Compound Exercises & Weightlifting Workouts

Compound exercises are those which not only work the largest muscles of your body, but also work multiple muscles at the same time. This allows you to spend your time in the gym actually making much better progress than if you only used isolation exercises, which attempt to work only a single muscle. Compound lifts include the squat, deadlift, chin-up, row, bench press and military press. Before beginning any diet or exercise program, consult your physician.

The Squat and the Deadlift

The squat works your legs and core, which means your abdominal, oblique and lower-back muscles. It is one of the best exercises for overall strength and power. Back out of the squat rack with a barbell on your upper back, not your neck, and hold it firmly in place. Bend at the hips, knees and ankles, and descend until you are below parallel, then stand back up. At no time during the lift should you round your back. The deadlift also works the legs, but not as strongly as the squat. It does, however, work the back better than just about any other lift, as well as the core. Place your shins against the bar, reach down, and without rounding your back, stand up by straightening the hips and knees without bending your arms, then set the bar back down.

Training the Back

Chin-ups and rows work the back, biceps and posterior deltoids, or the back of the shoulders. The wide muscles of the back, in addition to being the largest muscles of the upper body, provide stability on many exercises, including the squat, deadlift and pressing movements. To execute a chin-up, grab a bar with your hands wider than your shoulders, pull yourself up until your chin is over the bar, and slowly lower yourself back down without bouncing out of the bottom. To perform a row, grip a barbell with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width, bend over, and pull the bar into your sternum without rounding your back.

Pressing Matters

The bench press is executed while lying face up on a bench. Take the bar from the rack with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width, lower slowly to your chest, then push to full extension. Never bounce the bar off of your chest, keep your feet flat on the floor and your head and hips on the bench at all times. To execute the military press, grip a bar with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width, with the bar resting on your anterior deltoids, or the front of your shoulders. Press the bar up in a straight line, moving your head out of the way of the bar. Do not press the bar around your head. Push the bar to full extension, then lower along the same path.

Beginner Workouts

Beginners should lift weights only three days a week, so you have time to recover. Perform squats twice a week, and deadlifts the third workout. Following this, pick one pressing exercise and one pulling exercise --- chin-ups or rows. Five sets of five to eight repetitions is plenty, as you are learning the skills of the lifts, and need plenty of time to recovery. Keep your rest periods short, but keep the intensity high. Add weight slowly but never sacrifice good technique for a few extra pounds. Good training is safe training.