The Best Compound Exercises

Not All Exercises Are Born Equal

It may come as a surprise to some of you that not all muscle building exercises are considered equal. All muscle-bearing exercises are divided up into two categories; isolation exercises, and compound exercises.

Isolation exercises are those that involve the movement of a single joint. A good example of an isolation exercise would be a bicep curl. Your elbow is the only joint that undergoes a full range of motion in this exercise, and the bicep muscle is the only muscle that is getting severely stressed, in other words, it’s isolated.

What Are Compound Exercises? 

Compound exercises are those that involve 2 or more joints and large groups of muscle working together in a coordinated movement. Perhaps the grandaddy of all compound exercises, the squat is a perfect example. Squats involve the movement of the ankle, knee, and hip joints. The muscles that are directly worked are the quads, hamstrings, gluts, back, and core muscles. Compound movements very commonly work the majority of your body’s muscles.

Compound exercises are considered the most effective exercises for both building muscle and burning fat. Due to the fact that they involve so many muscles, they have a far greater effect on your metabolism than isolation exercises. You will rev-up your metabolism and increase your level of testosterone by regularly implementing compound exercises into your workout routine.

How Many Compound Exercises Should You Do Per Workout?

While compound exercises should be the foundation of any gym workout, they’re too stressful on your body to exclusively use them in your routine. Every weight training workout should involve a combination of compound and isolation movements. This will give you the best results in the long run.

I recommend not doing more than 2 or 3 compound movements per workout. Anymore than this and you risk overtraining. This amount with supply you with all the benefits that compound exercises provide, without tiring you out too much. Finish your workout with 2 or 3 isolation exercises.

What Are The Best Compound Exercises?

While I’m of the opinion that there are truly no bad compound exercises, I’ll share with you what are generally regarded as the the best compound exercises.

• The Squat

Squatting directly works your quadriceps, glutes, hamstrings, and your lower back. It also incorporates your core muscles, upper back, hips, lower legs, and your stabilizer muscles.

• Deadlifts

Deadlifts focus on your lower back, hamstrings, traps, and the back of your shoulders. They also incorporate your lower legs, core muscles, upper legs, and your stabilization muscles. For more information on the deadlift, take a look at this post on the proper deadlift form.

• Bench Press

The Bench Press stresses your pectoral muscles, your triceps, and the front of your shoulders. It also incorporates your neck and serratus anterior muscles.

• Rows/ Pull Ups

The weighted pull up

The main muscles that these staple back exercises work are your lats, upper back, and biceps. They also work your core and your neck to a lesser degree.

• Overhead Presses

This exercise predominantly works your shoulders and triceps, but also works your core and neck muscles.

So there you have the 5 best compound exercises. None of these should be ignored and you should try to do 3 sets of each of them over the course of a week. If you haven’t been using these exercises regularly, you’ll notice an absolutely massive difference once you start using them. It doesn’t matter if you’re trying to lose fat or gain muscle, these workouts will help you get there.