Compound lifts are important for several reasons, including:
Efficiency: Compound lifts involve multiple muscle groups and joints, which allows you to work more muscles in less time. This is especially important if you have a limited amount of time to work out.
Strength: Compound lifts are excellent for building overall strength because they target multiple muscle groups at once. By performing compound lifts regularly, you can increase your overall strength and improve your performance in other exercises and activities.
Muscle growth: Compound lifts stimulate the release of growth hormones, which are essential for building muscle mass. Because compound lifts work multiple muscle groups, they can help you to build muscle more effectively than isolation exercises that only target one muscle group.
Functional movement: Compound lifts mimic movements that we use in everyday life, such as squatting, lifting, and pushing. By performing these exercises, you can improve your overall mobility, stability, and balance, which can help you to perform everyday activities more easily and reduce your risk of injury.
Injury prevention: Compound lifts can help to improve your overall strength and stability, which can reduce your risk of injury during other activities. Additionally, by performing these exercises with proper form and technique, you can reduce your risk of injury during the lifts themselves.
Overall, compound lifts are an important part of any strength training program. They allow you to work more muscles in less time, build overall strength and muscle mass, improve functional movement, and reduce your risk of injury.
The main compound lifts are the squat, bench press, deadlift, and overhead press. These lifts involve multiple muscle groups and are considered the foundation of strength training.
The squat is a lower body exercise that primarily targets the quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes. To perform a squat, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, brace your core, and lower your body by bending your knees and hips until your thighs are parallel to the ground. Return to the starting position by extending your knees and hips.
The bench press is an upper body exercise that targets the chest, shoulders, and triceps. To perform a bench press, lie on a bench with your feet flat on the ground, grip the barbell with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, and lower the barbell to your chest. Push the barbell back up to the starting position by extending your arms.
The deadlift is a full-body exercise that targets the back, glutes, hamstrings, and grip strength. To perform a deadlift, stand with your feet roughly shoulder- width apart, grip the barbell with your hands shoulder- width apart, and lift the barbell off the ground by extending your knees and hips. Keep your back straight and your core braced throughout the lift.
The overhead press is an upper body exercise that targets the shoulders, triceps, and upper back. To perform an overhead press, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, grip the barbell with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, and lift the barbell from your shoulders to above your head by extending your arms.
These lifts are fundamental to building strength and muscle mass and are often used in powerlifting and bodybuilding competitions. It is important to use proper form and technique when performing these lifts to prevent injury and maximise results.
If you’d like more information on how compound movements to your workouts, contact team SF oninfo@spikefitness.co.uk or 07597215652.