TopJLax

Compound exercises – those that involve more than one muscle or joint – should form the foundations of any strength training programme because of their tried and tested ability to bring about rapid gains. Exercises such as the squat and deadlift have been used by lifters for many years to increase muscle mass and strength for the simple reason that they work. Over time a multitude of exercises have been developed to isolate small muscles or specific parts of a muscle, using a variety of different pieces of equipment, however these exercises may never be able to deliver significant increases in the same way as compound exercises. If you’re looking to make fast gains then get back to basics.

Benefits of compound exercises

• Allows you to lift greater loads, creating a greater training-induced stress on the body
• Greater amount of muscle fibre stimulation so higher metabolic cost and more calories burned during exercise.
• Time efficient – target multiple muscles in one exercise
• Improves coordination, body awareness and balance.
• Improves joint stability and muscle balance across a joint.
• Creates a greater training stress so gains are more significant and more rapidly delivered.

Essential compound exercises to include in your programme:

Clean and Press
One of the Olympic lifts, the clean and press involves the majority of the major muscles of the body. The lift is quite technical and should be performed explosively, so spend time mastering the correct technique.

Squat
The best exercise for stressing the quads, as well as the glutes, squats involve the majority of the muscles of the lower body. Good technique is crucial to staying injury free and shifting the most weight so practice with just the bar until your technique is perfect.

Deadlift
A simple but effective exercise that stresses the back and legs. Keep your back straight and the bar close to your body throughout.

Pull up
One of the most basic back exercises, pull-ups, can be performed inside and outside the gym, all you need is something to support your bodyweight. Use assisted pull ups until you are comfortable with your bodyweight, then add additional weight to increase the challenge when required.

Bench press
The best chest exercise, the bench press builds mass and develops upper body strength. Focus on driving the bar off your chest without bouncing and gripping the bar tightly to help you push more weight.

These are just a few good exercises to get you started. In the coming weeks we will also focus on some dynamic effort exercises and some plyometric workouts.


"Lack of activity destroys the good condition of every human being, while movement and methodical physical exercise save it and preserve it"  - Plato


Train Hard,
Coach Dave.