Make sure these multi-joint moves are part of your regular muscle-building routine.
Isolation movements certainly have their place. Hammering each muscle on its own is essential for getting the elite-level pump that bodybuilders covet.
But while isolation moves always help, they aren’t nearly as valuable as compound exercises.
Compound exercises, which work the body across multiple joints, generally require more
balance/coordination, allow for the use of heavier weight, involve multiple muscle groups, and work the body in a more “functional” manner. They’re key for building both size and strength.
The following 10 compound movements will make sure you will get the most out of every rep.
1. Barbell Bench Press
Focus: Chest; Anterior Deltoids; Triceps
Tip: Keep your rib cage high, your lower back arched, and your shoulders down and back for
maximal pectoral recruitment.
2. Dip
Focus: Chest; Anterior Deltoids; Triceps
Tip: To focus more on the chest, lean your torso forward about 45 degrees throughout the set. For more triceps recruitment, keep your torso straight. Make sure you execute a full range of motion in this exercise.
3.Deadlift
Focus: Quadriceps; Hamstrings; Lower Back; Traps; Forearms
Tip: Rather than rebounding the bar off the floor or rack pins on each rep, come to a dead stop instead, which will remove momentum and force more muscular action.
4. Barbell Back Squat
Focus: Thighs; Hamstrings; Glutes
Tip: Make sure to keep your head up, lower back slightly arched, and the bar set on the upper traps as you squat slowly to a position where the thighs drop just below parallel to the ground.
5. Bench Step-Ups
Focus: Thighs; Hamstrings; Glutes
Tip: Make sure to keep your head up, lower back slightly arched, and the bar set on the upper traps as you squat slowly to a position where the thighs drop just below parallel to the ground.
6. Bentover Row
Focus: Lats; Traps; Rhomboids; Lower Back
Tip: Keep the knees slightly bent to help support the low back. Bend the torso at about an 80-degree angle. Pull the bar to the belly button to activate the lats to a greater degree, and closer to the chest to hit more of the mid/upper back musculature.
7. Pullup
Focus: Lats; Traps; Rhomboids
Tip: Change the width of your grip workout to workout to stimulate different parts of the back. You can also experiment with pulling to the upper, mid and/or lower chest for even greater variation.
8. Military Press
Focus: Anterior Deltoids; Upper Pectorals; Triceps
Tip: Guys who want to focus on building total-body strength should perform this movement while standing at least every other workout. Make sure not to lean back too far or this exercise will become more of an “incline” press than a military press.
9. Shrug (variation pictured)
Focus: Traps; Forearms
Tip: Done with a barbell, machine, or dumbbells, this is an excellent movement for building “holding power/strength.” If you want to emphasize the forearms, do this movement without the use of lifting straps. However, if you want enormous traps, then make use of straps so that you can focus purely on shrugging big weight.
10. Close-Grip Bench Press
Focus: Triceps; Anterior Delts; Pectorals
Tip: Along with dips, this is one of the best exercises for building strong and thick triceps. Close- grip bench presses can be done with a free bar or Smith Machine, both of which have their advantages. Use a grip set about 6-8 inches apart and lower the bar to about nipple level.
