Sometimes when we train we try to get too fancy. We forget the simple exercises that can hit multiple body parts at once. Compound exercises, for example, allow you to “use the heaviest load possible, involve multiple joint articulations and stimulate a large amount of muscle mass,” explains Eric Cressey, president of Cressey Sports Performance. “As an added bonus, the majority of these movements are performed [from a] standing position, meaning that you will need to display proper control of your body. Compound exercises are also more likely to increase your anabolic response to training, which is paramount when you’re trying to increase lean muscle tissue.” 

Compound exercises have also been found to:

• Elevate testosterone
• Improve muscular coordination
• Increase power

Compound exercises address many actions at once, making them both efficient and effective. Here are some of the best compound exercises to add to your workout. 

1. Hip Hinge or Deadlift

This compound movement targets the forearms, lats, glutes, hamstrings, core stabilizers and upper-, mid- and lower-back. It’s an amazing exercise for the whole posterior chain. 

Stand with feet about hip-width apart. Make sure you are close enough to the bar. Drive your hips back. Take tension out of the bar. Brace your core, keep tension in the lats and the knees soft as you push your heels into the floor. As the bar approaches the knees, think about shooting your hips into the bar. Finish in a tall stand while clenching your glutes. 

2. Squat

This exercise enhances mobility in the hips and ankles, and challenges core stabilizers, posterior chain, lower legs and quads. 

Stand with feet shoulder-width apart. Dial your feet into the floor, activating your hips. Control the downward, or eccentric phase toward the floor—don’t let gravity lower you down. Move the tailbone toward the floor, while maintaining a tall, engaged torso. Push the floor away and rise to stand, fully extending.