8
5 Benefits of Compound Exercises
Provided by American Council on Exercise
Two of the
most common reasons people give for not exercising is
lack of time and not knowing what type of exercise they should be doing. This
is what leads many people to hire a personal trainer—they want an expert tell
them how to achieve their goals. Typically, they also want to know how to do it
in the most time-efficient manner possible.
While
single-joint, isolation exercises are ideal for people who have the inclination
or time to sculpt the perfect body, they simply aren’t that effective for
maximizing the calorie burning effects of exercise. If a client’s goal is
improving his or her overall fitness level, compound exercises that feature
multi-joint movements involving more than a single muscle group can be
extremely effective for realizing benefits from all three categories of
fitness: cardiovascular, strength and flexibility. Knowing how to use compound
exercises can give you specific strategies and techniques for helping your
time-strapped clients.
Here are five benefits of compound
exercises, along with suggested exercises to help your clients experience the
maximum benefits from a limited amount of exercise time.
1. Compound exercises burn more calories.
The body
expends 5 calories of energy to consumer 1 liter of oxygen. Exercises that
involve more muscle tissue require more oxygen, which helps the body increase
its net energy expenditure.
2. Compound exercises improve intermuscular coordination.
This is the
function and timing of multiple muscles around a joint or joints. Consider, for
example, the gluteal complex (gluteus maximus, medius
and minimus), which is responsible for controlling
motion of the hip. Compound exercises such as squats, lunges or steps that move
the hips in all three planes can improve how all of the muscles work together
to produce and control force.
3. Compound exercises elevate the heart rate and provide a cardiovascular
training benefit.
The purpose of
cardiovascular exercise is to improve the ability of the heart to function as a
pump. This can be accomplished through activities such as running and cycling,
or by doing exercises that involve a significant amount of muscle tissue.
Sitting in a leg-extension machine doing knee extensions or performing biceps
curls with dumbbells uses only a limited amount of muscle tissue; these
exercises are more appropriate for focusing on isolated strength. Squats to
shoulder presses, medicine ball chops or burpees are all examples of compound
exercises that involve large amounts of muscle tissue, which challenges the
heart to pump blood to keep the muscles fueled and active.
4. Compound exercises are a form of dynamic flexibility.
When most
people think of flexibility they picture static stretching. While holding a
muscle in a lengthened position can be effective for reducing tension in a
muscle, it also reduces neurologic activity, which is not recommended prior to
dynamic activity. Any exercise that involves an active range of motion can be
considered a form of dynamic stretching, which involves moving a joint through
a range of motion to lengthen the surrounding tissue. As muscles on one side of
a joint contract, the muscles on the opposite side have to lengthen to allow
contraction to occur. Over the course of a number of repetitions, the
contractions and activity in the involved muscles elevate the temperature and
inhibit activity, which reduces tension and improves length.
5. Compound exercises improve movement efficiency.
Have you ever
noticed that body builders move robotically? This is because training only one
muscle group at a time does not teach multiple muscle groups to coordinate
their contractions and firing rates, which is how muscles actually contract.
Compound exercises that involve large groups of muscles teach the muscles how
to coordinate the firing of the motor units responsible for timing muscle
contractions. Compound exercises can actually help your clients improve their
movement skills and dynamic balance, which can actually help improve overall
quality of life.
Here is a
sample workout comprised of compound exercises that can help your clients
experience the benefits of using multiple muscles at the same time.
Medicine Ball PNF Lift
Stand with
feet shoulder-width apart, with the right foot slightly forward of the left
(the heel of the right foot should be parallel to the toes of the left foot).
Hold a medicine ball in both hands. Sink into the hips while bringing the
medicine ball to the outside of the left hip. Press both feet into the floor to
move to a standing position while moving the ball diagonally from the left hip
to the right shoulder. Push with the left foot so that it rotates to point
toward the right foot at the end of the move. Again, sink into the hips while
bringing the medicine ball back to the outside of the left hip. Complete 10
to12 repetitions on each side and rest 45 to 60 seconds; complete two to three
sets.
Dumbbell Thrusters (squat to
shoulder press)
Stand with
feet shoulder-width apart and hold one dumbbell in each hand so the dumbbells
are in front of each shoulder with the palms facing each other. Sink into the
hips to perform a squat; at the bottom, press both feet into the ground to move
to a standing position. Press both arms overhead while keeping the palms facing
each other. Coordinate the moves so that the weight is lowered while sinking
into the squat and the weights are pressed overhead once a standing position is
reached. Complete 10 to 12 repetitions and rest 60 to 90 seconds; complete two
to three sets.
Renegade Rows
Start in a
push-up position with the hands holding on to dumbbells that are lined up
parallel to each other. Perform a push-up. At the top of the push-up, press
both feet into the ground to create stability while pulling the right dumbbell
up to the chest in a rowing move (the elbow brushes against the rib cage).
Place the right hand down and perform a rowing move with the left hand. Once a
row has been completed on each side, perform another push-up. Complete as many
as possible with good form and rest 45 to 60 seconds; complete two to three
sets.
Reverse Lunge to Balance With Biceps Curls
Stand with
feet hip-width apart while holding one dumbbell in each hand so they are
hanging next to the body with the palms facing the body. Step backward with the
right foot and lower the hips. Push the left foot into the ground and bring the
right foot forward to return to standing. At the top, stay balanced on the left
leg (don’t let the right foot touch the ground) and perform a biceps curl with
both arms. Complete six to eight reps on one leg before switching to the other
side. Rest 60 to 90 seconds after performing repetitions on both legs; complete
two to three sets.
Transverse Lunge to Reach to
Ground
Stand with feet hip-width apart while
holding one dumbbell in each hand so they are hanging next to the body with the
palms facing the body. Keep the left foot in place as you rotate to the right;
step toward the 4 o’clock position with the right foot. (TIP: Press the left
foot into the ground and contract the left thigh muscles to protect the knee.)
As the right foot hits the ground, push your weight into the right hip and lean
forward to reach both dumbbells toward the right foot. Bring the upper body back
to an upright position as you push the right foot into the ground to return to
the original starting position. Perform six to eight reps on the right side
before switching to the left. Rest 60 to 90 seconds after each set; complete
two to three sets.
AUTHOR
Pete McCall
Pete McCall,
MS, CSCS, is an ACE Certified Personal Trainer and long-time player in the
fitness industry. He has been featured as an expert in the Washington Post, The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Runner's World and Self. He holds a master's
degree in exercise science and health promotion, and several advanced
certifications and specializations with NSCA and NASM.