6 Best Compound Exercises – The Key To Functional Strength
Compound exercises like deadlifts, squats, and pull-ups are essential multi-joint movements that build functional strength by recruiting multiple muscle groups simultaneously. These six fundamental exercises translate into better execution of daily movements with superior metabolic effects for heart health and fat loss, while enhancing mobility and balance.
What Are Compound Exercises
Compound movements are functional, multi-joint exercises that involve multiple muscles and joints to execute a complex movement. Typical exercises include pull-ups, overhead presses, deadlifts, or squats. These can translate into better execution of daily movements, making one more efficient and functional mover.
Compound exercises activate a larger portion of muscle mass, recruiting multiple muscles or muscle groups at the same time. (1) The deadlift would be a typical example, engaging all the muscles on the posterior side of the body, like hamstrings, glutes, calves, and all core stabilizers in the low back.
Due to the large muscle recruitment, compound exercises stimulate the CNS more, developing greater strength over time, (2) (3) (4) while also being effective at stimulating a superior metabolic effect, supporting heart function and fat loss. (1) (5) It also enhances numerous other aspects of movement like mobility, balance, and coordination.
They are superior for beginners, particularly in the general physical preparation (GPP) phase, as it builds a solid foundation of muscle and strength that can be specialized onto later.
Disclaimer: 3 things to focus on to prevent injury
To ensure optimal progressions and reduce the risk of injury, lifters need to focus on three major things: correct technique, slow progressive overload, and proper warm-up (and accessory work). For most, this means
- Warming up with specific exercises 10-15 minutes prior to lifting, incorporating supplementary preventative exercises for the often forgotten muscles
- Learning the correct technique weight-free first; recommended with a certified coach or kinesiologist
- Very slow and logical progressive overload with strict focus on maintaining correct technique; including de-load weeks
Consult your physician before beginning any exercise program. These suggestions are not substitutes for qualified professional training.
Gain Functional Strength
When developing physical strength, there is a distinction between absolute strength or functional strength. During initial training phases, particularly when working with weights below 1-1.5 times bodyweight for exercises like squats and deadlifts, the distinction between the two becomes less apparent. For beginners, any strength improvement qualifies as functional strength since it directly enhances real-world movement capabilities, building a foundation of usable strength.
While progress varies between individuals, there is a natural strength threshold beyond which increasing load becomes questionable, as the relative risk increases without sufficient benefits in terms of functionality.
Pursuing excessive or suprahuman loads places increasing pressure on the spine, knees, and hip joints, raising legitimate concerns about risk-to-benefit ratio. This consideration is particularly relevant for strength competitors or those who believe that continually increasing weight is essential for health benefits.
Bilateral exercises like overhead press or deadlifts typically require higher absolute load, which the body has an adaptive limit to. Because of this, progressing in the gym can be achieved numerous other ways instead of just increasing the load, like de-load and slowing the eccentric phase focusing on proper technique, or integrating strength into complex movement patterns that train body awareness and coordination.
Disclaimer: 3 things to focus on to prevent injury
To ensure optimal progressions and reduce the risk of injury, lifters need to focus on three major things: correct technique, slow progressive overload, and proper warm-up (and accessory work). For most, this means
- Warming up with specific exercises 10-15 minutes prior to lifting, incorporating supplementary preventative exercises for the often forgotten muscles
- Learning the correct technique weight-free first; recommended with a certified coach or kinesiologist
- Very slow and logical progressive overload with strict focus on maintaining correct technique; including de-load weeks
Consult your physician before beginning any exercise program. These suggestions are not substitutes for qualified professional training.
6 Best Compound Exercises
Based on movement patterns, there are a few solid, fundamental compound exercises that build the base for training.
- Deadlifts, emphasizing hip hinge and extension
- Squat, emphasizing knee and hip extension
- Bench or Overhead press, emphasizing pushing motion in a horizontal or vertical manner
- Pull-up or Seated Row, emphasizing pulling motion in a horizontal or vertical manner
These can be broadly split into pull and push for easier organization.
Pull for the legs are deadlifts, including all its variations (single-leg, hip bridge, hip thrust) and pull for the upper body are pull-ups and seated rows, with all their variations.
