WEEK FORTY-SIX :: What Is The Best All Compound Workout?

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TOPIC: What Is The Best All Compound Workout?

For the week of: 08/014 - 08/20
Sunday @ Midnight Is The Final Cut (Mountain Time, US & Canada).

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Compound movements build the most muscle. Not only that, but they increase strength the fastest. And of course, they are brutal!

What is the best compound workout? Be specific.

How often should an all compound workout be performed?

What are the benefits of a compound workout?

What are the negative aspects of a compound workout?

How does a compound workout compare to an isolation workout?

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Don't discuss any other topic in this section. ONLY discuss the question above.

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[TheHitmanxxx]

when we think of "compound exercises" we all first think of the basic ones that we first were introduced to, and those are"bench, squat, dead lift"

are those really the best exercises? i think not, and here is how i come to my conclusions.
to really figure the best, think of:: if you would onyl do one workout the rest of your life which one would it be??

do you want to squat, and neglect your upper body?

do you want to bench and neglect your lower body??

well i say "running" yes, running!!! i know all the meat heads out there are stating that its not a "compound exercise"

but it is, not only do you use your legs,arms, and abs.

everything else has to be stable, and in control. cordination comes alog with this as well.

running developes awsome cardiovascular fitness as well as overall endurance and strength, not to mention life long benefits health wise.

running" the total body workout"

imagine being able to fully exhaust your muscles while only spending a few hours a week working out.

i am not stating this is the best mass builder or for meat heads who just want to be huge, i mean honest truthful fitness and overall health.

without running where would our athletes be? no where, running is more important than anything else there is.

without running there can be no "athlete", no true fitness, and its the worlds most basic workout we have been doing since the begining of time.


look at navy seal, special forces, these men and very athletic, can run miles if that workout is good enough for them, then its good enough for me.

[jvanlente]

The best compound workout is to take the four most effective compound moves, flat bench, power clean, squat and deadlift. You should perform 1 warm up set at 50% for 10-12 reps (of 1 rep max), 1 light set at 70% for 8-10 reps and 4 working sets of 80-85% for 4-6 reps.

You do three of them say bench, squat and power clean on the first day ( Monday). Then after two days rest (Thursday) you perform another three but rotate one out, so bench is out, now you are doing squat, power clean and deadlift. Your next workout would be on Sunday. You rest two days and replace the first exercise with the one that wasn’t performed last workout.

Benefits of a compound workout are you spend less time in the gym while putting on mass and increasing power.

Negative side to it is there is less focus on smaller muscles, so not getting as shredded in those areas.

With isolation workouts you will be able to perform more exercises because they are less demanding of the entire body, this is both good and bad, more time spent workout but there is focus on specific muscle groups so this can be good for bring up lagging body parts. A compound workout will exhaust your entire body with fewer exercises and less time. They are also more cardio vacuolar than isolation moves. Compound moves help a person develop power and are great way to put on

[bizkit_21_2002]

A compound workout should be one that has very few exercises hitting the most muscles. This would cover the big three: bench press, deadlift, and squat. Others would be Olympic lifts, like the snatch or cleans. Others would also be barbell row, chins, etc and variations of everything from above. A warm up set or sets, if you need more time to warm up, should probably be around 50% of your 1 rep max for 12-15 reps and around 4-6 working sets, ranging from 75% to 90%, but probably never above 95% unless you are training for a powerlifting competition.

Probably the best way to approach the compound lifts is to do one per day per major area and have a day of rest in between. Ex: Monday- bench press, Tuesday-rest, Wednesday-Deadlifts, etc. What is important is that everyone is different so I can't lay out exactly what will 100%; trial and error is your best friend and enemy with this. Remember using compounds exercises that you aren't just stimulating one muscle, but one major muscle and a ton of assistant muscles. The bench press doesn't only hit the pecs, but the triceps, abs, lats... practically your entire body plays a role! Rest is important so I would do a one day on, one day off split and repeat it, with respect to changing the bodypart.

A benefit from compound workouts would be from my previous paragraph, by doing few excersises, you are stimulating a lot more muscles than the major muslce. Not only will this make you grow all around, it will also help if you do single bodypart splits because that extra stimulus will make the assistant muscles grow and become stronger.

