Can Compound Exercises Make Your Workouts More Efficient?

Compound exercises provide a great foundation for strength-training workouts. These functional movements target multiple muscle groups simultaneously. Plus, they can help you save time by making your workouts more efficient. 

If you haven’t already included compound exercises in your workouts, there are some key benefits that will likely make you reconsider. 

What are the benefits of compound exercises? 

A well-rounded fitness program often features both compound and isolation exercises. Both types of exercises can help you reach your training goals. Compound exercises require multiple joints and muscles to work together. Isolation exercises work one joint and muscle at a time. 

Push-ups, for example, are a compound exercise. The movement involves flexing and extending the elbows and abducting the shoulders. Several muscles — in the chest, arms, back, and abdominals — work together when you do a push-up. A biceps curl, on the other hand, is an isolation exercise. You move your elbow as your bicep contracts. 

There’s room for both types of exercises in your fitness routine, and they both have unique benefits. Here are some of the top benefits of compound exercises. 

Improve functional strength and mobility 

With compound exercises, you mimic everyday movements. This can help you build muscle and the functional strength necessary for efficient movement. More functional strength could lead to better mobility and coordination in your daily life and better performance in sports or exercise. 

Take lunges, for example. This compound move engages lower-body muscles, such as the glutes, quads, and hamstrings. And it mirrors the movement patterns you make while walking and climbing stairs. 

Prevent muscle imbalances and injuries

Adding compound exercises to your fitness plan is a great way to prevent muscle imbalances and related injuries. A muscle imbalance occurs when one muscle group is bigger or stronger than another. 

This might happen to a soccer player who uses their dominant leg more while training, for example. The dominant side does the lion’s share of the work. So it gets stronger, as the non-dominant side weakens. This results in a muscle imbalance between the right and left legs. 

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Bilateral compound exercises — like pull-ups, squats, and deadlifts — recruit muscles on both sides of your body at the same time. Practicing these moves can help you avoid muscle imbalances, overuse, and injuries. They ensure that your workout routine equally targets all major muscle groups to build well-rounded and balanced strength. 

Boost heart health 

Compound exercises are good for your heart, too. The moves get your heart pumping as you recruit several muscle groups to move your body. Regular compound exercise workouts can strengthen your heart and improve cardiorespiratory fitness. 

Burn more calories

Doing compound exercises activates more muscle groups per movement than isolation exercises. And the more muscle mass you contract (work) during exercise, the more calories you burn.

Save time 

Most people have trouble finding time to exercise consistently. So efficient workouts that take less time but provide health benefits can be a game changer. And compound exercises fit the bill. 

You can get a full-body workout with fewer exercises by working multiple muscles at once, doing compound movements. That can save time and make it easier to fit a workout into your day.

What are some examples of compound exercises? 

When it comes to compound exercises, there are numerous options for beginners, advanced athletes, and everyone in between. Plus, many workouts include compound movements. Examples include: 

• Squats

• Jump squats 

• Lunges

• Push-ups

• Chest presses 

• Bird dogs

• Pull-ups 

• Deadlifts 

• Burpees 

• Split squats 

How do you incorporate compound exercises into a fitness routine?

Compound exercises can be safe and appropriate for people of all fitness levels. Consider these tips to help you get started working these moves into your routine. 

Figure out your form

Beginners should start with foundational compound exercises like squats and lunges. If you’re new to these kinds of moves, focus on learning the proper form for each exercise before moving on to advanced variations, like back squats or lunges with an overhead press. Talk to a personal trainer if you need help learning how to perform compound exercises. 

Use your fitness level as a guide

There are various ways to structure strength-training workouts. Beginners are typically advised to start with two total-body, strengthening workouts a week. You can do workouts with upper- and lower-body compound exercises to meet that goal. 

Advanced athletes may prefer split workout routines. This approach involves targeting a handful of muscle groups at a time, instead of the whole body. So you might do lower-body compound exercises for leg day on Monday and upper-body compound exercises for chest day on Tuesday. The total training volume for a split workout routine can be higher than for total-body workouts. This can help build muscle and strength faster. 

Start your workout with compound exercises

Compound exercises can be more demanding and tiring than isolation exercises. So if you plan to do both during a workout, start with compound exercises. It helps to do the most challenging movements when you have the most energy. 

You can then finish the workout with isolation exercises that complement compound moves. For example, if you do squats, which work the calves, you might end with calf raises. 

Remember to rest

Resting between workouts helps your muscles recover and your mind reset. And it’s critical for a successful fitness plan. 

Studies suggest that you should take 48 to 72 hours of rest between workout sessions that target the same muscles. You can work different muscle groups during those rest periods or slow your routine down with active recovery workouts, like swimming or Pilates. 

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Written by:

Amber Sayer, MS, CPT

Amber Sayer, MS, CPT, has been working in fitness and wellness for the past 12 years in a variety of capacities, ranging from exercise physiology for cardiac rehab to one-on-one personal training and health coaching. She has been a health and fitness writer and editor for 7 years.

Edited by:

Lauren Savage, MA

Lauren Savage, MA, is a health editor at GoodRx, where she focuses on movement, exercise, and healthy aging. She aims to provide readers with the information they need to live healthier, more active lifestyles.

Reviewed by:

Sanjai Sinha, MD

Sanjai Sinha, MD, is a board-certified physician with over 20 years of experience. He specializes in internal medicine.

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