The Quick Run Down on Why I Prioritize Compound Exercises
- 30minutephysique
- 4 hours ago
- 7 min read
Bottom Line up front for those of you who suffer from permanent dopamine desensitization and won't read past the headline:
1. Compound Exercises burn more calories
2. Compound Exercises train multiple muscle groups at once
3. Compound Exercises allow us to progressively get stronger for longer
4. Due to the fact that compound exercises hit multiple muscle groups at once, we are able to train more time efficiently with fewer exercises. For example, Romanian deadlift variations hit the hamstrings and glutes HARD, so we don't need to add hamstring curls, glute cable kick backs, and any sort of donkey kickbacks.
5. There are some isolation exercises that should DEFINITELY be included in the program for muscle groups that get undertrained by compound exercises (these muscle groups include biceps, triceps, calves, and side delts). But a program should be 70-80% compound exercises, 20-30% isolation exercises.
For everyone else, continue reading for more context.
I don't exclusively train compound exercises, but odds are, if you're working out with me or being trained by me, or even if you're just creepily observing me training, you'll notice that 75-80% of the exercises I do are compound exercises.
First, let's define what a compound exercise is.
Compound exercises are those that use multiple joints, while isolation exercises require action that takes place at only 1 joint.
The compound exercises are the main movement patterns I always talk about:
Vertical pull
Vertical push
Horizontal pull
Horizontal push
Squat/lunge
Hinge
Now, I'm not one of these maniacs that totally ignores isolation exercises! There are, certainly, a handful of beneficial isolation exercises that hit muscle groups that are undertrained during most "main movement patterns."
The muscle groups that require isolation exercises:
Biceps
Triceps
Side delts
Calves
Abs
So, allow me to provide examples of compound exercises for each movement pattern/major muscle group.
Vertical Pull: pullups, lat pulldowns (back, biceps, forearms, some shoulder)
Vertical Push: overhead press variations (shoulders, traps, triceps).
Horizontal Pull: row variations (back, biceps, forearms, some shoulder)
Horizontal Push: pushup variations, bench press variations (chest, shoulders, triceps)
Squat/Lunge: squat variations, split squat variations, lunge variations (quads, glutes)
Hinge: deadlift variations, Romanian deadlift variations, kettlebell swings, glute bridges, hip thrust variations (glutes, hamstrings)
Those are the big 6 movement patterns. They cover an enormous amount of ground – as far as training the body is concerned. Each pattern can be trained with many different variations based on preference, fitness level, and equipment availability. Those are your big rocks. Most of your program should be built around getting stronger on exercises that fall into those 6 categories.
Moving on, let's talk benefits of compound exercises.
Benefit 1: compound exercises burn more calories. Training main movement patterns that require movement at multiple joints calls more muscles into action, requiring more energy (calorie) demands. This makes compound exercises very efficient for strength, body composition, and fat loss.
Benefit 2: compound exercises train multiple muscle groups at once. Dumbbell flyes are a fine exercise, but they only train the chest (and they do so in a way that is harder to progress regularly). Meanwhile, pushups train the chest along with the shoulders, triceps, and core. You could do both exercises, but I think you'd be better off focusing your time and energy into the compound exercise (pushups in this example), killing multiple birds with one stone, and saving that extra time to hit the triceps in isolation afterwards.
Another example of this is my leg days. People ask me about lower body training, and they're always shocked when they observe my training or hear my response when it comes to training legs.
I do 3-4 exercises on leg days. If I'm training someone with a full body routine, I alternate between these 4 exercises or similar variations (2 one day, 2 the other day).
Here's how I simplify leg training for more progress, better development, with less time and far less decision fatigue:
Exercise 1: squat or split squat variation (Bulgarian split squats, standard split squats, goblet squat, barbell squat variation, maybe a leg press for clients)
Exercise 2: hinge variation (either single leg RDL, RDL, kettlebell swings, or hip thrust)
Exercise 3: secondary squat or lunge variation (pistol squat to bench or box, box step ups, reverse lunges or walking lunges, box step up to reverse lunges)
Exercise 4: calf raise variation
"What?! No quad extensions or hamstring curls?!"
No.
"Why?"