A downfall is that if you have a weak muscle that works as an assistant, the lift will be more difficult. Going back to the bench press, if your triceps are a weakpoint, the explosive "push" will of course be more difficult. In the squat, if your hamstrings are weak, pushing up from parallel might be more difficult than expected.

Isolation workouts are good if you want to hit one muscle directly and want that one area to grow. It would help aid in the compound moves too. Compound lifts will hit the entire body; isolation will hit one area. Both have the pro's and con's but combined, you almost can't go wrong.

[mivi320]

What Is The Best All Compound Workout?

Intro

Exercise selection determines a program's worth. Choosing the wrong exercises is basically setting yourself up for failure - as progress will be nonexistent.

There are so many exercises to chose from, so which ones are best?

Isolation vs. Compound Exercises

Compound exercises build overall mass, increase strength, overall power, and balance. Compound exercises recruit more muscle fibers and stress several joints - something that isolation exercises fail to do.

Don't get me wrong, isolation exercises have their place. However, for best results, compound exercises should make up the majority of your program.

Isolation exercises should be used to "tweak" a muscle - after you have established your goals.

What is the best compound workout?

Upper A

• Barbell Incline Bench Press - 3x5
• Weighted Chin-ups - 5x3-6
• Barbell Curls - 3x10-12
• Barbell Close-Grip Bench Press 3x8-12
• Weighted Sit-ups 5x10-12

Lower A

• Barbell Squat - 3x4-8
• Barbell Low Box Squats 5x5
• Dumbbell Lunges 3x8-12
• Hyperextensions 3x8-12

UPPER B

• Bent Over Barbell Row 3x6-10
• Weighted Dips (Chest Variation) 5x5
• JM Press 3x6-10
• V-bar Chin-ups 3x
• Weighted Hanging Leg Raises 3x8-12

LOWER B[*]Deadlift 5x5[*]Leg Press 3x6-10[*]Front Squat 3x8-12[*]Good Mornings 3x5-8[/list]
Suggested Schedule:

• Monday - UPPER A
• Tuesday - LOWER A
• Wednesday - Off
• Thursday - UPPER B
• Friday - Off
• Saturday - LOWER B
• Sunday - Off

Note:

It is imperative to have at least one full rest day between the UPPER B workout and LOWER B workout to let the back muscles fully recover from the workload of the UPPER B workout -- followed by deadlifts on the LOWER B workout.

Comments

This workout allows for massive strength gains, mass gains, and overall power. It can also be used to preserve muscle mass when dieting.

The frequency and volume of this workout program make it ideal for inducing hypertrophy (muscle growth). With this plan, focus on gradually increasing the weight or repetitions each workout. This is also known as progressive loading - a key component of unlocking massive strength and size gains!

This workout program is also ideal for those who are cutting and looking to preserve precious muscle mass - as it focuses moving heavy weights each workout, which will conclusively keep your muscles strong and retain that hard earned muscle mass.

A few more notes:

• Don't forget to warm up!
• Stop 1-2 reps short of failure on each exercise.
• Rest between sets should be 2-3 minutes.
• Don't expect to grow from this program if your nutrition is not in check!
• Cardiovascular activity can be done on your off days.
• Have fun!

How often should an all compound workout be performed?

Unlike single body part programs which can easily cause overtraining, this simple UPPER/LOWER set-up prevents overtraining entirely.

For example, say Monday is your chest and shoulder day and Tuesday is your bicep and tricep day. Do you really think that your triceps are going to be fully recovered after taking a beating from the previous chest and shoulder workout?

It should also be noted that if you are doing a multi-day split program, you will only be hitting each muscle group just once a week, which is clearly not the best option if you are looking to gain size and strength.

By using the workout program outlined in detail, you'll be able to focus on compound movements and hit each muscle growth more than once per week - without promoting overtraining!

With all that being said, an all compound workout program can be performed
as often as the trainee likes - given proper nutrition, supplementation, and recovery protocols are enforced.

What are the benefits of a compound workout?

Greater muscle stimulus

Unlike isolation exercises, compound exercises target a wide array of muscle fibers. What do you think will target more muscle fibers : a dumbbell lateral raise or a heavy military press?

