4. Switch to Compound Lifts… BUT How Often?
Compound lifts are easily the most effective, most efficient type of movement for building muscle. Compound movements include those that involve multi-joint movement, as opposed to single-joint movement. For example, a squat is a compound lift, whereas a seated leg extension is a single-joint movement.
Compound exercises engage more muscle fibers from the targeted muscle group, but they also tend to engage your entire body instead of a single muscle group.
Let’s use the squat versus leg extension example again: When you squat, your quads, hamstrings, glutes, core, back and even your calves work to complete the movement. When you do a leg extension, only your quads work to complete the movement. Based on that information alone, it’s clear that compound lifts offer more potential for muscle growth.