By now you may have hopelessly ditched some or all of your resolutions for the New Year. Was building a new physique void of body fat and replete with new muscle part of those resolutions? Were the results just not materializing fast enough or not at all?
Maybe you need a new plan of action when it comes to an effective resistance training program. Let’s cut out the fluff and build something real, significant and impressive. Let’s hone in on what actually works and develop those few moves that produce big results.
Compound lifts are ones that utilize more than two joints calling into play a myriad of muscle groups. Exercises such as bench presses, squats, deadlifts, barbell rows, and shoulder presses, just to name a few, give you the biggest bang for your buck. This is not only efficient regarding time and effort in the gym but it also activates more muscle with each exercise.
Additionally, since compound lifts utilize so much muscle at once, they will also influence your potential to burn more fat. Since muscle tissue acts much like a fat burning organ, the more that is activated and stokes your metabolism the more fat is torched in the meantime. Big lifts equal less fat as well.
Popular among relatively new fitness trends such as Crossfit and other hybrid training facilities that stress the importance of functionality and real-world practical applications, the use of compound lifts have been the backbone of programs for a very long time. For decades they have been heavily utilized by power lifters, Olympic lifters and athletes delivering significant, real results.
Instead of isolating each and every muscle group individually, which would take multiple hours each day, compound exercises allow you to lift more weight, train more muscle and reap more reward. Big lifts equal big progress.
The Big Lifts Plan
Below is a big lift plan that has you training four times per week. One phase uses mostly barbell exercises and the other dumbbells for those who want variety or only have dumbbells at their disposal.
- Be sure to adhere to the warm-up suggestions. This not only is a joint-protective measure but will also help raise your body temperature to get you ready for the entire workout.
- Pay close attention to the rest periods between sets. Too much rest will cool you down and too little rest will prevent you from performing at your best.
- Always use proper form and technique with each lift. If in doubt, use a lighter weight and perfect your form. You have nothing to gain from getting injured.
- Feel free to mix things up and substitute some of the exercises for ones that you are comfortable with and/or you just need some variety later on.
- Perform the workout four days per week. For example, you can train Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday with Wednesday and the weekends off.
- Feel free to perform any cardio of choice. If you decide to do it on a training day be sure it is after weight training. High intensity interval training (HIIT) is also a good alternative to the slow and steady kind.
- Try the program for four to six weeks. Afterwards, either take a few days completely off or switch to a lower intensity program for a week.
The Big Lifts, Big Progress Program
Workout A
| Exercise | Warm-up sets | Work sets | Rest (in seconds) |
| Incline bench barbell press | 2 x 12 | 3 x 5-8 | 60 |
| Flat bench barbell press | – | 3 x 5-8 | 60 |
| Close-grip pull-up | 2 x 12 (on pulldowns) | 3 x As many reps as possible | 60 |
| Bent-over barbell row | – | 3 x 5-8 | 60 |
| Standing barbell shoulder press | – | 3 x 8-10 | 60 |
| Wide-grip barbell upright row | – | 3 x 8-10 | 60 |
| Hanging straight leg raise | – | 3 x 20 | 30 |
Workout B
| Exercise | Warm-up sets | Work sets | Rest (in seconds) |
| Reverse-grip chin-up or barbell curl | 1 x 12 | 3 x 5-8 | 60 |
| Close-grip barbell bench press | 1 x 12 | 3 x 5-8 | 60 |
| Single-leg calf raise | 1 x 12 | 3 x 8-10 | 30 |
| Barbell back squat | 2 x 12 | 3 x 8-10 | 60 |
| Static barbell lunge | – | 3 x 8-10 | 60 |
| Barbell Romanian deadlift | – | 3 x 8-10 | 60 |
| Floor crunch | – | 3 x 20 | 30 |
Workout C
| Exercise | Warm-up sets | Work sets | Rest (in seconds) |
| Incline bench dumbbell press | 2 x 12 | 3 x 8-12 | 60 |
| Flat bench dumbbell press | – | 3 x 8-12 | 60 |
| Wide-grip pull-up | 2 x 12 (on pulldowns) | 3 x As many reps as possible | 60 |
| Bent-over dumbbell row | – | 3 x 8-12 | 60 |
| Seated dumbbell upright row | – | 3 x 8-12 | 60 |
| Seated Arnold press | – | 3 x 8-12 | 60 |
| Hanging straight leg raise | – | 3 x 20 | 30 |
Workout D
| Exercise | Warm-up sets | Work sets | Rest (in seconds) |
| Incline bench dumbbell curl | 1 x 12 | 3 x 8-12 | 60 |
| Parallel bar dip | 1 x 12 | 3 x 8-12 | 60 |
| Single-leg calf raise or seated calf raise | 1 x 12 | 3 x 10-15 | 30 |
| Barbell front squat | 2 x 12 | 3 x 8-12 | 60 |
| Walking dumbbell lunge | – | 3 lengths | 60 |
| Dumbbell Romanian deadlift | – | 3 x 8-12 | 60 |
| Floor crunch | – | 3 x 20 | 30 |
Compound lifts fit nicely in any program that calls for more muscle and strength in little time. Not only are they effective for fast progress they are also efficient for those with packed schedules. Working more muscle with fewer lifts without all the worry of countless angles and exercises will lead you down the path to big gains and less stress while burning unwanted fat along the way.
It’s all laid out in front of you. Take the initiative, be consistent and put the plan into action. Lift big and see what happens!