Compound exercises, such as the military press, encourage much more growth than any isolation exercise, as more muscle fibers are stimulated!

Greater Energy Expenditure Per Workout

Compound workouts will yield a much more larger energy expenditure per workout in comparison to multi-split programs, which directly target each muscle once per week because more muscle fibers are targeted per session.

Performing deadlifts, leg press, front squats, and good mornings on the LOWER B workout is going to require much more energy than say doing an arm workout.

All this means that you can eat more calories to encourage muscle growth, without gaining additional fat as you will be expending more energy per workout!

This is also great for those trainees looking to slim down, as more calories per workout will be burned. As a result, fat loss will be accelerated!

Less time in the gym

Nobody wants to live in the gym. As bodybuilders, fitness fanatics, and athletes, we want the best results in the shortest time possible.

By following an all compound workout protocol, more muscle fibers will be targeted on each and every lift - causing you to spend less time in the gym!

Increased Anabolic Hormone Production

By taxing a wide array of muscle mass per workout, an increase in anabolic hormones -growth hormone and testosterone in particular are released.

The greater the load translates into a larger release of hormones. This can only be accomplished by incorporating compound exercises into your routine. This is highly beneficial as your body will be more anabolic each workout compared to if you were to follow a program which focused exclusively on isolation exercises - meaning much more growth and strength gains!

What are the negative aspects of a compound workout?

Less Attention Per Muscle Group

With a multi-split program, each muscle group can be focused on and given full attention.

For example, if you only have two muscle groups instead of the entire upper body to target in any given workout, those two muscle groups are most likely going to receive your utmost attention.

However, it should also be noted that it's best to gain overall mass and size through training with heavy compounds, and THEN focus on "tweaking" a muscle through multi-split programs.

Calves, Forearms, Traps, anyone?

With compound workout programs, these muscle groups are often neglected - as they are trained mainly through isolation exercises.

They are targeted through most compound lifts, but the stimulus may not be enough for some trainees to experience growth in these body parts. For example, squats target the calves to some degree, but not enough to encourage growth. The trainee would be better off performing a few sets of standing calve raises if he or she wanted to target the calves.

With that being said, these muscle groups can be trained on your "Off days" if you feel as if you are one of those trainees who won't get the desired muscle stimulus from compound lifts.


How does a compound workout compare to an isolation workout?

A compound workout is much superior to an isolation workout - as more muscle fibers will be recruited, more hormones will be released, and overtraining is not even an issue.

For beginner and intermediate trainees, an all compound workout is ideal for building a solid foundation and developing overall size. Once the trainee's desired size is reached, isolation work should be implemented into one's regimen to focus on "tweaking" those smaller muscle groups!

In short, the benefits of a compound workout dominate performing isolation workouts - as the trainee can expect optimal results in a shorter amount of time when training using an all compound workout!

Best of luck with your training!


Mike

[hamiltonbr]

What is the best compound workout? Be specific.
This will vary among individuals. The best compound workout for anyone is one that includes exercises that the trainee can SAFELY, CONSISTENTLY, and PROGRESSIVELY perform over the long term. This will depend upon individuals’ biomechanics, personal preferences, and recovery abilities. The following training regimen should be used as a starting point from which trainees should personalize the exercises chosen based on their own biomechanics, and personalize the training frequency to suit their individual recovery abilities. Warm up sets are not included.

Monday
Squat 1 set of 20 rest-pause reps
Stiff-legged deadlift 1 set of 12-15 reps
Standing calf raises 1 set of 12-15 reps

Thursday
Bench press or Weighted dip 2 sets of 6 reps
Weighted chin-up 2 sets of 6 reps
Overhead press 2 sets of 6 reps

Though this may seem like very little training, performed intensively, it thoroughly trains all the major muscles of the body once a week. Together with an optimal rest and nutrition plan, this routine will provide the large majority of drug-free trainees with the stimulation and recovery that is needed for consistent progress.

How often should an all compound workout be performed?
This will depend upon an individual’s recovery ability. An exercise should only be performed as often as the trainee can recuperate from it. The majority of drug-free trainees will likely find that training a given muscle group once every 5-7 days will yield consistent progress, while some may need more than a week of rest between hits on the same muscle group. Every trainee must, through trial and error, find a training frequency that allows them to safely and consistently use progressive resistance in their chosen exercises.

