The Top 5 Compound Movements & Why We Should Be Doing Them

Something you will notice about the essential movements is that they are also functional, relatable exercise's...

The Squat ->

Just like getting up and down from a chair, it's one of the most functional and effective exercise's out there. As far as implementing it into your work out routine, any compound movements should be the start of your work-out (after the warm-up that is). I'd recommend putting the squat in with a lower body work out, the quads and glutes being the primary movers in this exercise. If performing a squat is not an option for you, I would recommend trying a simple sit to stand from a chair. Some might also refer to this as a 'Box Squat", but if you cannot perform a proper body weight squat you should start by doing a sit to stand from a chair with your own body weight before loading the movement.

The Deadlift ->

Now its not necessarily the deadlift that is essential, but some type of hip hinge or 'forward bending' type movement that is. This relates to bending over to pick something up, and you know that saying we should lift with our legs not our back, well that's where the deadlift will help you out. It's very rare that we are coming down into a perfect squat to pick something up, we are usually bending over at the hips and bringing the upper body down. The deadlift is the perfect exercise to mimic this daily movement, and should be performed by anyone whether it is with weight or without. Implementing this exercise into your work out routine can be a little more complicated, as there are many different beliefs between when the deadlift should be done and what exactly is the primary mover. You can implement the deadlift on a lower body day, or a "pull" day. I would recommend splitting up the squat and deadlift as they can both be very taxing. The deadlifts primary movers are the hamstring and glutes, but the back is also responsible in this exercise for stability and maintaining posture. If you cannot do the deadlift or never have, you can start by a simple "hip hinge" without any weight, just practicing the movement itself without weights. If this is still not an option for you, I would begin with a glute bridge from the floor. This exercise mimics the hip hinging motion you would want to have in your deadlift, and activates the glutes.

The Push Up ->

Implementing the push-up into your routine is a bit less complicated, and can realistically be done on any upper body work out. The push up primarily works the chest, triceps, shoulders and core. The push up is working with your own body weight which is much more realistic than having any type of external weight involved. The push up mimics pushing yourself up, if we ever fall down or are in an awkward situation that we cannot use our legs, the movement and strength from a push up will help us. You can start with a modified push up and work your way to the toe's, if this is still not an option for you, you can simply do a push up off your table, counter or some other type of elevated surface. If this is still not an option for you, I would recommend a simple wall push up, which mimics the movement and still strengthens the upper body.

The Pull up ->

While the deadlift is a "pull" movement and involves the back muscles, the pull up is where your back and arms are the actual primary movers. The pull up mimics well, rather than having to push ourselves up, pull ourselves up, in a situation where we cannot use the legs. Implementing them into your work out routine is similar to the push up, but rather than on a push day you would do them on an upper pull day, or whatever day you are focusing on your lats, shoulders, and arms. There are different options if you cannot perform a body weight pull up. First off would be adding a band around the bar to put the feet in. This is still a fairly advanced exercise, you can also use assisted machines that will help you perform a pull up. If thats not an option for you, you can do something called an inverted row. This is where you have some type of bar or handle's to hang onto as you have your feet still on the floor and lean back, then pull yourself up. If that's still a bit too difficult for you, start with some simple band work. I know we don't all have something we can pull ourselves up with, so it can be challenging to implement the pull up into a work out program. If it is simply out of the question I would recommend doing some band rows, dumbbell rows, and then a band pull down of some kind too, which mimics the pull up motion a bit better than a row would.

The Plank ->

The plank isn't just an ab exercise, it takes your whole body being in line and working together correctly. As we stand up all day, or sit even, we have to keep our chest up and shoulders back, and bellies in. Good posture is more than just sitting tall, it's having a healthy spine, trunk and core strength to properly do so. Implementing the plank into your work out is much easier, and less complicated. You can do the plank at the end of any work out, as at least 1 or 2 core exercise's should be done at the end of every work out. You may not be able to replace the plank but you can modify it. You can start by doing a plank from the knee's, and eventually progress to the toe's. If you cannot perform a modified plank just yet, I would begin with the simple bird dog. The bird dog is not an isometric exercise like the plank, but it mimics the stability that is necessary when planking.

I hope this helps you whether you are a beginner, novice, or advanced exerciser. If you have any more questions about compound movements or creating a work out routine feel free to email me at info@trainingbyrobyn.com.