Many rookies in the gym trying to bulk up and gain weight make the mistake of doing the same routines that they find in bodybuilding magazines. These magazines have articles on the routines of professional bodybuilders. The routines usually consist of tons of isolation exercises for various individual muscles. Gym rookies follow these routines and then wonder why they see very little gains. The reason is that a novice to the gym has different needs than a pro bodybuilder. Instead, the beginners (and also intermediates) should follow a routine based on heavy compound movements.

Compound movements when done properly recruit more muscles (especially little muscles, which don’t get worked out in isolation exercises) and thereby allow the body to grow bigger. Whenever doing any type of lifting, you need to remember that proper form is very important. So it is especially important for beginners to start off slow, with lower weight and learn the proper technique. This is especially important for exercises where your back is involved like the deadlift or squat.

Here are some of the most important compound exercises:
Bench Press (Barbell)

Squat

Deadlift

Dips

Pullups

Good Mornings

Bentover Row (Barbell)

Shoulder Press (Dumbbells)

Credit: 1; Photo by Sam Moghadam Khamseh

One thought on “Compound Exercises To Do If You Want To Gain Weight And Muscle”

  1. Great article.
    Most of the beginners make the mistake of focusing more on isolation movements and ignore compound movements.
    The truth is the only way to get big and to gain muscle is through compound exercises like squats, bench press and deadlift as they help the body in releasing more Growth Hormone.

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