Compound exercises are very important in building muscle. This is because they utilize more than one muscle group at a time. When you try to just target individual muscle groups, you’ll find that you can do a lot of repetitions before actually breaking a sweat. Compound exercises require more effort and force more muscles to work simultaneously – which leads to the added intensity and burns extra calories. Here are some compound exercises you can do from home;
5 Compound exercises at home
1. Burpees
The burpee is a compound, high-intensity exercise. Burpees are not just one exercise, they’re a combination of a squat, pushup, and jump. Each repetition consists of the three movements. You’ll get a great cardio workout and work muscles throughout your body. And the exercises are pretty simple, but you can arrange them to make them more complicated to help you improve all the time.
Here is how you do burpees:
- Start in a standing position with your feet shoulder-width apart.
- Lower your body down into a squat position.
- Place your hands on the ground in front of you and kick your feet back so you end up in a pushup position.
- Do a pushup.
- Bring your feet back to the squat position.
- Jump up as high as you can.
- Repeat the entire sequence.
When done with proper form, burpees are a great way to get fit and develop some serious muscle. They’re also one of the best exercises you can do no matter your experience level or fitness goals. If you want to get fit, keep a great body, or just stay in good cardiovascular shape, then burpees are for you.
2. Body Weight Squats
Bodyweight squats are one of my favorite exercises because they can be performed anywhere and they work your legs (including your glutes) and core. Body Weight Squats are known to help in a variety of areas, including but not limited to better posture, improved circulation, and increased bone density.
To do bodyweight squats:
- Start with your feet shoulder-width apart, and your chest up.
- Initiate the movement by breaking at the hips and knees, and sitting back and down.
- Keep your weight in your heels, and drive your knees out to the side.
- Lower yourself until your thighs are parallel to the ground, and then press through your heels to return to the starting position.
Bodyweight squats can be performed just about anywhere because they require no equipment. And they burn a lot of calories and tone your lean muscles as well. Both men and women alike can perform this exercise, regardless of their fitness level. Squats are one of the best exercises you can do for your body, so if you never do anything else, at least do bodyweight squats three times a week.
3. Push-ups
Push-ups are a great exercise and also one of the best compound exercises that you can do to build upper body strength if done right, push-ups are highly effective when it comes to building muscle, but often people get most of the workout in their arms and shoulders. Push-ups are a fantastic exercise that you can do in the comfort of your own home. Even though they’re considered a compound move, they don’t require weights. So you can use your own body as resistance.
Here is how you do proper push-ups:
- Start in a plank position with your hands shoulder-width apart and your feet hip-width apart.
- Lower your body down until your chest is an inch from the ground.
- Push back up to the starting position.
- Repeat the movement for as many reps as you can.
Push-ups are a fantastic exercise, but it’s important to focus on doing them right so that you get the most benefits. It can be easy to use your chest and arms as support, leaving your shoulder muscles behind. Make sure you keep your shoulder blades back and down as you bend over and extend upwards, engaging your deltoids in the process. You should also try to work on creating an equal distance between each push-up. This will help balance out the muscle development in your upper body.
4. Lunges
Lunges are an awesome exercise for targeting the glutes, hamstrings, and quadriceps. They are also an amazing functional exercise that helps build strength in the hips and legs. Lunges can be performed with dumbbells or a barbell or even with no weight at all. Lunges work to improve your strength, and endurance and help bring definition to the legs.
Here is how you do lunges:
- Start by standing with your feet hip-width apart and your hands on your hips.
- Step forward with your right foot and lower your body until your left thigh is parallel to the ground.
- Push off your right foot to return to the starting position.
- Repeat with your left leg.
Lunges are a classic exercise for developing the leg and glute muscles. When performed correctly, lunges can be very effective and help to build muscle mass in the quadriceps, hamstrings, and gluteal muscles. Performed with dumbbells or a barbell, lunges work great to engage the core as well. Lunges can be performed at home or even while out on a walk or other activity.
5. The plank
The plank is arguably the most well-known abdominal exercise. It works as a great compound exercise that engages your abs, back, and glutes. It’s also a great example of how you can execute an exercise without needing to go anywhere or buy any equipment.
To do the plank:
- Start on your hands and knees, making sure your hands are directly below your shoulders.
- Step your feet back, one at a time, until you are in a push-up position with your legs extended straight behind you and your body forming a straight line from your head to your heels.
- Brace your core by contracting your abs and squeezing your glutes.
- Hold this position for the desired amount of time.
The plank is a good core exercise that you can do pretty much anywhere. It’s a compound exercise, which means it works many muscles at once. It works your abs, back, and glutes. You can also modify it to work different muscles by shifting your weight forward or backward, which changes the amount of stress that your body feels as you complete the exercise.
Conclusion
As you can see, there are numerous compound exercises you can do from home. Compound exercises are very important in building muscle. This is because they utilize more than one muscle group at a time. When you try to just target individual muscle groups, you’ll find that you can do a lot of repetitions before actually breaking a sweat. Compound exercises require more effort and force more muscles to work simultaneously – which leads to added intensity and burns extra calories. Here are some compound exercises you can do from home; plus they are free, fun, activating and they will also help build up your endurance.