Multi-joint, or compound, exercises target more than one muscle at a time. Doing these exercises causes fast gains in muscle size and strength. As an added bonus, you do not need to spend so much time training because you get more overall muscle recruitment. If planned out properly, you can do a full body workout in less than an hour.
Precautionary Stretching
Being that you activate so many muscles and joints in a full-body workout, you are best served doing a good stretch protocol beforehand. This will acclimate your body to exercising movement and reduce your odds of suffering an injury. Spend a few minutes doing a series of dynamic stretches. Your goal is to target as many of your major muscles as possible. Include stretches such as arm circles, arm crossovers, shoulder shrugs, leg swings, trunk rotations, ankle bounces and alternating toe touches.
Exercise Selection
The benefit of multi-joint training is that you do not have to do a ton of exercises to get a full body workout. The goal is to target all of the major muscles, and you can achieve this with five or six basic lifts. Include bench presses, shoulder presses, bent-over rows, dips and deadlifts in your routines. These exercises target the chest, shoulders, back, arms, legs, butt and abs.
Notes About Free Weights and Machines
Both free weights and machines give you adequate resistance and are helpful when it comes to gaining strength. However, free weights, such as dumbbells and barbells, edge out machines when it comes to overall muscle fiber recruitment. When using these, you are forced to contract more stabilizing muscles so they make better options in a full body workout.
Executing Proper Lifting Form
Using proper form is of critical interest, especially when using free weights. If you make the slightest wrong move or do not pay attention to your body alignment, you risk getting injured. With bench presses, lie face-up on a flat bench and grasp the barbell with a wide grip. Steadily push it off the supports and hold it straight above your body with your arms fully extended. Slowly lower the bar until it lightly touches your chest and push it back up in a smooth motion. A common error often occurs when an exerciser bounces the bar off his chest to gain momentum. This will not only increase your injury risk, but it will also take away work from your muscles.
Structure of Workout
To maximize your muscle gains, you need to use an adequate weight with your exercises. As a rule of thumb, choose a resistance that you can only lift 8 to 12 times with proper form. Aim for four or five sets with each exercise and take two days off in between workouts. If you were to work out every day, your muscles will not have time to heal, and you will compromise your progress.
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