The 8 Best Compound Exercises For Strength

Compound exercises are exercises that work for multiple muscle groups in your body at the same time. A squat is a compound exercise that works the quadriceps, glutes, hamstrings, and claves. Also, there are two classifications of exercises: the first is compound exercises, and the other is isolation exercises. 

On the other hand, the isolation exercises just focused on a single muscle. A bicep curl would focus on the bicep in just one plane of movement. Isolation exercises are sometimes beneficial in physical therapy to strengthen specific muscles or rehabilitate them after injuries.

In this article, we explore the best compound exercises that increase your strength. The benefits of these exercises and many more tips for them When you are working out in the gym, you should do compound workouts that will supersize your muscles.

What are the benefits of compound exercises?

There are several possible advantages to compound exercises, such as increased muscular growth and weight loss. So, you might be wondering about the right compound movements. Take a look at the benefits of compound exercises, which are as follows:

• Burning more calories
• Elevating heart rate
• Improving flexibility 
• Improve strength
• Gaining more muscle 

The 8 Best Compound Exercises

Here we discuss the best eight exercises in compound that are very beneficial for your muscles and strength. Take a look at the best exercises that you must add to your routines.

1. Deadlift
2. Squat
3. Bench press
4. Push-ups
5. Bench jump
6. Lat pull down
7. Shoulder press
8. Pull-ups

1. Deadlift

One of the best compound exercises is one that works on multiple muscle groups. The deadlift works on these muscles: forearms, glutes, hamstrings, lats, upper back, middle back, and lower back. You can do this with a barbell and add weight to the barbell for more challenge.

How to do this:

• With a barbell on the ground and your feet hip-width apart, place your toes under the bar.
• As you squat down, drive your hips back while maintaining a taut core and a neutral spine. Your back should not curve; it should stay flat.
• Hold onto the bar with both hands. Position your hands on the bar so that they are slightly broader than your thighs.
• As you begin to lift, maintain a soft knee and push through your heels.
• Keep the bar close to your body as you raise it, and pull it up so that it rises together with your hips. Finish with a glute squeeze at the peak and a tall stance.
• Lower the bar to the floor gradually while hanging at the hips. Complete 8–12 repetitions in nearly three sets.

2. Squat

The squat is also a wonderful compound exercise that puts a load on various muscles. Squats work on these muscle groups: quadriceps, glutes, and calves. You can perform this without any equipment; it’s a body weight, and you can do it anywhere.

How to do this:

• Start with your toes turned slightly out and your feet a little wider than your hip width.
• As you push your hip back, maintain an expanded chest, contract your abdominal muscles, and return your weight to your heels.
• As you bring your thighs up to, or nearly to, the floor, lower yourself into a squat. Keep your knees over your second toe in the same alignment.
• To get back to your starting posture, push through your heels with your chest out and your core tight. Tighten your glutes at the summit.
• Work up to three sets and perform at least 12 to 15 reps.

3. Bench Press

The bench press is also on the list of compound exercises; it works on various muscle groups. The bench press puts pressure on these groups: the chest, anterior deltoid, and triceps. It works out in the gym with weights.

How to do this:

• As you grasp the bar while lying on the bench, your arms should be bent to enable you to push it out of the rack.
• That means your head is turned to face the barbell. Place your feet on the bench’s surface or the floor on each side of it. Using an overhand hold that is slightly wider than your shoulders, place both hands on the barbell. Lower the barbell on the rack if you have to reach for the bar or if your arms are straight. 
• To hold the barbell exactly above your chest, extend your elbows and push the bar away from you. It would help if you began at this point.
• Taking a breath, bend your elbows outwards and bring the barbell down until it meets your chest, resembling an upside-down push-up.
• To return to the starting position, exhale and extend your elbows so that the barbell is pushed away from your chest. Perform four to five sets of at least ten to twelve reps.

4. Push-ups

Push-ups are one of the best compound exercises that will give strength to your body. It works on these muscles, the core, and the entire upper body. You do not need any equipment for this exercise, and you can do it anywhere.

How to do this:

• Lay your feet together on the mat or floor behind you, resting on the balls of your feet, and place both hands on it slightly wider apart than shoulder-width apart. It is where you should begin.
• Bending at the elbows and lowering your chest toward the mat until your arms form two 90-degree angles, keep your spine neutral.
• Raise your body back up into the beginning posture by pushing through your hands and extending your elbows. Next, carry out the same action.

