If the idea of working out a specific muscle group every day gives you terrible anxiety, you’re not alone.
Being in the gym and figuring out what workouts are good for leg day but better for your glutes can be overwhelming.
Luckily for you, compound exercises exist.
A compound exercise is one that engages multiple different muscles and joints at once.
And no, this doesn’t necessarily mean doing movements like jump squats into burpees.
Sometimes, these compound movements are essentially one, simple exercise that – because of the way it’s set up and performed – can work out your entire body.
Tianna Strateman, President of Club Pilates and Pilates instructor, told DailyMail.com that one of the best compound exercises to get a total body workout is a super straightforward one: a plank.
Sure, the plank may not be the easiest exercise to hold, but it is a pretty simple one.
Planks engage your core, your arms, and many small muscles all at once (stock image)
And despite its simplicity, it’s basically a total-body movement.
‘Not only does it work the entire body with a lot of emphasis on core, but it also fires up multiple stabilizers and small muscles that are so important for supporting full body strength and posture,’ Stratemen said.
Valerie Lucas, Senior Master Teacher and Trainer at YogaSix, approaches total body workouts through a different route.
He suggested a combination of a Warrior 3 pose and Shiva Squats.
If you have no idea what either of those things are, let’s break it down.
The Warrior 3 pose in yoga is when you stand on one leg while balancing the body and opposite leg parallel to the floor.
Both arms are also out at your side during this move.
Shiva Squats, on the other hand, is a little more complicated.
Combining Warrior 3 pose with Shiva Squats requires balance, but makes for a great total-body workout (stock image)
It’s done by balancing on one leg while the other leg is raised and bent, and having your knee crossed behind the standing knee, often with your hands in prayer position.
‘Warrior 3 targets the core, glutes, hamstrings, and back, while the Shiva Squats activate the legs, quads, and calves, and improve balance and flexibility,’ Lucas said.
‘The combination of these movements challenges stability, strength, and coordination, working both the lower and upper body for a full-body exercise.’
Michelle Ditto, VP of Training and Technique at Pure Barre, told DailMail.com that the chair position is a great way to hit core and lower body all at once.
This is done super simply: all you have to do is basically lower yourself so that your legs are in a 90 degree angle – like you’re sitting in a chair.
Then, put your arms out in front of you and hold the position.
‘A chair position functionally engages the muscles of your legs in an incredibly efficient way, while simultaneously requiring the use of your abs, back, arms, and even calves and feet to maintain alignment,’ Ditto said.
‘Without needing to move much (if at all), the chair position demands attention to the major movers of your body while also functionally loading the joints that bear much of your weight (think hips and shoulders), building stability around these joints to increase full body strength.
‘This type of strength building can translate to things like getting up and down from the floor with more ease, and being able to withstand falls with a lower likelihood of injury.’
So whether you like doing a simple position like a plank or jumping from a yoga pose into ‘Shiva Squats,’ find whatever exercise works best for you – you’ll be working your entire body either way.
