One problem that many people have in the gym is that they only want to do exercises like bicep curls and chest flyes. These can be useful and have their place in a workout, but the main focus should be on compound exercises, which involve more than one muscle group. Squats, deadlifts, and the bench press are three lifts that should be included in everybody's workout. Other compound exercises that I would recommend doing are pullups, dips, and shoulder presses. In this article, I will show you some of the advantages that compound lifts have over isolation exercises. -Time: Doing compound exercises can save you time and shorten your workout. If you bench press, you are working your chest, shoulders, and triceps. Doing isolation movements for each of those muscles would take much more time than working them together. This can leave extra time in your workout for anything you want. -Strength: You will be able to use much more weight when you are working more than one muscle group. This will increase your overall strength and size faster than using light weights. It will also strengthen the connective tissue that supports your muscles, which will help prevent certain injuries. -Muscle: Because of the higher weights that you will be using, you will also gain more muscle mass. More of the smaller stabilizer muscles will be worked and your testosterone and growth hormone levels also increase after doing exercises like squats and deadlifts. -Functionality: When you do an exercise such as squats, you are using your body as a unit. Your different body parts will work together to move the weight. Compound exercises will be more closely related to movements that you might do during the rest of your day such as move furniture or lift a heavy box. -Calories: Using more muscles to lift the weight will also take more energy. If you are trying to burn calories, this is an efficient way to do it. Combining some compound movements with some cardio would be an effective calorie-burning workout. Compound exercises have many benefits that make them a must for any workout plan. All beginners should focus on these lifts to develop a solid base. Isolation movements also have their place in a workout, but they shouldn't be the focus. Whether your goal is to gain muscle or to lose fat, there is no excuse to not be doing your compounds! |