Push for the legs would be the squat, emphasizing knee extension and all alternatives (Bulgarian split squats, step-down lunge or knee extensions) while push for the upper body are overhead press or bench press.
Deadlift
The deadlift is a fundamental compound exercise that primarily targets the posterior chain muscles, teaching the body to extend through the hips. The majority of poor posture, chronic pain, and low-back arch develop due to inability to activate the glutes and extend through the hip. Proper deadlifting can enhance one’s ability to pick objects from the floor, stand straight up, and drive through with the leg during hiking, running, or jumping.
Movement Pattern: Hip hinge
Joints Activated: Hip, knee, ankle
Primary Muscles Worked: Gluteus maximus, hamstrings, adductors, and erector spinae
How to Perform
- Stand with feet hip-width apart, toes under the barbell.
- Hinge at the hips, bending knees slightly.
- Grip the bar just outside your legs.
- Lift your chest, tighten the core, and flatten your back.
- Drive through your heels, extending through the hips and knees simultaneously.
- Stand upright, squeezing glutes at the top.
- Lower the bar by hinging at the hips, then bending knees once the bar passes them.
Alternatives: Romanian deadlift, sumo deadlift, trap bar deadlift
Squat
The squat is a compound lower body exercise that mimics the motion of sitting down and standing up. Building sufficient leg strength supports all of our activities, as any movement be it walking, running, or sitting down is done by activating leg muscles. Squats also increase hip mobility, opening up a lot of the tension stored in sitters which leads to low-back pain and increased lordosis. The squat is an excellent, full body exercise that activates a very large portion of muscle.
Movement Pattern: Squat, emphasis on knee and hip extension
Joints Activated: Hip, knee, ankle
Primary Muscles Worked: Quadriceps, gluteus maximus, adductor magnus, soleus, erector spinae, hamstrings
How to Perform
- Set under the bar, feet hips-width
- Grip the bar with your hands set wider than your hips
- Squeeze your shoulder blades together (active hang)
- Activate your core and point your toes forward (plantar flexion)
- Slowly step back to your preferred squat stance
- Lower your body as if sitting back into a chair slowly, building tension in your thighs
- Keep chest up, back straight, and knees in line with toes
- Descend until thighs are parallel to the ground or lower
- Drive through full feet, activating the legs to return to standing position
Alternatives: Front squat, goblet squat, leg press
Bench Press
The bench press is an upper body pushing exercise that targets the chest, shoulders, and triceps, one of three major ones in powerlifting competitions. Beyond aesthetic purposes, being a solid exercise for building the upper body, the bench press helps develop pushing and throwing power.
Movement Pattern: Horizontal push
Joints Activated: Shoulder, elbow
Primary Muscles Worked: Pectoralis major, anterior deltoids, triceps brachii
How to Perform
- Lie on a bench with eyes under the barbell.
- Grip the bar slightly wider than shoulder-width.
- Unrack the bar and stabilize with the scapulae
- Slowly lower the bar to mid-chest, while increasing tension in your chest and arms by resisting the push
- Press the bar back up trying to squeeze the chest and push with the arms to starting position.
Alternatives: Dumbbell bench press, push-ups, chest press machine
Overhead Press
The overhead press is a vertical pushing exercise that primarily targets the shoulders and upper chest, developing functional upper body strength. Beyond building strong shoulders, this can translate into better performance in lifting objects overhead or force output in sports like basketball and volleyball.
Movement Pattern: Vertical push
Joints Activated: Shoulder, elbow
Primary Muscles Worked: Anterior deltoids, lateral deltoids, triceps brachii, upper pectoralis major
How to Perform
- Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, barbell at shoulder level.
- Slowly press the bar overhead, fully extending arms.
- Keep the pelvis tucked, glutes activated to ensure a straight, not arched low back
- Lower the bar back to shoulder level under control, increasing tension in your arms
Alternatives: Dumbbell shoulder press, Arnold press, landmine press
Pull-Ups
Pull-ups are a bodyweight exercise that targets the major back muscles that assist with pulling motion. They are particularly helpful in improving posture, by engaging the back muscles that keep one straight. Additionally, pull-ups enhance grip strength, one of the major predictors of functional independence as we age, contributing to longevity. Lat-pulldown is a great alternative, with a slightly different activation.
