Beginner's Guide: 6 Basic Compound Lifts, and How to do Them

[angelamack]

Great clip, thanks for this useful instruction !

[Jeffrey85]

This is a very informative thread, thanks for sharing. I wish I would've come across this when I first started working out, it would have really helped.

[senoir]

Before I got this trick i had tried many things and they dint work on me.Now am the talk of town.Ladies are trowing themselves at me.I got the best catch.

[ASmith7]

Thanks for this, need to work on my form.

[canada99]

when i first started working out, before i got serious about it i was a bench press and curls junkie and it got me nowhere, so id end up giving up and quitting for a few months with no motivation and not much to show for my work...for the last 6 months or so this has pretty much been my full body workout using these 6 exercises and adding in a few others once in a while, and im loving my muscle and strength gains, and its thanks to reading threads like these that all noobs should read...now ill admit my bench press is still way stronger then any of my other lifts but the rest are coming along...im always looking at new ways to train in terms of volume and frequency, sets and reps but its always involving these compound movements and trying to get stronger with them

[xezile]

How can I find which guides to choose?

[kpsuk]

Cool thread, and happy to see it’s had so many responses.

I’ve been lifting for a year now and after the initial few months of making all the usual mistakes people make, feeling achy and stiff and getting nowhere in terms of appearance or improved weights; I got onto a couple of forums and found out about these ‘big 5,6,7’ as they get called, compounds and am happy to say my entire program consists of pretty much just these exercises

The only extras I have are dips and upright BB rows (alternated in front and behind back) and the only other thing different is I still have to do the pulldowns (close grip like chins). Chins are just not an option at the moment.
But then I weigh 15st (96kg, I can pulldown 85-90kg hoping when I can do about 100kg 5x6 then I’ll be able to move to the chins) so I let myself off a bit on that one.

Not sure about the comments by crack55 about Squats and Deadlifts. I’ve suffered from a dodgy lower back since I was about 14 (now 35) often it just seizes up for no good reason, but I still manage DL @ 120kg and Squats with 80kg, if anything my back has improved since working out. My back hasn’t seized up for a good year now. But I would recommend a good stretch out afterwards, to loosen the back up again.

Basically just split these exercises out into two routines of full-body:

A
Deadlifts
Dips
Pulldowns (chins pending)
Military Press (alternate front/behind head to hit rear delts and traps more)

B
Squats
Inclined DB Press
Bent-over BB Rows
Upright Rows (alternate front/behind head to hit rear delts and traps more)

MON, WED, FRI - ABA, BAB, ABA etc

The key for me seems to be KISS (Keep It Short n Simple) get my routine done inside the hour, cut out all them pointless exercise you think look good and kept to the basic routine above. Easy to remember, easy to keep track of my weights and how hard I’m finding my sets/reps (5x6).

After 6 months, I’m now starting to feel the differences and see slight difference. Got that first “My t-shirt feels tight across my back & chest” feeling a little while ago and the first “do you work out” comment from a girl at work the other day! So all seems good.

[harmanrainu]

i always skipped squats from my routine!

[Christos.Meimaroglou]

Great contribution and thanks for sharing this fundamental insight. I think it's fair to say that this info doesn't just apply to beginners and that the essential elements should be revisited be all.

As a suggestion, try complementing these compound exercises with GripSling raw training straps. This product has proven especially effective for blasting through plateaus. These straps can be used with any type of free-weights/ gym equipment and the straps create an inconstant dynamic when used to control the resistance workload, thus shocking your system and introducing a totally new type of resistance to your muscles. Feel free to check them out at GripSling.com and I'd like to hear your thoughts! You can also access GripSling workout videos on the site in order to get a better understanding of the gear.

Thanks again, and I look forward to learning and improving from this thread.

[nowhealthnut]

i recently read an article on abs, i was totally blown away what i read. it really made me think before i went any further. here is where the article was i read, just wanting to share. tinyurl.com/health-issues-on-abs

[RalphMatrix]

If i do my upper body on one day can i still do my legs and lower body the very next day? Even if my upper body is sore?

[VoxExMachina]

If i do my upper body on one day can i still do my legs and lower body the very next day? Even if my upper body is sore?

Yep.

[-Lucifer]

If i do my upper body on one day can i still do my legs and lower body the very next day? Even if my upper body is sore?

If by upper body you mean your chest and/or delts, then yes, you can work your legs the next day. If you've worked your back, however, I wouldn't recommend it. Your back needs to be fresh when you're squatting/deadlifting.

[RalphMatrix]

ok also can i do some cardio on the treadmill before doing legs? Is that recommended?

[-Lucifer]

ok also can i do some cardio on the treadmill before doing legs? Is that recommended?

Sure, if it's light cardio for 5-10 minutes. That's what most people on here do.

[atwses]

I'm looking forward to trying this stuff next week. Thanks for the help.

[JamieArnold]

If by upper body you mean your chest and/or delts, then yes, you can work your legs the next day. If you've worked your back, however, I wouldn't recommend it. Your back needs to be fresh when you're squatting/deadlifting.

That's definitely the truth! That's how people end up with agonizing back pain!

[marcusgarvey]

I like the vids. they clearly demonstrated the excercise and the best way to do them. Keep them coming OP

[Musselartist]

Yeah, like this thread!

I could have needed it when I was just getting started...

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[christinathomas]

Very informative, but man this post is lengthy!

[axdep]

My gym only has that benching machine that keeps the pole attached to the crap it latches too. My question is, me doing squats there, is it significantly less effective than doing free weighted squats?

[Brend0magic]

Wow, great info for a beginner like myself. Thanks for the post!

[oneyeti]

super helpful, thank you!! I've been trying to do squats but I'm not sure why when I hold a bar overhead it hurts my back/arms a lot more than if i do it with dumbbells over my shoulders? Does it really matter which way I do it?

[AwesomeStranger]

I really could have used this info when i first started to lift. I'm glad Vox took the time to make this thread. Good work as always!

[amtt81]

good stuff.

[bowlingj68]

This is very cool, even people with lots of experience can be reminded of the basics. I have recently gotten back into lifting and found it very useful.

[Irondale90]

Good basic info. very nice

[Irondale90]

ok also can i do some cardio on the treadmill before doing legs? Is that recommended?

that would depend on your current cardio shape. doing a short 5-10min treadmill to get your heart up to 120 -130 before doing legs would help. I wouldn't recommend a full 30-45 min run before doing legs though.

[williambarros]

awesome topic, hadn't I read it before Id probably have a screwd up back by now... :P