If you want to get the most bang for your buck in the gym, compound exercises are the way to go. Not only do they work more muscle at once, but they can also improve your overall strength, coordination, power, and improve your overall appearance.
Since you are using several muscle groups at once, you get a better chance for balanced muscular development. Physique-wise, this can make you look more complete and balanced. When you do too many isolation exercises, it could cause some muscles to develop more than others. With compound exercises, you get more muscle groups working in coordination with one another. Not only can this generate balanced muscle growth, but it also requires more energy to execute making compound exercises a great calorie burner.
This will specifically look at the muscles of the lower body. These 7 compound lower body exercises are the ideal choices for building strength, muscle, symmetry, and muscular coordination, all at the same time. Many of these will include a variation of the squat but also exercises targeting the posterior chain.
Lower Body Compound Exercises
To get the most out of these compound exercises, it is recommended that you warm up and perform a good stretching routine after your workout.
1. Squat
How to Do
- Stand under a barbell gripping it with a shoulder-width grip. The bar should rest along your upper traps, elbows pointing downward.
- Your head should be up, and your feet will also be shoulder-width apart
- Stand up, taking the bar off the rack, step back with one foot, then bring the other foot to get to the balanced starting position
- Inhale, keep your core tight, head up, and lower the bar down under control until your knees are at least parallel to the ground
- Exhale as you drive the weight upward, focusing on pushing through the heels of your feet. Stop just short of locking out your knees to complete one rep
Benefits
Any list of compound lower body exercises has to start with the squat. It’s the king of all exercises. Squats not only work every muscle in the lower body, but they can also help to develop strength and muscle throughout the rest of your body. When you squat with a barbell, you put your body into a super defensive position. The act of balancing a weighted bar on your activates your sympathetic nervous system which can release hormones like testosterone. This will help to build more strength and muscle through not only your legs; but your entire body.
Muscles Worked
- Glutes
- Quadriceps
- Hamstrings
- Gastrocnemius
- Adductors and abductors
- Hip flexors
- Core muscles
2. Deadlift
How to Do
- For a traditional barbell deadlift, stand behind a bar with feet shoulder-width apart
- Start in a squat position, keeping spine neutrality. The traditional grip will have your hands just outside of your shins
- Breath outward and drive upward by pushing through your legs and feet while keeping your arms straight as they hold the bar. The bar should travel upward close to your legs–if not in constant contact with them
- When you get to the upright position, keep the shoulder blades back and glutes engaged and reverse the motion, lowering the weight down under control returning to the starting position
- Keep your back straight, arms straight, abs tight, and avoid rounding the back and letting the bar travel away from your body
Benefits
If the squat is the king of the lower body lifts, the deadlift is a close second. Similar to the squat, it takes a full-body effort to perform a deadlift. All muscles are needed to work in coordination to perform it. The difference here is the involvement of the upper body. Deadlifts primarily target your hamstrings, but your arms and back are needed to lift the weight. This is another exercise that can cause a hormonal release that can lead to greater gains in strength and muscle.
- Hamstrings
- Hip flexors
- Trapezius
- Core muscles
- Biceps
- Glutes
- Latissimus Dorsi
- Muscles of the forearm
- Spinal erectors
- Quads
- Rhomboids
3. Bulgarian Split Squat
How to Do
- Stand a few feet in front of a bench, box, or chair
- Start with the right foot, which will be in front of you and facing forward. Your back foot and toes will be balanced on the bench behind you
- Holding either two dumbbells at your side, or a single dumbbell or kettlebell up and held against your chest slowly lower your right knee, stopping just before you touch the ground
- Drive upward, pushing through your heel to the starting position to complete one rep. Continue with that leg for the desired amount of reps before switching legs to complete the set
- Keep your torso straight, abs tight, and avoid having your knee lower past your toes
Benefits
Split squats are a challenging exercise, but provide tremendous benefits such as direct targeting of the quads and glutes, improved balance and coordination, and core engagement. Even though you perform them a single leg at a time, they are still a compound movement due to all the muscles they work. Split squats will help improve our sprinting and boost your jumping power. They will also help to improve other leg exercises, such as the squat.
Muscles Worked
- Quadriceps
- Hamstrings
- Glutes
- Spinal erectors
- Abductors and adductors
- Core muscles
- Gastrocnemius
- Stabilizer muscles and muscles in the ankles and feet
4. Hack Squat
How to Do
- The feet will be in front of your knees and feet just outside shoulder-width apart. Find a foot position that allows you to push through your heels and not the balls of your feet
- Adjust the machine so your shoulders are comfortable under the support pads
- There should be a safety catch to release the hack squat support, and you will push upward to being the exercise
- Lower the carriage down under control until your upper legs are at–or just below–parallel
- Drive upward through your heels to the starting position, stopping just short of full knee lockout to perform one rep
Benefits
Hack squats provide you with similar muscular growth and strength as the barbell squat, but in a safer and more isolated position. The incline position of the hack squat allows you to target your quads more effectively and may help build even more muscle in them. Some studies say they can be just as effective as free weight lower body exercises. They are also a good exercise choice if you have a limited range of motion but still want to work the muscles of the lower body. Hack squats are a great way to target the quads and improve their strength. This will help improve your regular squat and other lower body exercise. You also have the option of performing the reverse hack squat or changing your foot position, which will target different portions of the leg.