What are the benefits of a compound workout?
In a word, efficiency. Compound workouts stimulate the most muscle in the least amount of sets and reps. Recovery is essential for progress and every set performed in the gym makes deeper inroads into a trainee’s recovery abilities. Compound workouts get the job done efficiently, preserving the recovery that is essential for progress.

What are the negative aspects of a compound workout?
For more advanced trainees concerned with developing individual muscles (the minute details) of their physiques, compound exercises do not provide this specific, localized stimulus needed. For example, an advanced trainee who feels that their rear deltoid is lagging behind their other deltoids would need an isolation exercise to target that specific muscle.

How does a compound workout compare to an isolation workout?
A compound workout stimulates a greater amount of muscle per exercise than does an isolation workout. Compound workouts stimulate entire muscle groups. Isolation workouts stimulate specific muscles.

[best regards]

regards to all

[Biglachy03]

Good luck to all

Hope you enjoy the article

[ManInTheBox]

Good luck to everyone!

[TUnit]

Good luck to all this week!

[RC26]

My best article yet.

Good luck!

[BurningHeart]

Here's mine

[Blink41]

Here's mine. I hope you enjoy reading it. Good luck to all!!!!!!

[Next_Gen_BB]

Here's mine. I hope you enjoy reading it. Good luck to all!!!!!!

ur 9 minutes late

[Blink41]

ur 9 minutes late

Midnight, that was just 11

[Next_Gen_BB]

12 mountain time, which means you're late

good article though

[jresendi]

Mike (MIVI320) , i have started a routine based on your recommendation for about 8 weeks now with favorable results. As I am getting into it a couple questions have surfaced.

1. At some point, will i need start a new routine with a new set of compound exercises? or a variant of exercises?
2. Do you have diet recommendation that supports this workout?

Thanks,
JR

What Is The Best All Compound Workout?

Intro

Exercise selection determines a program's worth. Choosing the wrong exercises is basically setting yourself up for failure - as progress will be nonexistent.

There are so many exercises to chose from, so which ones are best?

Isolation vs. Compound Exercises

Compound exercises build overall mass, increase strength, overall power, and balance. Compound exercises recruit more muscle fibers and stress several joints - something that isolation exercises fail to do.

Don't get me wrong, isolation exercises have their place. However, for best results, compound exercises should make up the majority of your program.

Isolation exercises should be used to "tweak" a muscle - after you have established your goals.

What is the best compound workout?

Upper A

• Barbell Incline Bench Press - 3x5
• Weighted Chin-ups - 5x3-6
• Barbell Curls - 3x10-12
• Barbell Close-Grip Bench Press 3x8-12
• Weighted Sit-ups 5x10-12

Lower A

• Barbell Squat - 3x4-8
• Barbell Low Box Squats 5x5
• Dumbbell Lunges 3x8-12
• Hyperextensions 3x8-12

UPPER B

• Bent Over Barbell Row 3x6-10
• Weighted Dips (Chest Variation) 5x5
• JM Press 3x6-10
• V-bar Chin-ups 3x
• Weighted Hanging Leg Raises 3x8-12

LOWER B[*]Deadlift 5x5[*]Leg Press 3x6-10[*]Front Squat 3x8-12[*]Good Mornings 3x5-8[/list]
Suggested Schedule:

• Monday - UPPER A
• Tuesday - LOWER A
• Wednesday - Off
• Thursday - UPPER B
• Friday - Off
• Saturday - LOWER B
• Sunday - Off

Note:

It is imperative to have at least one full rest day between the UPPER B workout and LOWER B workout to let the back muscles fully recover from the workload of the UPPER B workout -- followed by deadlifts on the LOWER B workout.

Comments

This workout allows for massive strength gains, mass gains, and overall power. It can also be used to preserve muscle mass when dieting.

The frequency and volume of this workout program make it ideal for inducing hypertrophy (muscle growth). With this plan, focus on gradually increasing the weight or repetitions each workout. This is also known as progressive loading - a key component of unlocking massive strength and size gains!

