Losing weight can be really difficult, but gaining weight and building muscle mass can be even harder. There are a lot of articles and resources out there when it comes to losing weight. For those of us who want to gain weight, finding good advice can be harder to come by.
I understand how difficult it can be if you are trying to gain weight. That’s why I’ve put together this list with the best compound exercises that will help you to build muscle mass in the fastest way.
In this article you can find some other good tips that can help you with gaining weight.
What Are Compound Exercises
A compound exercise uses multiple or muscle groups at the same time to perform a movement, so you end up building more overall muscle than you would have spending the same amount of time on isolation moves.
A great example of a compound exercise is the squat, which engages many muscles in the lower body and core, including the quadriceps, hamstrings, calves, glutes, lower back, and core.
Jump to exercise:
1. Squats
One of the best compound exercises for to gain weight are squats. This exercise increases the strength and size of the lower body muscles. Giving you those big legs.
Squats target your abdominals, hamstrings, glutes, calves, quadriceps, and it also strengthens your core muscles.
How To Do Squats
- Stand with your legs shoulder-width apart.
- Screw your feet into the floor.
- Keep your back straight and chest out.
- Bend your knees and push your hips back.
- Engage your core and keep it tight throughout the movement.
- Try going down as far as you can (pain free).
- Pause for a second.
- Press through the heels to stand back up
- Repeat the exercise.
Points Of Attention
- Inhale on the way down and exhale on the way up. (Don’t hold your breath)
- At the top of the squat, try to tuck your pelvis into a neutral position.
- Master the correct form first, before you start with weights.
2. Deadlift
In my opinion, the deadlift is the best compound exercise out there to gain weight. The deadlift works almost every muscle in your body. It is a functional exercise, strengthening the muscles you need to perform tasks in your everyday life. Deadlifts target the muscles in your upper back, lower back, hamstrings, glutes, hip flexors, Quads and your core.
How To do Deadlift
- Stand straight in front of the barbell with legs slightly apart, toes across the bar.
- Bend over and with shoulder-width apart grip, grab the bar.
- Bend your knees until your shins touch the bar.
- Straighten your back, lift your chest and set your lats (squeezing your shoulder blades together)
- Flex your butt, inhale and engage your core.
- Stand up with the weight by pressing into the floor through your heels.
- When the barbell passes your knees, thrust your hips forward until standing up.
- Try to hold the weight for a few seconds.
- Then reverse the movement.
- Repeat the exercise.
Points Of Attention
- Do not round your back to avoid injuries.
- Don’t overextend at the top of the movement.
- Master the correct form first, before you start adding weights.
3. Bench press
The bench press is the king of the upper body lifts. It is the most popular and effective chest exercise. The bench press will help to develop your upper body strength and power. The bench press targets the chest, triceps, biceps, and the front delts. Doing Bench press will help to gain weight.
How To Do Bench press
- Lie on your back on the bench with your eyes beneath the bar.
- Grab the bar with a slightly outside shoulder grip.
- Set your traps (squeezing your shoulder blades together) and lift your chest.
- Make sure your elbows and upper arms are at a 45 degree angle to your torso.
- Breath in, engage your core as you slowly come down to bring the bar down to your chest.
- Exhale out when strongly pushing the bar up with your arms.
- Repeat the process.
Points Of Attention
- Keep your feet firmly on the ground for extra push power.
- Master the correct form first, before you start adding weights.
4. Pull Up
Pull ups are one of the best if not the best exercise for increasing size and strength of your upper back and arm muscles. The pull up will build the lats, the wide muscles that give you a full broad back. Secondary muscles are the biceps, core, mid traps and lower traps. This is a body weight exercise. Once you mastered the pull up you can add weights to make it even more challenging.
How To Do Pull Ups
- With the help of your palms grip the pull up bar facing in whichever direction you prefer.
- Start with a dead hang. Meaning arms straight and scapula relaxed.
- Activate your scapula (pulling your shoulder blades together).
- Pull your bodyweight up until your chin is above the bar.
- Lower your body back to the dead hang position.
- Repeat the exercise.
Points Of Attention
- Go slowly up and slowly down, control the movement.
- Always maintain proper form
5. Push ups
If you are looking for an exercise that you can do anytime and anywhere and that also gives you an increase in building muscle and strength? Then push ups are the ideal compound exercise. Push ups are one of the most basic body-weight exercises out there.
How To Do Push ups
- Start in a high plank position.
- Hands should be flat and slightly outside shoulder-width apart at chest level.
- Rotate your shoulders outward to engage your lats. Tuck your elbows in towards your body rather than flaring them out. Preferably right around 45 degrees.