5. Bench Jump

The bench jump is good exercise for the compound, and it focuses on various muscles, like hip flexors, calves, and quads. You can perform it with the use of any bench or box, and anywhere you can do this, it is also at the top of the list of compound exercises.

How to do this:

• Arrange a horizontal box or bench in front of you and maintain a shoulder-width distance between your feet.
• Assume a chair or squat position by bending at the hips and knees. Then, jump forward and upward, bringing your knees into your chest, to land in a squat position on top of the bench. 
• Get into a standing position on top of the bench by pushing through your heels and straightening your legs.
• To return to the beginning position, carefully take one foot off the bench at a time and step backwards. Next, act again.

6. Lat pull down

The lat pull-down also focuses on multiple groups of muscles, it concentrates on the complete back muscle and shoulders. It can be performed with a cable pulley machine that’s available in the gym. It also increases the strength of the upper body. It’s an excellent compound exercise.

How to do this:

• Using an overhand, knuckles-up grip, grasp the bar widely. Though starting with this standard stance, there are other positions and grips imaginable.
• Lower the bar until it’s about level with the chin. As you descend, release your breath. It is acceptable to move your upper torso slightly backward, but try to keep it immobile. Maintaining square shoulders, squeeze the shoulder blades together.
• Return the bar to the beginning position gradually while maintaining control over its slow climb from the bottom position, where it is near your chin. Avoid having it run into the weight plates.

7. Shoulder Press

The shoulder press is also included in the list of compound exercises. It targets various muscle groups like the shoulder, deltoids, upper chest, and traps. You can do it with barbells and dumbbells. It builds strength through overhead lifting.

How to do this:

• Position yourself so that your feet are a little wider than shoulder-width apart, and hold a barbell with an overhand straight in front of your torso. Raise the barbell to your chest and bring it forward. Right now, your palms ought to be turned away from your body. It is where you should put your feet up.
• Press the barbell straight above your head by extending your elbows and using the muscles in your arms and shoulders. On each side of your head, your arms should be aligned with your ears.
• To bring the barbell down to the beginning position by your collarbone, bend your elbows. Repeat. Perform three to five sets of ten repetitions, minimum.

8. Pull-Ups

The pull-ups are also included in the compound exercises, and they put a load on the various muscles. It is a grip strength movement that focuses on these muscles: forearms, biceps, triceps, wrists, lats, shoulders, and core. You can perform this by hanging up and further following the details for doing this.

How to do this:

• To begin, place yourself exactly beneath a pull-up bar. Hold both hands in an overhand hold, somewhat wider apart than shoulder-width apart. When both of your hands are gripping the bar, you are in the starting position.
• Breathe in, then out. Raising your feet off the ground so that your feet hang over the bar, draw your belly button in the direction of your spine to activate your core. Draw your shoulders downward and back.
• Bending at the elbows, elevate your upper body toward the bar until your chin is over it by using your back and arm muscles. Avert swinging your legs or hunching your shoulders up as you move. 
• Inhale as the movement reaches its peak. Next, stretch your elbows and return your body to its initial position. It would be best if you repeated for the other reps after this one.

People Also Ask

What are compound exercises?

A compound exercise works many muscle groups simultaneously to complete a task. For example, the pectoralis major, triceps brachii, deltoids, and abdominals all work together to do a dumbbell shoulder press on an exercise ball. Workouts that are compounded are not isolation workouts. These concentrate on a single muscle group at a time.

Are compound exercises suitable for beginners?

Sure, beginners can modify complicated exercises. To avoid injuries and progressively increase strength, start with smaller weights and pay attention to form. Compound exercises are excellent for building a solid foundation in strength training, though novices may require some instruction at first.

What makes compound exercises different from isolated workouts?

While isolation exercises focus on a single muscle, compound exercises work for many joints and muscle groups. Compared to isolation workouts, which concentrate on a single muscle, compound motions are more functional as they target numerous areas at once.

Do compound exercises burn more calories than isolation exercises?

Absolutely. Compared to isolated workouts, compound exercises burn more calories since they use more muscle groups and demand more energy. Compound workouts require more energy since they work numerous muscle groups, which increases calorie expenditure both during and after the workout. As a result, they burn calories more effectively than solitary activities.

Conclusion

The foundation of any successful workout is a compound exercise program that works for many muscle groups and promotes overall strength and fitness. Fitness enthusiasts can design well-rounded routines that are suited to their talents and goals by knowing the differences between isolation and compound workouts.

Compound exercises provide the groundwork for an all-encompassing approach to strength training and general health. These compound motions are incredibly beneficial for building a stronger, more fit, and more resilient body, regardless of experience level.