All compound all the time

[robert]

As my lower back and shoulder heal, I'm thinking of doing all compound exercises all the time. I've wanted to train like this for a while but I've had some things slow me down.

 

I'm getting close to being ready to hammer it out again

[Robb]

I train mainly compound all the time, I do some heavy laterals but that was only because I saw Ronnie Coleman doing them heavy on youtube and got inspired. Ronnie is inspiring. But I do them after I've done Behind neck presses, military presses and dumbbell presses. Unless you are looking for definition and/or are an advanced athlete lots of isolation movements really just put a lot of strain on joints. You tend to use too much weight and then, bam! something's popped.

I used to do leg extensions for frontal thigh, now it's heavy front squats, and, touch wood, my knees feel a lot better.

Go for it, but be warned, you may get a bit more tired! Tired but bigger!

All the best

Rob

[Zack]

I don't see the point in all compound.

[Wobbly Lifter]

Good call Robert. You've already done a lot of good isolation work. Time to move some real weight. I'm sure it'll help your lower back in the long run.

[xjohanx]

I don't see the point in all compound.

 

me neither. or if you'll do full body workouts then I agree it's a good call but not if you split.

[cubby2112]

I think it is best to go mostly compound, but to use some isolation work to even out your routine.

[Fallen_Horse]

Full body 3x a week, all compounds. FTW.

[ralst]

Good call Robert. You've already done a lot of good isolation work. Time to move some real weight. I'm sure it'll help your lower back in the long run.

+1

 

I don't see the point in all compound.

The point is to get strong Not trying to be a jerk here, but why would all compound be a bad idea?

[bronco]

I don't see the point in all compound.

In my opinion isolation exercises are boring and take time and effort that could be better spent elsewhere . I sometimes do some for injury prevention though, mainly rotator cuffs and arms stuff.

[Aaron]

I've done all compound on and off for a few years. Unless I add some bicep curls somewhere along the way. Hasn't seemed to hurt me much. And keeps it simple.

[xjohanx]

Not trying to be a jerk here, but why would all compound be a bad idea?

 

as i said earlier i think it's cool if you're on a full body program but otherwise your muscle won

t have enough time to recover which will slow down gains and strength progress. by using some isolation work you can work out much more often and make sure that no body part is trailing behind.

my routine is probably around 70% compound movements but when it comes to working arms i have to isolate. i tried going 6 months without curls, pushdowns, skull crushers etc and my arms stopped growing (almost) completely. but with the exception of my arm workout i acctually only use isolation excersises when i do supersets, bench press + flies and shoulder presses + lateral raises.

my tip is to build your sessions around and focus on compounds. but to totally exclude isolation work is probably not very beneficial.

[Robb]

I think what actually constitutes a compound movement can be open to debate.

To me both barbell curls and twisting dumbbell curls are compound movements. Take the barbell curl, because of the awkward hand position you're bringing muscles other than biceps brachii into play, maybe a little front deltoid, and certainly forearm muscle groups. Concentration dumbell curls are more isolating, and hence, unless you are Arnie, you use light weights.

Compound exercises don't directly stress the whole body, just those in the immediate area of the target group. You can still have an effective split system of training because you are not training the entire body all the time.

I personally enjoy lifting heavier weights, is it better to leg extension with a few kilos or squat with a few hundred? I prefer using mainly compund movements.

But everyone is different.

[robert]

Ok, maybe not "all", but "most."

 

I just really like this style of training and it does help me get bigger and stronger. I've had some things slow me down over the years, but it seems that compound lifts are the best way to get bigger and stronger, which is what I like.

 

I really enjoy that power feel doing squats, deads, rows, presses, etc. It's just fun and seems to give me the best results. As long as I can stay injury-free, it seems to be the best use of my time in the gym for making progress.

[threeloaves]

My routines are always based primarily on compound movements. To quote Avi "I am not a bodybuilder so I concentrate on strength. I consider proper training, a workout that is going to utilize the body as a unit and not as unconnected muscles. So there is almost never the so-called isolation exercises like preacher curl."

[Marcina]

I'm a big fan of compounds too. Squats are becoming a favorite. Everything just firms up so quickly after a good set of squats.

I like moves like the hammer curl that will incorporate more muscles (brachioradialis/biceps) . I like to do my exercises standing up when possible to include my core in the workout as well.

[Marcina]

I'm a big fan of compounds too. Squats are becoming a favorite. Everything just firms up so quickly after a good set of squats.

I like moves like the hammer curl that will incorporate more muscles (brachioradialis/biceps) . I like to do my exercises standing up when possible to include my core in the workout as well.