Muscle Building Tip: Focus On Compound Exercises

[XxstugatzxX]

thanks that helped a lot i am currently 6 foot 2 and 180 pounds, purely ectomorphic, hard for me to gain muscle mass, before i was 6 foot2 and 150 but these compound workouts have helped a lot thanks

[slyfury007]

Hey i just started to workout again and a exercise i love to do is a one arm kettlebell clean and jerk. I believe this is a great compound exercise b/c of the many muscle groups you use and the high weight you can do the exercise with. Would you recommend me to keep doing this exercise?

[modeathletics]

@slyfury007 Yes, the kettlebell clean and jerk is a phenomenal exercise.

[slyfury007]

@modeathletics thanks

[daveindublin1]

yeah man im a hard gainer its so tough when u plateau and get discouraged im just going to focus on compound exercises i know there's bench press and squats could you recommend any more as i don't really know what compound exercises are thanks!!!

[modeathletics]

@daveindublin1 If you're a hard gainer, besides doing the most effective compound muscle-buiding exercises, it's imperative that you make sure you're consuming enough calories to cause you to gain weight. All of the most effective exercises will produce zero muscle growth results for you if you're not eating enough calories. With that said, the best compound exercises for upper body muscle growth are dips and chin-ups. For legs, squats and deadlifts are the two best exercises.

[daveindublin1]

@modeathletics thanks very much i was actually working out an eating routine tonight I multiplied my body weight by 20 because i hear that this amount of calories will allow me to gain weight I hope that's right! The last time I was at the gym I was looking half decent after the session but later I would deflate back to my original size and it was definitely because I was not eating enough I realise now that this is as important as training

[modeathletics]

@daveindublin1 The deflation effect you described is normal. Everyone who lifts weights experiences it. It's known as the "muscle-pump". When you do resistance training, your muscles fill up with blood and look bigger. Your muscles remain "pumped up" for a couple hours after your workout, then return to "normal". The trick is to build your "normal" physique up to be more muscular. That's done through hypertrophy (i.e. increasing the size of the muscles, not just pumping them up with blood).

[GnrlDisarray0]

You called some of my favorite exercises useless yet I am in a lot better shape than you are. No need to watch more of your videos.

[texas817847]

PLEASE DONT ONLY FLAT BENCH TOO MUCH. My bench press is awesome, but I developed man-breast. Now Im replacing flat bench with incline bench to work on the upper pecs.

[criixt]

is compound exercises for building muscle and isolation used for "fine-tuning" the shape/size of the muscle.

[modeathletics]

@criixt Yes, and no. Compound exercises are for building muscle, but isolation exercises are fairly useless and do nothing to the shape of the muscle. The shape of everyone's muscles are determined by their genetics. Isolation exercises can't change that.

[TrueDominguez]

@modeathletics ok well then what do isolation workouts do?

[modeathletics]

@TrueDominguez Isolation workouts are a waste of time.

[ytistheshiz]

How about dumbell flys for chest?

[modeathletics]

@ytistheshiz Dumbbell flys are not a very effective muscle-building exercise for chest. Dips and bench press (or dumbbell press) are significantly more effective towards building big chest muscles.

[scorpgul]

Hey mate I want to squat but cannot get my feet flat when I try to sit I always go forward on my toes and lose balance. Is it because of tight hamstring? And if so what exercises do you recommend to stretch my hamstring

[PensFan35]

I would suggest instead of talking you do something.

[skalabin69]

best compound exercise for arms?? i have skinny arms and it killing me cus i wanna gain muscle weight there but nothing seems to work

[modeathletics]

@skalabin69 Chin-ups (i.e. shoulder-width grip with palms facing towards you). Focus on squeezing your biceps at the top of every rep.

[Zenithson05]

i do compound exercises like squats and pushups but my right arm biceps are bigger than my left arm.

is it ok if i do isolation exercises like bicep curls on my left arm

[modeathletics]

@Zenithson05 Yes, that's fine. I also suggest you do unilateral rowing exercises (e.g. single-arm rows) to help correct the muscle imbalance in your biceps.

