Compound Exercise

What is a Compound Exercise?

In a compound exercise, multiple muscle groups work together to perform a movement. For example, the deltoids, pectoralis major, triceps brachii, and abdominal muscles all work together to produce a dumbbell shoulder press on an exercise ball.

Isolation exercises are not the same as compound exercises. One muscle group at a time is worked by these. eg an isolated exercise called a “pec dec” is used to strengthen the pectorals.
In physical therapy, isolation exercises can occasionally help strengthen specific muscles or aid in their recovery following an injury.

What Are The Benefits Of Compound Exercises?

• Work out many muscles at once.
• Progressive Overload is simpler.
• Increase Testosterone and Growth Hormone: Another reason compound lifts are better for muscle building is that studies have shown that they result in significantly greater increases in anabolic hormones (growth hormone and testosterone) than isolation workouts.
• Stronger, Denser Bones: Lifting weights will make bones stronger as well as muscles. Bones will get denser and stronger as muscle and strength grow.
• Enhances Intermuscular Coordination: Compound workouts help your joints and muscles learn to work together as a cohesive unit. Together, they generate and manage force. Significant gains in balance, coordination, and movement efficiency follow
• Burn More Calories: Compound workouts will burn a lot more calories than isolation exercises since they have a far higher net energy expenditure. Compound workouts are better if fat reduction is a priority, such as reducing body mass index or improving body composition. When at rest, the greater the muscular mass, the more calories are burned.
• Enhances Mobility and Flexibility: Compound exercises are essentially a type of dynamic stretching. Every repetition of compound exercises that take you through a wide range of motion lengthens and contracts your muscles, which naturally increases flexibility and maximizes joint mobility.

Examples Of Compound Exercises:

Deadlift

Equipment required: barbell (optional; for added challenge, you can add weights to the barbell)

Targeted muscles include the core, upper, mid, and lower back, as well as the forearms, lats, glutes, and hamstrings.

• Place a barbell on the floor, place your feet hip-width apart, and place your toes under it.
• As you squat down, push your hips back while maintaining a neutral spine and a firm core. Your back shouldn’t curve; it should stay level.
• Use your hands to grasp the bar. Place your hands on the bar just a little bit wider than your thighs.
• As you begin to rise, keep your knees supple and push through your heels.
• As you lift, hold the bar close to your body and pull it up so that both your hips and the bar rise simultaneously.
• At the peak, squeeze your glutes and finish in a tall posture.
• Hinge at the hips as you slowly drop the bar to the floor.
• Between sets, pause for at least 30 to 60 seconds and do 10 to 12 repetitions. Complete up to three sets.

Reverse lunge to balance with bicep curl

Required equipment: a set of dumbbells

Targeted muscles include the hamstrings, glutes, abdomen, hips, and biceps.

• Hold a dumbbell in each hand while standing with your feet hip-width apart. With your palms facing your body, stretch your arms downward.
• Lower your hips and legs into a lunge stance and take a step backward with your right foot.
• To stand again, plant your left foot firmly on the ground and push your right foot forward. Keep your left foot steady at the peak and avoid allowing your right foot to touch the floor.
• At the same time, curl your biceps with both arms.
• With the dumbbells parallel to the torso and the arms back down, return the right leg to the lunge position.
• Before moving on to the left leg, perform 6–8 repetitions on the right leg.
• Take a 60-90 second break after finishing the left side. Finish sets two and three.

Squat

Equipment required: Not one

Targeted muscles include the calves, glutes, and quads.

• Start with your toes slightly out
• Keep your feet a little wider than hip-width.
• As you push your hip back, keep your chest up and out, contract your abdominal muscles, and shift your weight back into your heels.
• Your thighs should be parallel to the floor or almost so as you lower yourself into a squat. Keep the patient’s knees in line with your second toe.
• Push through your heels to return to your starting posture while maintaining a strong core and an outstretched chest. At the peak, squeeze your glutes.
• Do ten to fifteen repetitions. Complete up to three sets.

Front lunge with twist

Equipment required: Not one

Targeted muscles include the glutes, hamstrings, abdomen, and hips.

• With your arms out in front of you and your feet shoulder-width apart, take a proud stance.
• With your arms extended, take a lunge stance by stepping forward with your right foot. Your knee shouldn’t go past your toes, and your front leg should be at a 90-degree angle. A 90-degree angle will also be formed by your back leg.
• Twist your upper body to the right and then back to the center to form the lunge position.
• To repeat the exercise with the left leg, put the right leg back in the beginning position and lunge forward.
• For each leg, do 8–10 lunges. Complete up to three sets.

Dumbbell shoulder press on an exercise ball

Equipment required: a workout ball, abs, or a set of dumbbells

Targeted muscles include the triceps brachii, pectoralis major, deltoids, and abdomen.

• Start by sitting on an exercise ball and using your core. Each hand should hold one dumbbell.
• Start with dumbbells on your thighs, then use your thighs to drive the dumbbells up to shoulder height while keeping your elbows to your sides and your dumbbells facing front at a 90-degree angle.
• Raise the dumbbells until your arms are straight above your head.
• With your elbow at shoulder height, slowly bring your arms back to a 90-degree angle. Go no lower than this to avoid straining your shoulder joint.
• Do 12 to 15 repetitions. Complete up to three sets.

High plank T-spine rotation

Equipment required: Not one

Worked muscles: shoulders, abs

• Place your arms behind your shoulders and engage your core to begin in a push-up position. For this exercise, the space between the legs should be around hip-width.
• Anchor your right hand directly into the floor and squeeze your thighs and glutes.
• Raise your left arm and drive your hips and shoulders up toward the ceiling while twisting them to the left.
• Lower your left arm to the floor, then “anchor” your left hand directly to the ground.
• Twist and alternate until the right arm is raised.
• Do 8–10 repetitions on each side. Complete up to three sets.

Why Use Compound Exercises?

A workout that consists of a lot of compound exercises is certain to offer you what you need if you want to increase your general strength and have an effective and useful workout. Isolation is frequently more appropriate if your objectives or criteria are more precise.

With isolation exercises placed on top to target certain muscle groups and compound movements serving as the workout’s base, a program that combines both kinds of motions may be quite helpful.

FAQ

Refernces

• Chertoff, J. (2019, November 13). How to add compound exercises to your workout routine. Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/health/fitness-exercise/compound-exercises#exercises
• Compound Exercises, Physiopedia, https://www.physio-pedia.com/Compound_Exercises