- Legs should be straight and hip-width apart, parallel to each other.
- Tilt your pelvis backward and keep your butts squeezed tight. This is to avoid you from creating an arch.
- Engage your core (belly button to spine and tighten abdominals).
- When you are performing the push up make sure you go all the way down and up. Don’t cheat in the range of motion.
- Pause for a second at the bottom of the movement.
- Keep your body straight.
- While maintaining your alignment, initiate the upward movement by squeezing your chest and straightening your elbows.
Points Of Attention
- Keep your core engaged.
- Avoid flaring out your elbows.
6. Overhead Press
The next muscle building exercise on the list to gain weight is the overhead press. This exercise works all three parts of the shoulder. The front delt, middle delt and the rear delt. Also the upper chest and the triceps are involved.
How To Do Overhead Press
- Sit up right and keep the back straight.
- Raise the dumbbells to shoulder height.
- Thumbs are on the inside and knuckles are face up.
- Exhale as you raise the weights above the head in a controlled motion.
- Pause briefly at the top of the motion.
- Inhale and return the dumbbells to the shoulders.
- Repeat the exercise.
Points Of Attention
- Make sure you have a bench that has back support.
- Don’t let the weights touch each other when raising them.
- Don’t lock out at the top of the movement.
7. Bent Over Barbell Row
The bent over barbell row is one of the most effective exercises for building a wider, thicker back. If I had to choose one back exercise for building a bigger back it would be the bent over row. It improves strength in the upper and lower back, glutes, hamstrings, lats, and shoulders.
This makes the barbell row an awesome exercise for targeting the muscles and portions of the lift that will help you with breaking through plateaus for improving strength for pull-ups, muscle-ups and even pushing exercises like the bench press and push-ups.
How To Do Bent Over Barbell Row
- Stand straight in front of the barbell with legs slightly apart, toes across the bar.
- Bend over and with shoulder-width apart grip, grab the bar.
- Bend your knees until your shins touch the bar.
- Straighten your back, lift your chest and set your lats (squeezing your shoulder blades together)
- Stand up with the weight by pressing into the floor through your heels.
- Push the hips back, and slightly bend the knees.
- Keep your torso at a 45 degree angle.
- Engage your core
- Pull the bar up till it almost hits your belly button.
- Squeeze your shoulder blades together.
- Now lower the bar and maintain your position
- Repeat the exercise
Points Of Attention
- Don’t pull the bar too high and flaring out your elbows.
- Don’t round your back. Keep it neutral and keep your core engaged.
8. Dips
Dips are very popular and one of the most effective body weight exercises you can do for building upper body mass and strength. This pressing exercise primarily builds bigger and stronger triceps, but they also hit the chest, shoulders and even the back.
There are two versions, by leaning forward you concentrate on the chest. And keeping the body upright, elbows tucked in will emphasize more on the triceps.
How To Do Dips
- Grab the parallel bars and jump up, straighten your arms
- Curl your legs behind you.
- Lean your torso slightly forward
- Slowly and controlled lower your body by bending your arms while leaning forward
- Dip down until your shoulders are slightly below your elbows.
- Lift your body up by straightening your arms
- Lock your elbows at the top
Points Of Attention
- Don’t go too far down. Stop when you feel enough stretch on the chest.
- Keep your torso in the same position during the movement.
9. Lunges
The last compound exercise on the list to gain weight are lunges. This exercise works the lower body, hitting the quads, hamstrings, glutes and back muscles. Just like the squats it will bulk up your thighs and hip muscles. And it can help you with your overall health, flexibility and athletic performance.
You can start doing this without any weights and once you are progressing you can start using weights like dumbbells or a barbell to make it more challenging.
How To Do Lunges
- Stand up straight with your legs hip width apart. And your hands on your waist.
- Step forward with one foot until that leg makes a 90-degree angle.
- Keep on lowering your body until your thigh is parallel to the ground.
- Your knee stays behind your toes. Your other knee almost touches the ground.
- Push back to lift yourself back to the initial position.
- Do the same process with another leg.
- Repeat the exercise alternatively with both legs.
Points Of Attention
- Keep your body straight throughout the whole movement.
- Master the correct form first, before you start using weights.
You won’t be able to build muscle if you are not eating enough and even more importantly, not eating enough of the right healthy foods. If you are working out 4 or 5 times a week, then you really need to focus on at least 7 hours of quality sleep. Muscles recover when you are sleeping. Not giving your body time to recover can lead to overtraining and even muscle loss.
If you are trying to gain weight you should avoid or minimize aerobic and cardio exercises. These exercises are meant to burn fat and tone muscle, not build muscle.
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