[SuperMrToronto]

Hey I just wanted to ask you: I want to decrease body fat % and lean up, is it ok if Im doing compound exercises or should I focus on isolation exercises?

[modeathletics]

@SuperMrToronto Definitely focus on compound exercises if your goal is burning fat. Compound exercises are great towards fat-burning, and isolation exercises are fairly useless towards fat-burning. My suggestion is not to bother with isolation exercises unless you enjoy doing them.

[chiefmungomartin]

@modeathletics I agree with your stance on compound exercises, multiple muscle group exercises are more functional and will burn more fat. However, isolation exercises will still build muscle mass and the more lean muscle tissue a person has the higher their metabolic rate will be so the more fat they'll burn throughout the day.

[BrandonSaldana]

Are you in Chicago?

[modeathletics]

@BrandonSaldana No, I live in Vancouver, BC, Canada.

[BrandonSaldana]

@modeathletics I should of known, haha. It looked like the downtown area of Chicago from your Loft

[ilikegirlsalotxd]

than what are isolation exercises good for?

[cfc000]

@ilikegirlsalotxd I've been told to do workouts with approx. 70% compound exercises and 30% isolation exercises. Isolation exercises are still good to do, just compound ones work your body more (burn more calories, build more muscle).

Also, if you keep you break times between exercises short (below 60s), it works you significantly more than long breaks (2 mins +).

[Jhoops241]

As a basketball player are should i focus more on compound exercises

[modeathletics]

@Jhoops241 Yes, definitely. Off the top of my head, I can't think of a single isolation exercise that would be beneficial to a basketball player.

[RustyR]

I can't find that book ANYWHERE!

[LLMAXG]

what does plateaud mean?

[cfc000]

@LLMAXG Stuck at the same spot/weight/etc. When he said early(ish) in the video he was stuck at 150 lbs, that is being plateaued. 

[LLMAXG]

@cfc000 so is that lik no matter how much u work you wont add weight or muscle? or is it lik a myth or medical ?

[DamindofManning]

great video and great job bro. Thanx for the tips man

[modeathletics]

@DamindofManning My pleasure. Thanks for the positive feedback.

[kinggusak]

i agree to a point!! flys and pec dec do add muscle and depth to the outter pec, also adds shape!! can't dismiss flys mate!!

[kickboxerz1]

that was the most gayest thing eva putting ur hands on your hips u faggot

[alexafhal]

why are pec fly's useless?

[marcoy145]

@alexafhal because they only work 1 muscle group whereas compound excersises like bench press works, pecs, triceps and sholders, which do you think will build more mass and burn more calories?

[alexafhal]

@marcoy145 it was just the way it was worded. I mean i wouldn't call it "useless"

[pure5abi]

@alexafhal They are for cutting down, not building i heard, but i might be wrong...double check on that

[AutomataAristotelico]

Ok. I get isolation exercises do not work if one wants to get big muscles, but are they any good FOR STRENGTH IMPROVEMENT? Please Get Back To Me!

[drewnod]

Good advice, I like compound exercises better, too. When you say you went from 130 to 220 though, I bet 50 pounds of that was just from going through the later stage of puberty gradually. You definitely don't have a 130 or even 150 pound frame, I would say 180. Meaning, if you stopped working out and ate less in order to keep the same BF% you would atrophy down to about 180.

Good tips though, I will check out more of your vids.

[Az260790UK]

i would like some advice on nutrition do i use shakes or food or both? i'm currently an embarassing 65 kg, 5"11 and do mainly isolation exercises with some aerobic work outs too, should my routine only consist of compound exercises, 3 days a week, with no aerobic work until i get to a comfortable size? regarding nutrition, i'm lactose intolerant, so there arent many supplements out there for me any way..thanx

[OverTimeMods]

This man speaks the truth lol, whenever my varsity football offensive coordinator walks around the weight room and sees one of the football players using isolation machines like the tricep push down or the bicep curl machine you'll be sure to hear him yelling at the kid. He much better prefers us to be using compound things like bench, squat, clean, etc.

