How to Build Muscle with Compound Exercises

Perform a bench press., Perfect your squat., Do weighted squats., Perform other compound exercises., Do lunges.

5 Steps 3 min read Medium

Step-by-Step Guide

  1. Step 1: Perform a bench press.

    Bench presses are great because they work out your chest and arms.

    Bench presses can be done flat or on an incline or decline.

    You can use barbells, dumbbells, or a machine to perform these exercises.

    Avoid locking your arms.

    Breathe in as you count to ten.

    Push the weight up slightly and exhale.

    Inhale as you bring it down to your chest.

    Push it up and repeat up to 12 times.
  2. Step 2: Perfect your squat.

    Squats are great compound exercises because they exercise your lower body and core.

    By performing squats, you’ll make considerable strides toward building lower body muscle, as well as your upper body.

    Ultimately, squats are seen as one of the most challenging and classic compound exercises.

    Stand with your feet separated by a shoulder width.

    Push your shoulders back.

    Extend your arms out parallel with the floor.

    Breathe in as you count to ten.

    Move your hips backward and down slowly.

    Breathe in as you move down, and breathe out as you push yourself away from the floor., Weighted squats are one of the best compound exercises because they work out your lower and upper body together.

    In fact, if you could only choose one exercise to complete, the weighted squat would be your best bet.

    It works out both your lower body, core, and upper body.

    Position yourself behind the weight.

    Stand with your feet separated by a shoulder width.

    Slowly bend your knees until your thighs are parallel with the ground.

    Grab the bar, lift it, and move upward until your legs are perpendicular to the ground.

    Exhale as you are almost straight.

    Make up to 12 repetitions., Compound exercises work out several muscle groups at one time and are one of the best ways to achieve a "total" body work out.

    Other popular compound exercises include:
    Dips.

    To do a dip, pull yourself up onto two dip bars and lower your body so that your shoulders are below your elbows.

    After you've achieved this, move up so that your arms are straight.

    Dips can be risky if you do not have much upper body strength.

    If your upper body strength is not sufficient to hold your entire body weight, then try doing some bench dips.

    Rows.

    To row, use a rowing machine or exercise machine that has a rowing option.

    Use your feet to push and your arms to pull to complete your row.

    Pull-up.

    To do a pull-up, use a pull-up bar to pull your body upward as far as you can go., Lunges are a great exercise to include in your compound workout routines.

    To do a lunge, start with both of your feet together.

    Then, take a giant step forward with one leg.

    As you do so, lower your back knee down towards the floor so that both of your knees are close to a 90 degree angle.

    To exit the lunge, step back with your forward-most foot so that your feet are together again.Try doing lunges while holding a pair of dumbbells or a bar.

    You can do with bicep curls while doing regular lunges, or try combining lateral raises or upright rows with side lunges.

    Keep your knees aligned over your ankles.

    Do not allow them to go forward towards your toes.
  3. Step 3: Do weighted squats.

  4. Step 4: Perform other compound exercises.

  5. Step 5: Do lunges.

Detailed Guide

Bench presses are great because they work out your chest and arms.

Bench presses can be done flat or on an incline or decline.

You can use barbells, dumbbells, or a machine to perform these exercises.

Avoid locking your arms.

Breathe in as you count to ten.

Push the weight up slightly and exhale.

Inhale as you bring it down to your chest.

Push it up and repeat up to 12 times.

Squats are great compound exercises because they exercise your lower body and core.

By performing squats, you’ll make considerable strides toward building lower body muscle, as well as your upper body.

Ultimately, squats are seen as one of the most challenging and classic compound exercises.

Stand with your feet separated by a shoulder width.

Push your shoulders back.

Extend your arms out parallel with the floor.

Breathe in as you count to ten.

Move your hips backward and down slowly.

Breathe in as you move down, and breathe out as you push yourself away from the floor., Weighted squats are one of the best compound exercises because they work out your lower and upper body together.

In fact, if you could only choose one exercise to complete, the weighted squat would be your best bet.

It works out both your lower body, core, and upper body.

Position yourself behind the weight.

Stand with your feet separated by a shoulder width.

Slowly bend your knees until your thighs are parallel with the ground.

Grab the bar, lift it, and move upward until your legs are perpendicular to the ground.

Exhale as you are almost straight.

Make up to 12 repetitions., Compound exercises work out several muscle groups at one time and are one of the best ways to achieve a "total" body work out.

Other popular compound exercises include:
Dips.

To do a dip, pull yourself up onto two dip bars and lower your body so that your shoulders are below your elbows.

After you've achieved this, move up so that your arms are straight.

Dips can be risky if you do not have much upper body strength.

If your upper body strength is not sufficient to hold your entire body weight, then try doing some bench dips.

Rows.

To row, use a rowing machine or exercise machine that has a rowing option.

Use your feet to push and your arms to pull to complete your row.

Pull-up.

To do a pull-up, use a pull-up bar to pull your body upward as far as you can go., Lunges are a great exercise to include in your compound workout routines.

To do a lunge, start with both of your feet together.

Then, take a giant step forward with one leg.

As you do so, lower your back knee down towards the floor so that both of your knees are close to a 90 degree angle.

To exit the lunge, step back with your forward-most foot so that your feet are together again.Try doing lunges while holding a pair of dumbbells or a bar.

You can do with bicep curls while doing regular lunges, or try combining lateral raises or upright rows with side lunges.

Keep your knees aligned over your ankles.

Do not allow them to go forward towards your toes.

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Kevin Kelly

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