Building a strong foundation of “strength” throughout the body provides numerous advantages for the weightlifter, athlete, and even the casual lifter. The capacity to manage bigger weights, particularly in compound exercises, will lead to increased muscle growth, enhanced performance, and a higher quality of life.

While isolation exercises have their purpose, they cannot compete with compound exercises since compound exercises require more balance/coordination, allow for more overall weight to be used, include numerous muscle groups, and train the body in a more “functional” approach.

In this guide, we’ll be explaining what a compound exercise actually is and we’ll also take you through a few examples to add to your workout routine. Let’s go!

What is a compound exercise?

A compound exercise is a multi-joint movement that engages multiple joints to accomplish a movement at the same time. The squat is a fantastic example of a compound exercise since it engages numerous muscles in the legs and lower body, including the quadriceps, hamstrings, calves, and glutes, along with the core and lower back.

Isolation exercises, on the other hand, are single joint movements which concentrate on a particular joint or set of joints. A bicep curl, for example, would concentrate almost totally on the bicep, moving at the elbow joint in one plane of motion.

Benefits of compound exercises

The most obvious advantage of compound exercises is that they make good use of your time. If you just have a limited amount of time to exercise, focusing on complex exercises will allow you to work more muscles and create greater strength.

Other advantages include:

Strengthening intramuscular coordination

Increasing heart rate

Building muscular mass and increasing strength.

5 of the best compound exercises to add to your strength training

Deadlift

The deadlift can target multiple muscle groups which are: forearms, lats, glutes, hamstrings, quads, core and lower back.

How to do it

Place the barbell on the floor, feet hip-width apart, and toes under the bar.
As you bend down to grab the bar, push your hips back while keeping your core tight and your spine neutral. Your back should be flat and not bent.
Take hold of the bar with both hands. Your hands should be slightly wider than your thighs on the bar.
As you begin to lift, push through your heels and straighten your knees.
Drive the bar up with your legs so that your hips and the bar rise together, maintaining the bar close to your body as you rise.
Finish with a glute squeeze in a tall position.
Slowly lower the bar slowly to the floor while hinging at the hips.
Try to do 4 sets of 5-8 reps.

Barbell squat

The barbell squat is a really simple exercise! Again we’re targeting more muscle groups here which are the quadriceps, glutes,calves and core.

How to do it

Stand with your feet wider than shoulder-width apart; this wide stance will enable you to squat deeper, engaging your glutes to a greater extent.
Hold a barbell across your upper back with an overhand hold, avoiding resting it on your neck. Hug the bar into your traps to activate your upper back muscles.
Squat down steadily with the weight of the bar – head up, back straight, buttocks out. Lower yourself while keeping your back flat – ideally until your hips are below knee level. . Drive your heels into the floor to propel yourself back up explosively. Maintain your posture until you can stand up straight: that’s one rep.
Perform 5 to 10 repetitions. Work your way up to three sets.

Chin ups

Begin with 2-3 rounds of 3-8 repetitions for the chin-up. Sets and repetitions should be chosen based on your ability to keep good technique throughout all sets and repetitions.

How to do it

Begin by grabbing the chin-up bar with an underhand hold, palms facing towards you. The breadth of your grip should be shoulder-width. If you can’t reach the chin-up bar, use a plyometric box or a safe flat bench.
Allow your legs to hang as you step off of the box. Arms and legs should be long.
Engage your centre and squeeze your glutes and quads. Throughout the action, keep your chin tucked, as if you were holding an egg under your chin. All repetitions should start from this posture.
Begin the upward movement by pulling your shoulder blades down and your elbows towards your torso at the same time. Pull your shoulder blades towards the floor while squeezing your upper back and lat muscles until your collar bone arrives at the chin-up bar.
Pause for a moment at the top of your movement.
Begin the downward action by straightening your arms and allowing your shoulder blades to relax. Lower your body slowly back to the starting posture. Your arms should be extended and slightly bent at the elbows.

Bent over row

The bent over row will work your lats and upper back but you’ll need to be able to keep a good technique to really make the most of this move.

How to do it

Take an overhand grip on a barbell, hands slightly wider than shoulder width apart.
Maintain a perfectly straight back and bend your upper body till it’s around 45 degrees relative to the floor or lower, while your legs are slightly bent.
Bend your arms and pull the weight up into the lower half of your chest from here. Think about driving your elbows to the ceiling.
Pause. And then return to the starting position under control.

Barbell bench press

The bench press aids in the development of various upper-body muscles. This exercise can be performed with either a barbell or dumbbells. Bench presses should be performed on a regular basis as part of an upper-body workout to promote strength and muscle development.

How to do it

To avoid pressing with rounded shoulders, draw your shoulder blades back behind you.
Use an overhand grip on the barbell, with your thumbs around the bar. Your arms are slightly broader than shoulder width apart, and your upper arms are at a 45-degree angle to the body.
Remove the barbell from the rack while keeping your elbows locked. (Do not transfer the bar directly from the rack to the chest position in an arc.)
Inhale as you lower the bar to your chest, just below the nipple line.
Exhale as you extend your arms and press the bar above your chest.

Strength training classes from Strength Ambassadors

Our Strength Classes at Strength Ambassadors are designed to help lifters of all levels reach their fitness objectives. Our Building Strength class will teach you everything you need to know, from perfecting your technique to determining which type of programme you should be pursuing.

Book a class today!

Compound strength exercises FAQs

Is it OK to do compound exercises everyday?

If you’re a healthy adult, you should be able to safely execute compound workouts two to three times per week: Allow at least 48 hours between strength training sessions to allow muscles to recuperate.