[richards1986]

Really good info buddy, problem for many is wanting to train at home, Im going to pay 60 pounds (100 dollars?) for 2x 20kg disc's and this is the dirtiest cheap discs u can find, im actually thinking theyre going to snap in half when they arrive ha, because squats and deadlifts are the most important exercises. My philosophy is train the biggest muscles the most, and add the isolation ones u like. personal i do 1 set of flyes just to define the centre of my chest more, and shrugs for big traps.

[Az260790UK]

@richards1986 as well as weights, for training at home using chairs to improvise for dips and a pull up bar is consisdered quite good.

[ZHAOFEIXIANG]

It's true, a friend of mine BARELEY EVER does compound excercises like pull ups etc and only does intense bicep curls, he still has shit biceps after a year. Dont ever make this mistake people !

[mariwanaman]

Why is isolation exercises USELESS for building muscles :S... please get back to me.

[modeathletics]

@mariwanaman No one ever built big muscles from doing isolation exercises such as chest flys, concentration curls, triceps kickbacks, etc. Isolation exercises don't allow you to challenge your muscles enough to force them to grow. Muscle-growth happens from doing heavy compound lifts like bench press, dips, chin-ups, etc. Barbell curl is ok. Triceps pushdowns are ok. But focus on heavy compound exercises for real mass building.

[mariwanaman]

@modeathletics If isolation exercices dont build mass, would you say they tone up the muscle when trying to get leaner?

[modeathletics]

@mariwanaman No, muscle-toning means losing body fat so you can see your muscles better, and isolation exercises are no good for burning calories and losing body fat. You can get huge and ripped and NEVER do isolation exercises. Do them only if you like doing them. When I used to train at the gym, I enjoyed doing exercises like preacher curl and overhead triceps extension, so I did them. I just didn't expect to build big muscles from doing those exercises, so I also did lots of compound lifts.

[baeronautics]

@modeathletics hi i loved your video but i have a huge problem you look like professional so i hope you can help me out , i m skinny and i need help increasing the width of my arms i m pretty satisfied with my side view but when i see my front view they are so thin that elblw is seen out of my arms like this ,

shoulder----->======( )===3^<--- my fingers please help me i really need help

[modeathletics]

@baeronautics My elbows used to look like that when I was really skinny. It was the thing I remember being the most self-conscious about when I was skinny and trying desperately to gain weight. Here's the deal. There's no way to target that specific area of your body and make your arms look bigger from the front view. Simply not possible. You need to focus on overall muscle gain and your arms will thicken up as well, including from the front/back view. Compound exercises and eat a lot.

[baeronautics]

@modeathletics thankyou you had the most logical advice ever seen on youtube thankyou again YOU ROCK BUDDY ! :D

[modeathletics]

@baeronautics My pleasure. Glad to help out. Good luck with your muscle-building goals.

[monkynutzuk]

@modeathletics hey man, awesome vid! very nicely done and simple to understand. i need a little help tho, im really skinny, im 21 and weigh 54 kg!!!. one thing you dont see much on youtube is vids explaining the dietry side of bodybuilding. its so confusing understanding bmr and how much carbs, protein and callories to have, its real science! a vid explaining and simplifying this for mortals like me would be a god send!!! thanks again tho :)

[modeathletics]

@monkynutzuk Thanks for the positive feedback. Great suggestion about the nutrition/diet side of bodybuilding and building muscle. I'll film and upload a video about that topic this week, possibly even today.

[snowsportsrule2112]

its all about consistency too. haha i love how everyone weights about 150 i just turned 19 im about 5'10 maybe 5'11 and weight between 150 and 155; but i only want to get to about 175 if i dont get any taller. i like the lean look, and i want practical muscle, muscle that will allow me to do things people dream of doing but never do; things like planche pushups, pullups with 100 pounds strapped to me, and flips like gymnast do. this was a good video.

[Zakarta123]

my friend sprints and that helps testosterone levels which builds muscle... i'm going to try that too.

[tremyap]

BRO thats me..I been 150lbs for 4 yrs. Im 31..Im cut..I workout, I just cant seem to gain..Im listening to u

[Zakarta123]

Hey, I was 17 years old and im 6'1 132 pounds, (it was embarrising)... and now im 18 around 150 pounds and cant seem to get off that barrier... i'm going to try incorporate more compound excercises, could i still have very isolation excersies such as side lateral raises or rear delt row?

