Q: Researchers James Steele and James Fisher, based in the UK, claim one to two full-body workouts with compound lifts for one or two sets to failure will get you 98 percent of the results you’re after. They claim the angles of movements, or biomechanics, make little to no difference as long as the muscle reaches failure. What are your thoughts on this? What do you think about the compound lifts?
A: Using specific compound exercises to failure, or close, will of course trigger some hypertrophy.
The best compound exercise would put the target muscle as the prime mover and achieve a full range of motion (ROM) for that muscle. So some are better than others…
For example, a dumbbell decline press would be better than a barbell decline press. That’s because the dumbbells allow for greater ROM along with independent limb movement. In addition, with a barbell your hands are driving outward, not inward as they should for pec activation. If the bar in this photo were greased, which way would Jonathan’s hands slide? No doubt out…
A squat may qualify as a good choice if the form is perfect—no forward torso lean, which shifts the glutes to prime mover. Even so, I don’t like the spine compression of barbell squats. (There’s also the problem of a major quad muscle being shut off during glute flexion—see Doug Brignole’s book The Physics of Resistance Exercise for more on that.)
A trap-bar deadlift allows you to keep your torso more perpendicular because you stand “inside” the bar. That makes it better and safer. Plus, you’ll soon be able to scratch the back of your knees without bending over (kidding—your arms won’t get longer).
In general, compound exercises have some negatives…
1) Multiple muscles are working—that means the target muscle has to share the load—it’s getting cheated somewhat. (There are positives with compound exercises, for instance “synergy,” which I discuss in Old Man, Young Muscle.)
2) Angle of pull may not be optimal for the target muscle—for example, pulldowns for lats have you pulling down. Your upper arm is not pulling directly in at an angle, as with cable lat pull-ins—which is also a compound exercise.
3) Compound exercises are more dangerous, as you’re able to use heavier loads—which does not make them more effective at building the target muscle, by the way.
Is two sets enough? That may be more of an individual thing. Getting close to failure for one trainee may be different than another due to a difference in pain tolerance.
Number of reps can also determine the amount of hypertrophy you achieve. You won’t get efficient muscle growth with one or two sets of singles or doubles as opposed to higher rep ranges.
So the bottom line is yes, it can work. But is a compound-exercise workout the most efficient, fastest way to maximum hypertrophy?
I would say no because of the inefficiencies listed above. If you factor in the toll on your joints and the imprecise targeting of the key muscle due to involving other muscles, it appears to not be the best path.
Also, while it will work—to a degree—you will adapt and usually have to change it up somehow. And I don’t mean by wearing a funny hat during your workout. You need to change the stress on your muscles, and more weight = more injury risk…
For me as an older bodybuilder, emphasizing the ideal exercises, most of which are isolation, is a much safer, more efficient route.
If you’ve read Old Man, Young Muscle, you know that I do use add-on exercises after the ideal, even compound moves; however, the weight will be much more manageable because it’s AFTER the biomechanically ideal move, which exhausts the target muscle. That means injury is much less likely if I maintain form.
I’m not interested in getting crazy strong—only building muscle to look good and staying as healthy as possible as I age—with no joint pain. The OMYM workout accomplishes that with amazing efficiency…
If I can get stellar gains at age 62 with 35-minute workouts three days a week, it should help others build plenty of muscle more efficiently and safely—if they follow the simple guidelines. It’s not as hard as so many people think…
New: Get the ideal exercise for each muscle, the best add-on moves for ultimate mass, complete 35-minute workouts, exercise start/finish photos and details on building muscle fast and efficiently in Old Man, Young Muscle.
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Till next time, train hard—and smart—for BIG results.
Steve Holman
Former Editor in Chief, Iron Man Magazine
X-Rep.com
Highly Recommended…
This is Doug Brignole’s incredible 400-page, large-format text on the biomechanics of exercise. It’s a guide to get you training correctly and building maximum muscle safely and efficiently.
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