Compound exercises, sometimes called multi muscle exercises, are a
great way to move your workout to a whole new level without spending more time working out.
Basically you are using more than one and hopefully as many muscle groups as possible
in a single exercise.
For instance: if
you perform a leg extension on a
machine at the health club you only work your quadricep muscle;
however, if you spend the same amount of time doing squats you will work
virtually every muscle in your lower body and work your core and back
at the same time. lets face it, we all have those days when it is hard
to find time to work out. These compound exercises will help you stay on track and use your time most effectively.
1)
Instead of just doing a squat hold your dumbbells in front of you with your palms facing out. As
you start your squat, curl the dumbbells to your shoulders
and then do a
military press. Do this action slowly so that you reach the top of
your squat just as you are finishing the military press.
Sometimes I do
this exercise with light weights during my cardio days and other times I
use heavy weights to really build muscle and give my whole body a good
workout with this all in one workout.
2) Push Ups are one of the best multi muscle exercises
ever. They're simple, safe and very effective at building your upper
body in a short amount of time.
3) Virtually every Yoga pose will work multiple areas (if not every
area) of your body. I know I continue to say this but if you haven't
tried Yoga or Pilates I would strongly suggest you consider
trying them.
My motto is always "Work Smarter Not Harder" If you
want to get the most of the time you have then you should definitely
consider working multiple muscle groups at the same time.