[tenntanguy]

Awesome....

[ilikeyoutub07]

Is whey protein shakes considered as a supplement? Is it cheating? I just wanna be all natural and wondering if I should take it.

[modeathletics]

Whey protein is considered a supplement (i.e. a supplement in place of eating protein in the form of real food). It's not cheating. Natural bodybuilders use whey protein.

[mad1966dog]

fucking homo ass fucker

[ShawnSmallwood100]

sit down on your ASS!!! lmao

[nycdude86]

Thanks for the video. I have struggled with gaining muscle mass my entire life. Im 6-2 and 170 23 year old. 2 years ago I weigh 130. my arm biceps circumference was 12.5 now its 15. Keep in mind I have an extremely fast metabolism rate. Im done with wasting money on Nitric Oxide, DHA, testosterone boosters etc. A few months ago I obtain the most gains. Honestly speaking nothing works better than determination, old school complex exercise, proper rest and good food.

[andletscuttothechase]

Hello,

I'm new to body building and so far I'm little weak for a regular squat, so I do Hack Squat Exercise Machine. What is your take on this Hack Squat Exercise Machine. Do you consider this as an compound exercise exercise? I do bench press machine, shoulder press machine, upright rows, seated rows, dips machines and lat pull downs are they all consider as compound exercise according to your expertise?

You can see my youtube video, I'm skinny and need to gain mass!

Thank you.

[modeathletics]

Yes, hack squats are a compound exercise, but I don't care for hack squats because it's not a natural range of motion (the same reason I don't like smith machine squats). You're much better off doing bodyweight squats, and working your way up towards doing loaded squats. Even better is single-leg bulgarian split squats.

Also, stay away from "machines" if possible. Bench press or pushups are better than "bench press machine". Same thing applies to shoulder press, dips, etc. Avoid machines.

[jtcber]

Thanks Mike. I want something that can work the three heads of the shoulder at the same time. Is Arnold Press ideal? What about bicep, tricep? Is there a specific exercise that work on all sides of these muscles?

[modeathletics]

I can't think of one exercise that works all three shoulder muscles at the same time. I doubt such an exercise exists because the three deltoid heads all perform different movement on the upper arm. Arnold Presses will really work the anterior head, with some involvement from the medial head, but the posterior head isn't involved.

The biceps and triceps are antagonist muscles that cause completely opposite movements off the elbow joint. You can't do one exercise for both of these muscles.

[umbilicaltapeworm]

if I could only do one upper body exercise it would definitely be handstand pushups (without a wall). in order to balance you need to stabilize using the entire shoulder area. obviously it isn't exactly a beginner exercise, but even the practice steps that lead up to being able to do a handstand are a great shoulder, back, arm, and core workout. it is a close second to my favorite compound exercise, the deadlift. just a thought...

[TheButtermyarse9]

finally someone know what their talking about, the compound exercises are the best way for mass, great video

[jtcber]

Can you suggest some compound exercises for shoulder, arm, and back? Basically the whole upper body. I want to work on multiple muscles at once.

[modeathletics]

The best compound exercises for the upper body are rows, pushups, pullups, and shoulder presses.

[pottyab]

bench and pull ups work a lot of upper body

[nimbette2]

I enjoyed this video. Sounds great!

[JULIOCESARE007]

cool video but what up with the way u stand up bro

[thelastalsammarai]

Some people build better with squeezing excerscises (DUMBELL FLYS) than with pushing excerscises (bench press)

[abMDrums]

lol yous tand like a fag, but good vid.

[umbilicaltapeworm]

you taste like a fag.

[user98xp]

@abMDrums

Bitch, that shit is comfortable.

[RockNRollSoldier1]

bullshit. dumbell flyes and cable crosses are really good exercises for building a real thick chest

[modeathletics]

Categorically wrong.

[alonsoflor]

blah, blah...

[weathered79]

i'm considering on just doing compound exercises i've been doing standard curls and i see some results but my strength is taking forever i'm 5'11 230lbs hopefully compound is the way to go