Compound training involves performing multiple exercises with little rest, targeting the same muscle group for an intense workout. It saves time and conserves calories for muscle building, but may reduce training duration and strength benefits. It is not the same as compound lifts, which require multiple muscle groups.
Compound training is a weight training technique in which the athlete performs multiple exercises with very little rest in between. Often the exercises the athlete chooses will work the same muscle group so that muscle group receives a sustained, intense workout. Compound training is an effective technique for bodybuilders or others trying to maximize the muscle mass they generate as a result of their lifting.
Although the terms sound similar, compound training is not the same as compound lifts. Compound lifts are specific weightlifting exercises that require multiple muscle groups to complete the lifts. Bench presses, for example, engage your chest, triceps, and shoulder muscles.
Compound training means that the athlete completes an exercise, which may or may not be a compound lift, and then immediately moves on to another lift. Sometimes an athlete doing compound training will even combine three or four exercises to create giant sets. For example, an athlete may start with a set of pull-ups, then move to pull-ups, then move to seated rows, all without taking a break.
There are two main benefits to compound training. First, when the exercises target the same muscle group, compound training allows the athlete to target that muscle group from a variety of angles at once. The athlete does not rest between each set, so the muscle group goes through a full workout before the muscles have a chance to recover. This intensifies the training that the muscle group receives.
Another benefit is that the athlete completes more of their overall training in less time and with fewer spikes in their heart rate. If an athlete were to perform each exercise individually, with a full rest period between each set, this would result in a more sustained workout. As a result, he would burn much more total calories than performing all the sets in one giant set. For this reason, compound training is beneficial for those who are trying to build muscle mass, as it conserves calories that the body can use to build muscle instead of burning them during training.
There are also some drawbacks to compound training. First, if an athlete is trying to maintain or even lose weight, then compound training is counterproductive because it reduces training duration. Second, because the body has no chance to recover between sets, the total amount of weight the athlete can lift during subsequent sets of a giant set decreases. This reduces the strength benefit of training. Finally, compound set training can be difficult because it often requires multiple weights and machines, which can be a problem in a busy gym.
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