Movement Pattern: Vertical pull
Joints Activated: Shoulder, elbow
Primary Muscles Worked: Latissimus dorsi, biceps brachii, trapezius, rhomboids
How to Perform
- Hang from a pull-up bar with hands slightly wider than shoulder-width.
- Pull your body up slowly, by engaging the arms and back
- Keeping your core tight, pull up until the chin is above the bar
- If impossible, support your body with an elastic band stretching from the bar to beneath the feet
- Lower yourself back down with control, by slowing the eccentric part.
Alternatives: Lat pulldown, assisted pull-ups, inverted rows
Low Row
The seated horizontal row is a pulling exercise that targets the back muscles in a more isolative, controllable environment compared to the pull up, excluding the core to an extent. It’s more modifiable for targeting specific back muscles, while function wise it’s very similar – opens up the chest, strengthens the back, improving posture and pulling power.
Movement Pattern: Horizontal pull
Joints Activated: Shoulder, elbow
Primary Muscles Worked: Latissimus dorsi, rhomboids, trapezius, biceps brachii
How to Perform
- Sit at a cable machine with feet on the platform and knees slightly bent.
- Grasp the handle with arms extended.
- Slowly pull the handle towards your abdomen,
- Squeezing shoulder blades together, hold at the end for 1-2 sec.
- Try to lower your shoulders in the end position
- De-activate the upper traps and activate the lower traps
- Slowly return to starting position, resisting the weight.
Alternatives: Bent-over rows, single-arm dumbbell rows, T-bar rows
Compound vs Isolation Exercises
Exercises can be categorized into compound (multi-joint) and isolation (single-joint) movements.
Compound Exercises
- Involve multiple joints and muscle groups (e.g., squats, deadlifts, bench presses)
- Mimic real-world movements, making them functional and efficient
- Activate higher muscle mass and nervous system
- More effective for strength gains, metabolic effect, and fat loss
- Better for beginners, functionality, and mobility: overall fitness
Isolation Exercises
- Target a single joint and specific muscle group (e.g., bicep curls, leg curls)
- Effective for hypertrophy and bodybuilding
- Commonly used in rehabilitation protocols
- Useful for pre-activation before compound movements
- Generally less effective for overall strength and functionality
Both types have their place in training, with compound exercises forming the foundation and isolation exercises serving as supplementary work.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which compound exercise activates most muscles in the body?
The squat and the deadlift are two widely recognized compound exercises that activate the highest muscle mass in the body. They recruit the glutes, hamstrings, quads, lower back, upper back, traps, forearms, and core, making it a true full-body movement.
How do I improve my squat?
To improve your squat
- Focus on tension development during the descend phase
- Warm-up with hip mobility, activating all hip muscles
- Work on your ankle mobility and squat depth
- Apply progressive overload by increasing time under tension and pausing down, instead of increasing the weight right off
How can I improve my bench press?
To improve your bench press:
- Train variations (tempo bench, dead bench, isometric bench) to address weak points.
- Incorporate accessory exercises like dips, chest flies, and tricep extensions.
- Identify and strengthen your weak points (off the chest, middle, lockout).
- Alternate heavy and explosive (fast) training sessions.
- Use proper form: keep your neck neutral, exhale as you press, and control the bar at all times
Can I effectively gain muscle with compound exercises?
Yes, compound exercises are highly effective for muscle gain, due to their ability to effectively activate multiple muscles, building a strength base. They stimulate more muscle fibers, support testosterone and growth hormone production, have higher metabolic effect, and allow you to lift heavier weights, all of which drive hypertrophy (muscle growth).
What are the 5 most important compound exercises?
The most important 5 exercises critical to building the fundamental base of strength include:
- Squat
- Deadlift
- Overhead Press
- Pull Ups
- Bench Press
What are the 5 most important compound exercises?
The most important 5 exercises critical to building the fundamental base of strength include:
- Squat
- Deadlift
- Overhead Press
- Pull Ups
- Bench Press