Muscles Worked
- Quads
- Glutes
- Hamstrings
- Hip flexors
- Calves
- Core muscles
5. Stiff-legged Deadlift
How to Do
- Start behind the bar, similar to the regular deadlift. Feet shoulder-width apart and the bar over the middle of your feet
- Lean forward to grab the bar with a shoulder-width grip. Keep the legs straight but with still a slight bend in the knees
- Grasp the bar, inhale, and pull the weight upward, keeping the bar traveling along your shins and to the front of your legs. Keep your core tight and your back straight until you reach a standing position
- Lower the bar back down, under control, keeping the bar close to your body until it touches the ground while still keeping your lefts straight to perform a one full rep
Benefits
With a stiff-legged deadlift, the emphasis of the movement focuses more on the hamstrings than other muscles of the body. Whereas the regular deadlift is a full-body power movement, the stiff-legged deadlift requires straighter legs and is a more controlled movement. This will require you to use a lighter weight than a traditional deadlift, as the hamstrings are going to take most of the resistance. The hamstrings tend to be the weakest muscle in the body so it’s an exercise where strict form is absolutely paramount. This is about controlled movements and working the muscle instead of seeing how much weight you can lift.
Muscles Worked
- Hamstrings
- Lower back/spinal erectors
- Glutes
- Adductors
- Trapezius
- Forearm flexors
- Core muscles
6. Leg Press
How to Do
- Once seated, position feet halfway up the platform and about shoulder-width apart. You may have to move your feet around to find the ideal position, but they should be set so that you can push through your heels.
- Keep your abs tight and push the platform away from you and disengage the lock mechanism. Make sure your back stays flat against the back support
- Lower the platform down under control–you can get your quads as close to your torso as is comfortable. Pause for a second and push the weight upwards through the heel
- Stop before your knees lockout to complete one rep
Benefits
The leg press is another great compound lower body exercise that is an alternative to regular squats. You will still work a majority of muscles in the lower body, but since you are stable and don’t have to balance a bar, you can directly target the quads even better. The other good thing is you can experiment with your foot position. Changing the height and width of your feet will target different areas of your quads. You still want to make sure it’s comfortable and you’re in a position that doesn’t put too much strain on the knees and ankles.
Muscles Worked
- Quads
- Glutes
- Hamstrings
- Calves
- Adductors and abductors
- Hip flexors
- core
7. Barbell Hip Raises
How to Do
- You will need a barbell, a bench, and even a mat or pad to go under the bar
- Start on the floor, knees bent, and feet just slightly wider than shoulder-width
- The bar will go across your hips, so you may have to slide underneath in order to get to the starting position
- Hold on to the bar to keep it in position, with the bench supporting your back around the mid-scapular region
- Keep your abs tight, squeeze your glutes and drive the hips and bar upward so the hips are in line with your shoulders and knees
- Pause for a second at the top and lower back under control, stopping a few inches before you touch the ground
Benefits
Barbell hip raises, or hip thrusts, are a great compound lower body exercise to build explosive strength and power through the hips and glutes. The glutes are the biggest muscle in the body and are involved with big explosive movements such as jumping and sprinting. If you’re an athlete, hip strength is also what provides explosive forward power. No matter what sport it is, your hip strength allows you to keep a solid base while driving yourself forward. Strong hips and glutes can also help your posture in daily activities and reduce lower back strain.
Muscles Worked
- Glutes
- Hamstrings
- Hip flexors
- Erector spinae
- Adductors
- Knee extensors
- Core muscles
Personal Trainer Tips
Lower body training needs a proper warmup. The muscles of the legs are very strong and you can often lift heavier weights–especially with compound movements. You want to make sure you are properly warmed up through a series of dynamic stretches, light cardio to get the heart rate up, and warm-up sets to get your muscles accustomed to the movement and which muscles will be specifically targeted.
A good cool down and stretching are important post-workout. Since you’ve been driving a lot of blood into the working leg muscles, it can cause pooling, which will lead to cramping, if you haven’t properly cooled down and stretched.
Conclusion
Lower body training is tough, but that’s what makes it so effective. Lower body training–especially with compound exercises–requires a full-body effort, so it’s taxing on the central nervous system. Proper rest and recovery are important to get the benefits out of the taxing sessions. Compound training needs to be a part of everyone’s training program, and these 7 compound lower body exercises are some great choices to target the lower body.