Compound exercises should form the basis of your weight training regime, regardless of your goal
If you're seeking to strip fat, the vast amount of energy burned off from a heavy lifting workout can help you get lean. If muscle growth is more on your agenda, these exercises work multiple muscles at once so will allow you to overload those target areas.
You're probably familiar with the key compounds:
- Bench Press
- Squat
- Deadlift
- Pull-Up
- Shoulder Press
- Tricep Dip
But there are still ways you can tweak your barbell training to achieve even greater returns.
Juan Leija, a coach at the ONNIT Academy, has put together this 'unconventional' barbell workout. While thinking outside the box, all moves in this plan are designed to provide you with the biggest muscle-building bang-for-your-buck.
Juan says, "although they might look weird to some, these movements will challenge your body to the next level to provide great gains."
Here's what the workout looks like:
Warm Up
With your warm-up, the focus is on full body mobility - since all major muscle groups will come under stress.
- Row, bike or ski [for 5 minutes]
- Shoulder presses with 5lb dumbbells or weight plates [30 seconds of full reps / or 30 seconds static hold at the top]
The Main Workout
- Single arm barbell snatch (with press) [3 sets of 2 reps on each side]
Focus on the movement and try to keep the bar as straight as possible when pressing.
- Suitcase deadlift [5 sets of 5 reps on each side]
Avoid caving in at your hips and knees, and ensure your shoulders don't drop. Add some weight on this lift.
- Bridge Press [5 sets of 10 reps]
Drive your hips up the whole time, engaging your glutes when pressing. Add a slight pause at the bottom of your rep. Again, add some weight on this lift.
Tri-Set Finisher
Perform 3 sets of 3 reps on each of these lifts, back to back. Aim for 10 total rounds of this tri-set with minimal rest in between rounds.
- Romanian deadlift
- Bent over row
- Shoulder press
Then, cool down and stretch. Your work here is done - until next time, that is.
