A full body compound workout is one of the most effective ways to build muscle and strength.
There are many ways you can design a full body workout, but the most common approach is to perform a variety of exercises, with multiple sets and repetitions, for the largest group of muscles in your body.
The full-body compound workout is a home workout that combines several different exercises to target all the main muscles in your body. While the exercises are fairly simple, there are many variations and configurations that you can use. The benefit of this type of exercise is that you have to move a lot of weight which helps build strength and burn fat while protecting your joints at the same time.
What Are Compound Exercises?
Compound exercises are movements that require more than one muscle group to perform. This means more muscle groups are involved in performing the exercise and the muscle groups like biceps, triceps, quads, hamstrings, traps, and abs (to name a few) will be more worked on compound exercises.
5 Compound Exercises For A Full Body Compound Workout
1. Squats
Squats are one of the most heavily used compound exercises you can do at the gym. This is because they target a lot of muscle groups including those in your quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, calves, and lower back. Squats also increase your body strength and make your bones strong which helps prevent injuries when lifting heavyweights. The squat can be a great way to give your lower body a full workout.
Here is how you do basic squats:
- Start by standing with your feet shoulder-width apart.
- Bend your knees and lower your hips as if you were going to sit in a chair.
- Keep your chest up and your core tight.
- Drive through your heels and return to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Squats are a great way to get a complete, full-body workout in a short period. But it’s important to do them the right way, otherwise, you may put undue strain on your lower back and knees, which can lead to injury. Remember to keep your head up and keep your back straight as you squat down.
2. Deadlifts
Deadlifts are compound exercises that target multiple muscles. The most important muscle in the group is the posterior chain. This group of muscles consists of the glutes, hamstrings, and adductors. Deadlifts involve trunk extension, hip extension, and knee extension.
To do a primitive deadlift:
- Start with a weight on the ground in front of you.
- Squat down and grab the weight with both hands.
- Lift the weight off the ground by extending your hips and knees.
- Return to the starting position and repeat.
Deadlifts utilize an amazing amount of muscle mass and as a result, they’re also very taxing. To be able to perform them properly and get the most out of them you need to include full lower body warm-ups. You also need to learn proper form, which is the foundation of any exercise program you do.
3. Bench Press
The bench press is one of the most popular compound exercises in the gym. It targets the major chest muscle known as pectoralis major, it will involve the shoulders and triceps muscle too. The bench press is probably the most popular compound exercise there is. It’s the go-to exercise for chest development, and something that nearly every bodybuilder includes in their workout routines.
Here’s how to perform the bench press:
- Lie back on a flat bench with your feet flat on the ground.
- Arch your back and drive your heels into the ground. This will help you maintain a strong and stable base.
- Take a deep breath in and lower the barbell down to your sternum, tucking your elbows about 45 degrees to your sides.
- When the barbell reaches your sternum, explosively drive it back up to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Like most compound exercises, the majority of the stress will be placed on the larger, stronger muscles – in this case, your chest. It’s important to remember that even smaller muscle groups are still working hard during a bench press. It’s the kind of exercise where the muscles work together to perform a function – in this case, to move the weight up and down.
4. Shoulder Press
The shoulder press is a compound exercise. Compound exercises use multiple muscle groups and joints to complete the lift. The shoulder press uses the deltoids, trapezius, and forearm muscles during the motion. There are other muscle groups used as well but these are the main ones that are put to use and provide most of the resistance.
To do shoulder press:
- Start with the weight in your hands, palms facing forward.
- Bring the weight up to shoulder level, elbows out to the sides.
- Press the weight overhead, keeping your elbows close to your head.
- Lower the weight back to shoulder level and repeat.
The shoulder press is a great exercise to add to your routine. You’ll be using multiple muscle groups and joints to work out and develop muscle mass all while adding strength! This can help you in many other workouts like the bench press or military press and even in sports, where a strong upper body is a must.
5. Pull Ups
Pull Ups are an exercise I recommend for everyone who performs compound exercises. They build incredible amounts of strength in your upper back, lats, and biceps. But, like most exercises, they need to be done correctly to progress in the right direction. If you’re performing Pull Ups and not getting results, there’s a good chance you’re doing it wrong and need to learn the proper technique.
Here is how you do pull ups:
- Hang from a bar with your palms facing away from you and your arms fully extended.
- Bend your knees and cross your ankles behind you.
- Pull yourself up until your chin is over the bar.
- Lower yourself back down to the starting position.
Pull Ups are one of the best upper body exercises you can perform, as well as being a terrific way to get more from your workout. Pull Ups are a compound exercise, which makes them especially worthwhile. While doing them, you work 17 different muscles through a full range of motion. There’s no better way to get your entire upper body in shape.
Wrapping It Up
In this article, I have outlined the key compound exercises that are used in the full-body compound workout. By using these particular compound exercises you will work more muscle groups which will translate into a more powerful workout and one that burns more fat than working only your chest muscles or just your biceps. The next time you want to get in a really effective workout you should try the full-body compound workout and notice how much more worn out and sore you will be when you are done.