Compound Exercise – Muscle Mass Building Exercise
Jean Lam + Train With Me

If you’re looking for a hard, massive and muscular body, compound exercise is the answer. Compound exercise is a type of exercise in which involves several muscle groups at a time. This is very beneficial for the body since you can usually workout 3-4 muscle groups. One of the greatest advantages of compound exercise is you can do a whole body workout just by doing a few exercises in a few minutes. In contrast to isolation exercise which usually focuses on only a single muscle group, compound exercise allows you to limit your isolation exercise sets for instance because you’ve already worked your muscle groups to a certain extent.
Due to the nature of compound exercise, it’s a great muscle mass building exercise and it also builds greater strength gains. Ask any serious body builder in a gym and they will tell you that compound exercise is a sure-fire way to gain muscle mass fast. Below are compound exercises and they work several muscle groups simultaneously.

BENCH PRESS
Bench press is the favorite exercise of most body builders, which can either, be performed with a barbell or two dumbbells while you’re lying on a bench. Usually what can be performed with a barbell can also be done with two dumbbells. The bench press’s primary focus is on the chest muscles called the pectorals and the secondary muscles worked are the triceps and the shoulder muscles also known as the deltoids. You have to hold the barbell in a wide grip position or one dumbbell in each hand and push it up and down until you can feel your pectorals stretched. You have to lift heavy such that you can do between 6-10 repetitions. If you can do 15+ repetitions, the weights are too light and if you can do only 4, they are too heavy. About 2-3 sets is a good start for beginners. If you incline the bench, you’ll focus more on the upper pectorals for your chest.

MILITARY PRESS
Military press is a massive shoulder building exercise that can also be performed either with a barbell or two dumbbells. This exercise targets the deltoids, the upper back called the trapezius and the rotator cuff. You can either do it standing or seated. While holding the barbell or dumbbells shoulder level, raise them up and down. About 2-3 sets of 8-10 heavy repetitions.

DEADLIFT
Deadlift works a large number of muscles including the lower back, the middle back, the trapezius, the hips, the quadriceps, the hamstrings, the glutes and the forearms. To perform the deadlift compound movement, you have to spread your legs at shoulder width apart, bend your knees slightly above 90 degrees while lowering your arms and grasp a barbell in a shoulder width position. It’s important to keep your back straight at all times. Then you have to raise the barbell up not by focusing on the strength of your arms but rather on your back and whole body. Next lower the barbell down on the floor by bending your knees to return to the initial position, and repeat. About 2-3 sets of 6-10 heavy repetitions.

BENT-OVER ROW
Bent-over row is a very powerful back development exercise and one of the most favorite back exercises for pro body builders. If you want to get a thick muscular back, do bent-over rows. Apart from the back, it also works the biceps and forearms. To perform this exercise, you have to spread your legs at shoulder width aparet, bend your knees slightly above 90 degrees, grasp a barbell in a shoulder width position and lift it towards your chest then lower it slowly. This movement focuses on your upper lats. On the other hand, if you lift it more towards your stomach, you’ll focus on your lower lats. It’s important to keep your back straight at all times. Note that the barbell is still off the ground until you’re finished with the exercise. About 2-3 sets of 8-10 heavy repetitions.

PULL-UP
Pull up is one of the easiest and most excellent ways to train your back and develop a wide athletic V-Shape back. You only need a bar from which you can hang from. But it does not mean pull up is an easy exercise. It’s actually very hard if you’re new to it and chances are you won’t be able to do a single repetition initially. Pull up is a body weight compound exercise and a powerful one to develop your lats, back, rear shoulders, biceps and forearms. You can do wide grip pull ups palms facing away from you which focus more on the upper lats and close grip pull ups palms still facing away to target more on the lower lats. Another related exercise is the chin up which uses a close grip palms facing towards you. Works the lower lats, back, biceps and forearms. You can also focus more on the biceps by squeezing them at the top when you raise your body. About 2-3 sets of 7-10 repetitions. If you can’t do that range of repetitions, you might need to start slowly and progress gradually. On the other hand, if you can do more than 15 repetitions with time and practice, you can use a weight belt and add weights to make the exercises more difficult.

DIP
Dips are such an excellent, flexible and powerful exercise to develop the pectorals, the triceps and the shoulders. You only need two parallel bars at a certain height and you have to grasp both sides with your arms such that your body is elevated when you do so. Then, you have to lower your body and bend your elbows no lower than 90 degrees as this will stress too much the shoulders, and next, raise your body to the initial position. If you incline your body more to the front, you’ll focus more on your chest muscles and if you keep your body straight, you’ll target more on the triceps. Same as with pull-ups, you can use a weighted belt if you can do more than 15 repetitions. About 2-3 sets of 8-10 repetitions.

LUNGE WITH DUMBBELL CURL AND OVERHEAD PRESS
This compound sequence targets the upper body, such as the shoulders, biceps and triceps, and the lower body, such as the hip flexors, quads and hamstrings. They also activate the abs and lower back to keep your trunk stable and maintain proper form. Use weights that are heavy enough that you can do up to 10 repetitions of each exercise, but no more than 12. Stand with your feet at hip-width, your shoulders back and down and your lower back neutral. Step your right foot forward and drop into a lunge — your knee should be over your ankle and your right thigh parallel to the floor. Curl the dumbbells to shoulder-height, and then press them overhead. Step forward with your left foot to come out of the lunge and lower the arms back into the curl then return your hands to your sides. Repeat five times on each leg.

SQUAT AND FRONT RAISE
This sequence targets the shoulders and upper back as well as the lower body and core. Use weights that are heavy enough so that you can do up to 10 repetitions of each exercise, but no more than 12. Stand with your feet at hip-width, your shoulders back and down and your lower back neutral. Stick your behind out and lower into a squat, as if sitting in a chair. Your thighs should be parallel to the floor and your knees in line with your ankles. Raise the dumbbells in front of you until your arms are parallel to the floor. Lower your arms and rise back up to standing. Repeat five times.

JUMPING MOUNTAIN CLIMBERS
This sequence targets the shoulders and upper back as well as the quads, hamstrings and glutes. Stand with your feet at hip-width, your shoulders back and down and your lower back neutral. Squat down and place both hands on the floor, in front of your feet. Extend your right leg back, then extend your left leg back while bringing your right leg forward — as if running in place. Repeat three times, and then bring both feet back to the squat position and jump up in one explosive motion. Repeat the entire sequence five times.

WALKING PUSH-UPS
This exercise targets the biceps, triceps and upper back as well as the shoulders, pectorals and core. Lie face down with your hands beneath your shoulders and your palms flat on the floor. Engage your abs and press yourself up, until your arms are fully extended. Your hands should be directly under your shoulders and your body should make a straight line. Walk your right hand and right leg one step to the right and follow with your right. Lower yourself back down to the floor. Push up again, and walk back to the left. Repeat five times on each side.

If you include these muscle mass building exercises in your workout and you pay proper attention to nutrition and rest, you’re already on your way to big muscle mass gains guaranteed. So go for it. Good luck.

A lot of the routines on Train With Me ARE compound workouts!

The Spartacus Workout  Part One & Part Two

The Playground Workout

“28 Days” Workout

Formula For Fat Loss