Compound free weight exercises- A Must for Muscle
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Compound free weight exercises- A Must for Muscle - 5/28/2004 10:26:05 PM
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cpl
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Joined: 5/26/2003
From: New York City
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A lot of people hear about a lot of different training programs- So much so that it's hard to seperate the good from the bad. Of course, any sort of exercise can be beneficial, but what's the best way to build muscle and strength?
People can have differing opinions on the number of exercises, sets and reps you should do for each muscle group- And people also have various ideas on how often a muscle group should be worked out. These points can vary from routine to routine, and there is more than one way to skin a cat in that respect- In other words, even though some routines might differ from each other when it comes to the numbers, they can provide the results you might be looking for. There is one constant when it comes to weeding out the routines that are worth your time for muscle building- Compound free weight exercises.
Compound free weight exercises vs. isolation exercises
A compound exercise is an exercise that uses multiple muscle groups to perform- Take the bench press, considered by many to be the true measure of strength. While it's primarily a chest exercise, many muscles come into play when performed with free weights, which means not only do those stabilizer muscles get a bit of a workout, but the chest muscles themselves are able to lift a heavier amount than they would if they had to work alone.
Another great example is the barbell bicep curl, especially when compared to the preacher curl, which is an isolation exercise. An isolation exercise is an exercise in which the body is positioned so that hardly any stabilizer muscles are used- Only the target muscle gets worked, and since in this examply the biceps aren't helped by any other muscle, they can't lift as much weight as they could with a standing barbell curl.
Some might say that isolation makes sense- If you want stronger biceps, you should isolate the muscle and work it as hard as you can- But don't forget about those stabilizer muscles. If they don't get worked out, they will remain weak- Essentially meaning you won't be as strong as you should be. Sure, everyone wants big, strong biceps- But without the supporting muscles, your standing barbell curl could still be weak. On the other hand, if you strengthen your arms using the compound movements, you will still be strong when you try to isolate the muscle.
Now let's take a look at squats- The real measure of strength. Squats use more muscles throughout the body than any other exercise out there- Plenty of people talk about their bench, but only the serious muscle and strength builders talk about their squats. When performed with proper form using free weights, squats involve all kinds of muscles- The legs, the lower back, the upper back, the shoulders, the abs- Just about everything. If you want to build great core strength, if you want the roots to build real muscle, you have to do freeweight squats.
Free weights vs. machines
Some people do squats using some sort of machine- Smith machines are most common, the type where a bar slides up and down on two posts- This type of machine, and most other machines, eliminate the need for you to stabilize the weight, to balance yourself under heavy weight throughout the movement. This means that there will be plenty of muscles missing out on a good strength building workout. If you train on a smith machine, or some other sort of squat machine, and at your best you can lift 300 pounds, do you think you'd be able to lift the same amount of weight with free weights? No. It'd be dangerous to even try getting close to that weight, since all the other muscles that are supposed to help in that movement would still be weak. On the other hand, if you were able to lift 300 pounds using free weights, could you lift the same amount of weight on a smith machine? Easily.
Is it possible to get big using isolation exercises? Of course. Provided you're eating right, working out properly and consistently, and getting plenty of rest, the body will respond by growing- But using compound free weight movements are far more efficient, and practical. Anyone who lifts weights is often faced with having to use their muscle in real world applications- Friends and family who know you work out will ask you to move heavy things from time to time, for example. When you go to pick up that heavy box full of books, it won't be attatched to a machine to eliminate the need for those stabilizer muscles. Any sport you need your muscles for is going to need those stabilizers too.
List of compound free weight exercises
By no means is this a complete list, just an example, for each body part, of some excellent muscle building compound free weight exercises.
Chest-
Bench press, Incline bench press, Weighted dips, Decline bench press
Legs-
Squats, Stiff leg deadlifts, Lunges
Shoulders-
Military presses, Barbell shrugs, Overhead dumbbell presses
Back-
Deadlifts, Weighted pullups, Bent over rows
Biceps-
Standing barbell curls, Reverse curls, Supinating standing dumbbell curls
Triceps- Weighted dips, Skullcrushers, Overhead triceps extensions, Close grip bench press
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RE: Compound free weight exercises- A Must for Muscle - 11/26/2007 5:38:09 PM
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Rex 22
Posts: 267
Joined: 9/10/2007
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wow! great read! thanks man for this. i was looking bad at some old threads and saw this. good post.
_____________________________
Recent Maxes.
Barbell Bench Press - 265 lbs.
Barbell Military Press - 187 lbs.
Barbell Squat - 340 lbs.
Barbell Deadlift - 362 lbs.
(in reply to cpl)
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RE: Compound free weight exercises- A Must for Muscle - 11/29/2007 9:08:20 AM
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Rex 22
Posts: 267
Joined: 9/10/2007
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although i just caught this.
barbell curls are too isolation movements, not compound.
_____________________________
Recent Maxes.
Barbell Bench Press - 265 lbs.
Barbell Military Press - 187 lbs.
Barbell Squat - 340 lbs.
Barbell Deadlift - 362 lbs.
(in reply to Rex 22)
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RE: Compound free weight exercises- A Must for Muscle - 12/14/2007 9:08:48 AM
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xylonb
Posts: 1
Joined: 12/14/2007
Status: offline
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Thanks a Lot for this.. Im new and realy need somethign helpfull like this..
(in reply to Rex 22)
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RE: Compound free weight exercises- A Must for Muscle - 12/14/2007 10:32:46 AM
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Soccerking3000
Posts: 1981
Joined: 7/11/2007
Status: offline
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i thought a compound exercise was categorized as using 2 or more joints not 2 or more muscles groups
(in reply to xylonb)
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RE: Compound free weight exercises- A Must for Muscle - 12/19/2007 8:00:22 PM
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Rex 22
Posts: 267
Joined: 9/10/2007
Status: offline
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It is. Barbell curls, skull crushers, shrugs, and extensions are not compound exercises. Their isolation.
_____________________________
Recent Maxes.
Barbell Bench Press - 265 lbs.
Barbell Military Press - 187 lbs.
Barbell Squat - 340 lbs.
Barbell Deadlift - 362 lbs.
(in reply to Soccerking3000)
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RE: Compound free weight exercises- A Must for Muscle - 1/14/2008 4:38:39 PM
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kbryson7
Posts: 1
Joined: 1/7/2008
Status: offline
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ive recently started a compound program(2-3weeks ago), lifting 3 days/week. i am supposed to be able to increase the weight slightly each week(about 5 lbs) and i haven't been able to. i believe I am eating enough but i can't think of any other reasons why this might be,
suggestions?
(in reply to cpl)
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RE: Compound free weight exercises- A Must for Muscle - 1/29/2008 7:37:48 PM
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NaturalMuscle
Posts: 10
Joined: 1/26/2008
Status: offline
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Best Single Joint Movements
*Leg extensions
*Leg Curl machine
*Standing calf raise machine
*lateral raise with dumbells
*straight arm pullover with one dumbbell
*bent arm fly with dumbells
*biceps curl with varbells
*triceps extension with one dumbbel
*wrist curl with barbell
*trunk curl on floor
Best multi joint exercises
*Squat with barbell
*stiff leffed deadligt with barbell
*leg press machine
*Bent over row with barbell
*overhead press with barbell
*bench press with barbell
*negative chinup and last but not least *negative dip!
This isnt a complete list but here are some awesome growth inducing exercises
_____________________________
"How I Gained 23
Pounds of Lean Muscle in 4 Short Weeks - Without UsingSteroids..."www.musclebuildingfast.com"Click here for your FREE report!"
(in reply to kbryson7)
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