Compound exercises

Compound exercises are resistance exercises in which two or more joints move together against resistance. They usually involve several muscle groups, although one may be the main target muscle while others act as auxiliary muscles or stabilizers.

Common examples include squats, deadlifts, bench presses, overhead presses, rows, and pull-ups. In a bench press, movement occurs at both the shoulder and elbow; in a squat, the hips, knees, and ankles contribute. This multi-joint definition distinguishes compound movements from isolation exercises, which emphasize movement at one main joint. It does not say how effective, difficult, or safe an exercise is for a particular person.

Compound movements can train several muscles efficiently and often allow substantial external loads. They can also demand more coordination and create more local or whole-body fatigue. A set may end because a supporting muscle, grip, balance, or technique becomes limiting before the intended muscle receives all the work you want. Conversely, an isolation movement can sometimes target that muscle more directly. A systematic review and meta-analysis found broadly similar whole-muscle hypertrophy from single-joint and multi-joint training in the limited direct comparisons available, with possible benefits from combining them to target particular regions.

Compound is not a synonym for main lift. A program may make a compound exercise a priority, use it as assistance work, or omit it. Nor is every compound movement automatically a large exercise: Alpha Progression's exercise-size classification considers more than joint count. Good exercise selection depends on the goal, available equipment, training experience, comfort, and the rest of the program—not on the compound label alone.

See also:

• Isolation exercises
• Main lifts
• Exercise size
• Exercise selection
• Target muscle
• Auxiliary muscle