, and forearms. They also engage the core muscles for stabilization. Variations include wide-grip, narrow-grip, and neutral-grip pull-ups.
5. Overhead Press:
The overhead press targets the shoulders, triceps, and upper chest. It also engages the core and stabilizer muscles of the shoulders and upper back. Variations include barbell overhead press, dumbbell overhead press, and seated overhead press.
6. Bent-Over Rows:
Bent-over rows work the muscles of the upper back, including the lats, rhomboids, and traps. They also engage the biceps, forearms, and core for stabilization. Variations include barbell rows, dumbbell rows, and inverted rows.
7. Lunges:
Lunges are unilateral lower body exercises that target the quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and calves. They also engage the core muscles for stability and balance. Variations include walking lunges, stationary lunges, reverse lunges, and lateral lunges.
8. Push-Ups:
Push-ups are compound exercises that target the chest, shoulders, triceps, and core. They also engage the muscles of the upper back and stabilizer muscles of the shoulders. Variations include standard push-ups, decline push-ups, and diamond push-ups.
Incorporating compound exercises into your workout routine will help you build functional strength, improve muscle coordination, and maximize your time in the gym. They are particularly beneficial for athletes, strength trainees, and anyone looking to improve overall fitness and performance. Also, if you haven’t noticed, each of these exercises involve “bracing your core” and consistently strengthening that natural “belt” of muscles around your spine. This means two things. First, you are going to create natural stability and protection around your spine, and for some people actually decrease back pain. Second, because you use your abdominal muscles in all of these intense exercises you won’t need to have separate days for abdominal exercises (though it will help get some development faster).
Why Are They Important?
Compound exercises are essential in any workout routine for a variety of reasons. From being extremely time efficient, to stimulating significant muscle growth and increasing levels of testosterone and growth hormone. Remember, for your body to make changes it must be given a reason why, and an intense exercise such as a compound exercise will have multi-level effects. For the ladies, an increase in testosterone from exercise will not make you look bulky or masculine. The levels do not go through the roof. However, testosterone is important in females as well and will certainly help them feel stronger, look more defined, and ultimately have more energy as well.
1. Efficiency:
Incorporating compound exercises into your workout routine allows you to target multiple muscle groups with fewer exercises. For many individuals who cite that a lack of time is a big reason they don’t go to the gym, compound exercises allow you to achieve a comprehensive full-body workout in a shorter amount of time.
2. Functional Strength:
Compound exercises mimic natural movement patterns and engage muscles in a way that translates to real-life activities. They help improve overall strength, coordination, and stability, making everyday tasks easier to perform.
3. Muscle Growth:
Compound exercises recruit a large number of muscle fibers, leading to greater muscle activation and growth compared to isolation exercises. They stimulate the release of growth hormones, such as testosterone and growth hormone, which are essential for muscle hypertrophy.
4. Fat Loss and Calorie Burn:
Due to their high level of muscle engagement, compound exercises stimulate a greater metabolic response, leading to increased calorie burn during and after workouts. This can help support fat loss and improve overall body composition.
5. Core Activation and Stability:
Many compound exercises require core stabilization to maintain proper form and balance. This strengthens the core muscles, including the abdominals, obliques, and lower back, which are essential for posture, balance, and injury prevention.
6. Improved Joint Health:
Compound exercises promote joint mobility, stability, and resilience by engaging multiple joints through a full range of motion. Strengthening the muscles around the joints can help prevent injuries and reduce the risk of chronic conditions such as arthritis.
7. Functional Movement Patterns:
Compound exercises replicate movements that are commonly performed in daily life, such as squatting, bending, pushing, and pulling. By training these functional movement patterns, you improve your ability to perform activities of daily living with ease and reduce the risk of injury.
8. Balanced Muscle Development:
Compound exercises help ensure balanced muscle development by targeting multiple muscle groups simultaneously. This prevents muscle imbalances, which can lead to poor posture, movement dysfunction, and increased risk of injury.