Because I don't need them. They just add extra exercises to my/my clients' sessions, taking more time, and increasing the accumulation of unnecessary fatigue. (Sometimes, depending on the client and the program were doing, I include some form of hamstring curl – whether that be a machine, slider hamstring curls, or TRX/Ring hamstring curls. But I always prioritize hinges over hamstring isolation – though, isolation knee flexion is beneficial in many situations. But I almost never train hamstring curls in my own workouts out in the garage).
Look, I'm not a competitive bodybuilder, so while hamstring curls have their place, unless you're a competitive athlete in a sport with a high chance of ACL tears, or you're rehabbing from an injury, I don't care to hit hamstring curls on a regular basis just to bring up the one, very small part of the hamstring that nobody sees – unless I'm in my scivies, tanned, oiled, and flexing on stage – that the hip hinge pattern fails to train.
RDL variations and hip thrust variations hit the hamstrings ALONG with the glutes and allow me to lift more weight and add reps and/or weight more frequently. Hinges cover more qualities in less time, are more fun, and more effective for adding mass AND burning calories. So whether your goal is increasing body size or reducing body size, hinges are better bang for the buck than hamstring curls.
So I commit my time to hinges and do hamstring curls as an occasional variation if I'm feeling fatigued or particularly rebellious. And when I DO train hamstring curls, I like using slider hammy curls, which force me to maintain an isometric hinge position, also.
If you have extra time to kill – I mean – train, you may – of course – do hamstring curls. They're a fine exercise. But if efficiency and time efficiency is important, prioritize your hinges, squats, and lunges. Leave the hamstring curls as a bonus.
Quad extensions?
Another fine exercise, but why do an exercise where I only train the quads and need a machine to do it when I can train my quads and glutes (along with other athletic qualities like balance, coordination, anti-rotation, etc) at the same time?
And if I want to deprioritize my glutes on a squat pattern and really hammer my quads, I'm better off elevating my heels and getting a wicked range of motion through the knees – a position that allows me to use just my body weight OR load weights in an infinite number of ways.
I also just have a personal preference of doing ground based (standing on the ground rather than sitting in machines) leg exercises. I find that while quad extensions burn the quads and are an effective isolation exercise, the whole thing is very uninspiring. Again, this is personal preference (and personal preference matters in training because if you don't enjoy what you're doing, you'll stop doing it). I'd rather do some form of pistol squat progression (even though I'll never be able to do a full pistol), like seated box squats, of box step downs, or some knee over toes type training for isolating the quads. It's more mentally and physically stimulating for me and feels a bit more...athletic?
Anyway, getting back on track — squat patterns, lunges, split squats, step ups, and heel elevated squat variations allow me to recruit more muscles, train more qualities, and require less equipment availability than sitting on a quad extension machine. I'm able-bodied and athletic, so I want to train in a way that embraces and enhances those blessings as long as I can.
Again, hamstring curls and quad extensions are fine exercises. But, they're not as good bang for your buck for muscle, strength, calorie burning, and they're just a less natural, less fun way to train the lower body. The glutes and legs were designed to work together. So why fight it?
Rather than add leg isolation exercises to the end of my workout – or worse – replace compound leg exercises with those isolations, I choose to train the main movement patterns that provide the lower body development I desire and need, and move on with my day. I don't have the time, nor the desire, to spend all my time in the gym trying to optimize the perfect training stimulus for every muscle fiber.
Benefit 3: Compound exercises allow us to get progressively stronger for longer.
If you have goals of getting bigger, stronger, leaner, or more physically independent, progressive overload is the key. We progressively overload by getting stronger. Adding more weight or reps to our exercises.
Sticking with the leg day example, you'll be able to increase your strength on barbell squats far more frequently than you will on leg extensions. That added resistance and increased challenge over time forces your body to adapt and grow stronger. That's the goal!
So focus your time on exercises that allow you to train, progressively, getting stronger throughout the course of a training career and you'll make more progress, even while spending less time training.
Fill in the gaps with isolation exercises but understand getting stronger on the compound exercises will have the biggest impact on your progress.
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That's a good enough spot to wrap things up today. I think I've made my point. Feel free to leave a comment or reach out directly for any further questions, comments, or discussion if I've left anything out that you're curious about.
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Thanks for reading!
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