Compound Exercises: The quickest way to get into shape this year

Are you too busy for a workout? If your answer is affirmative, then you definitely need to find out about ‘smart’ exercises. Exercising too hard and for too long is passe.
Fitness professional Nawaz Modi Singhania says, “There have been times when my day has ended at 2 or 3 am, and I haven’t managed to get a workout in. But I still do a quick compound workout in just eight or 10 minutes.” There are days when you know you have to look fit the next morning and cannot afford to miss exercising. That is the time, compound exercises work fabulously and are such a lifesaver.

Nawaz explains, “Compound exercises work many muscle groups together in a single exercise, as opposed to training a body part at a time like in exercises such as the bicep curl, the tricep kickback or the ab crunch.” Fitness experts say that compound exercises give you much more value for your time and effort, especially when you are hard-pressed for time. They reiterate that it is really a fabulous SOS workout for desperate times.

Fitness professional Asif Shaikh adds, “Since these are multi-joints and multi-muscle exercises, the form and technique is very important. There are chances of injury while doing these because compound exercises allow you to pick up more weight than isolation exercises. Ideally, compound exercises should be done under expert supervision.”
Some great compound exercises are the plank, the push-up, the squat and the lunge. Nawaz says, “Even if you get in two sets of each of these exercises and 10-15 repetitions per set, you’ll feel toned and fit.”

Other exercise regimes which work many muscles groups together and are also cardiovascular in nature, such as swimming or power yoga, are fantastic options for when you have at least 40-45 minutes in hand to spare.

Try these exercises

Lunges
Lunges are an excellent multi-joint exercise. They are great for your lower-body (abs, back, glutes (buttocks muscle) and hamstrings). They are more functional than isolation exercises like leg extensions or leg curls.

Squats
Squats are one of the best compound exercises. They work all the major muscles including your butt, thighs, and calves. This compound exercise strengthens your stomach and back muscles.