It is for all of these above reasons that incorporating compound exercises into your workout routine is crucial for maximizing muscle growth, strength gains, fat loss, and overall fitness. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced lifter, compound exercises should form the foundation of your strength training program.
Which Ones Should I Do?
All of them. It may sound like a joke but a properly structured work-out plan should include all of these compound exercises in some way shape or form. Usually it involves 1-2 compound exercises in a day, often as a mix. So you wouldn’t want to do squats and deadlifts on the same day. Not if you want to be able to walk the next day. Also, you’d likely be so exhausted after the first compound exercise that you would be unable to perform at peak strength and safety on the subsequent compound exercise working the same muscle groups. At the bare minimum, I would include the bench/dumbbell press, the squat, and the deadlift. They offer the greatest level of efficacy while providing that largest surge of stimulus to your body.
How Do I Do Them?
Performing compound exercises involves engaging multiple muscle groups and joints in coordinated movements. This offers great benefit, but it can also increase the chance of injury if they are done incorrectly, with poor form, and without guidance. I have spoken about a few of these in my post regarding “Proper Form,” describing some of the main fundamental principles you should understand. If you haven’t read that post, I strongly recommend it for your safety, and to ultimately increase your chance of success. I would also reference the “form video” page or contact me for any questions you may have. Here's a general guide on how to perform some common compound exercises with proper form.
1. Squats:
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, toes slightly turned out.
Keeping your chest up and core tight, lower your body by bending at the hips and knees, as if sitting back into a chair.
Descend until your thighs are parallel to the ground or slightly below, ensuring your knees stay in line with your toes.
Drive through your heels to return to the starting position, fully extending your hips and knees.
Keep your back flat, neutral, and chest up throughout the movement, and avoid rounding your lower back. I spoke extensively on this in my “proper form” post.
2. Deadlifts:
Stand with your feet hip-width apart, toes pointing forward, and a barbell on the floor in front of you.
Bend at your hips and knees, keeping your back flat, neutral, and chest up, to grip the barbell with an overhand or mixed grip.
Brace your core, engage your lats, and lift the barbell by driving through your heels and extending your hips and knees simultaneously.
Keep the barbell close to your body as you stand up, ensuring a straight line from your head to your hips.
Lower the barbell back to the floor by hinging at your hips and bending your knees, maintaining a neutral spine throughout the movement.
3. Bench Press:
Lie on a flat bench with your feet flat on the floor and a barbell racked above your chest.
Grip the barbell slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, with your wrists stacked directly above your elbows.
Lower the barbell to your chest by bending your elbows and keeping them close to your body.
Press the barbell back up to the starting position by extending your elbows and pushing through your chest and shoulders.
Keep your shoulders pinned back, shoulder blades squeezed together, and lower back flat against the bench throughout the movement. I also refer to “shoulder-packing” described in my separate post on “proper form.”
4. Pull-Ups:
Grip an overhead bar with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, palms facing away from you. Knuckles pointing towards the ceiling.
Hang from the bar with your arms fully extended and engage your core muscles.
Pull yourself up towards the bar by driving your elbows down and back. Bringing that bar towards your chest.
Lower yourself back down to the starting position under control, fully extending your arms at the bottom.
Keep your body straight and avoid swinging or using momentum to complete the movement.
Quick tip: Act/pretend as if you are trying to bend that metal bar with your hands.
5. Overhead Press:
Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding a barbell or dumbbells at shoulder height with an overhand grip.
Brace your core, engage your glutes, and press the weight overhead by extending your arms fully.
Keep your elbows slightly in front of your body (45-55 degree angle) and avoid arching your lower back as you press the weight. Lower the weight back to shoulder height under control, maintaining stability and tension throughout your body.
Performing compound exercises with proper form is essential for maximizing their effectiveness and minimizing the risk of injury. Start with lighter weights to practice the movements and gradually increase the load as you become more comfortable and confident. If you're new to strength training or unsure about how to perform compound exercises safely, consider working with one of our certified personal trainers, or others for guidance and instruction. I am also always happy to be a resource.