This workout program is also ideal for those who are cutting and looking to preserve precious muscle mass - as it focuses moving heavy weights each workout, which will conclusively keep your muscles strong and retain that hard earned muscle mass.

A few more notes:

• Don't forget to warm up!
• Stop 1-2 reps short of failure on each exercise.
• Rest between sets should be 2-3 minutes.
• Don't expect to grow from this program if your nutrition is not in check!
• Cardiovascular activity can be done on your off days.
• Have fun!

How often should an all compound workout be performed?

Unlike single body part programs which can easily cause overtraining, this simple UPPER/LOWER set-up prevents overtraining entirely.

For example, say Monday is your chest and shoulder day and Tuesday is your bicep and tricep day. Do you really think that your triceps are going to be fully recovered after taking a beating from the previous chest and shoulder workout?

It should also be noted that if you are doing a multi-day split program, you will only be hitting each muscle group just once a week, which is clearly not the best option if you are looking to gain size and strength.

By using the workout program outlined in detail, you'll be able to focus on compound movements and hit each muscle growth more than once per week - without promoting overtraining!

With all that being said, an all compound workout program can be performed
as often as the trainee likes - given proper nutrition, supplementation, and recovery protocols are enforced.

What are the benefits of a compound workout?

Greater muscle stimulus

Unlike isolation exercises, compound exercises target a wide array of muscle fibers. What do you think will target more muscle fibers : a dumbbell lateral raise or a heavy military press?

Compound exercises, such as the military press, encourage much more growth than any isolation exercise, as more muscle fibers are stimulated!

Greater Energy Expenditure Per Workout

Compound workouts will yield a much more larger energy expenditure per workout in comparison to multi-split programs, which directly target each muscle once per week because more muscle fibers are targeted per session.

Performing deadlifts, leg press, front squats, and good mornings on the LOWER B workout is going to require much more energy than say doing an arm workout.

All this means that you can eat more calories to encourage muscle growth, without gaining additional fat as you will be expending more energy per workout!

This is also great for those trainees looking to slim down, as more calories per workout will be burned. As a result, fat loss will be accelerated!

Less time in the gym

Nobody wants to live in the gym. As bodybuilders, fitness fanatics, and athletes, we want the best results in the shortest time possible.

By following an all compound workout protocol, more muscle fibers will be targeted on each and every lift - causing you to spend less time in the gym!

Increased Anabolic Hormone Production

By taxing a wide array of muscle mass per workout, an increase in anabolic hormones -growth hormone and testosterone in particular are released.

The greater the load translates into a larger release of hormones. This can only be accomplished by incorporating compound exercises into your routine. This is highly beneficial as your body will be more anabolic each workout compared to if you were to follow a program which focused exclusively on isolation exercises - meaning much more growth and strength gains!

What are the negative aspects of a compound workout?

Less Attention Per Muscle Group

With a multi-split program, each muscle group can be focused on and given full attention.

For example, if you only have two muscle groups instead of the entire upper body to target in any given workout, those two muscle groups are most likely going to receive your utmost attention.

However, it should also be noted that it's best to gain overall mass and size through training with heavy compounds, and THEN focus on "tweaking" a muscle through multi-split programs.

Calves, Forearms, Traps, anyone?

With compound workout programs, these muscle groups are often neglected - as they are trained mainly through isolation exercises.

They are targeted through most compound lifts, but the stimulus may not be enough for some trainees to experience growth in these body parts. For example, squats target the calves to some degree, but not enough to encourage growth. The trainee would be better off performing a few sets of standing calve raises if he or she wanted to target the calves.

With that being said, these muscle groups can be trained on your "Off days" if you feel as if you are one of those trainees who won't get the desired muscle stimulus from compound lifts.


How does a compound workout compare to an isolation workout?

A compound workout is much superior to an isolation workout - as more muscle fibers will be recruited, more hormones will be released, and overtraining is not even an issue.

For beginner and intermediate trainees, an all compound workout is ideal for building a solid foundation and developing overall size. Once the trainee's desired size is reached, isolation work should be implemented into one's regimen to focus on "tweaking" those smaller muscle groups!

In short, the benefits of a compound workout dominate performing isolation workouts - as the trainee can expect optimal results in a shorter amount of time when training using an all compound workout!

Best of luck with your training!


Mike