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A friend of mine keeps telling me I should be doing more compound movements. What does this mean and what are the benefits?

Your friend is right. Isolated movements are really more appropriate for targeting weak areas or for rehabilitating after an injury. Today’s fitness trends typically involve more functional movements that mimic real-life activities. That’s why compound exercises are becoming so popular. They’re essentially just multi-joint exercises that work several muscles at a time. Examples include pull-ups, push-ups, squats, lunges, deadlifts, kettlebell swings, dips and even jumping rope. This is only scratching the surface when it comes to compound exercises. There are numerous reasons to incorporate more compound movements into your training. Here are just a few of the benefits:

  • Provides a full-body workout in a shorter period of time
  • Improves coordination, reaction time and balance
  • Provides cardiovascular benefits by keeping your heart rate elevated
  • Decreases risk of injury during sports
  • Burns more calories
  • Allows for heavier lifts that will build strength faster

I highly recommend adding compound movements to your workout regimen, and if you give them a try, have fun with them and get creative. Think of new ways to use stability balls, medicine balls, Bosu balls, bands, kettlebells, ropes, and, of course, your own body weight to work multiple muscle groups at a time.

I train for a lot of endurance events and I’m getting tired of the same old sports drinks. Are there any alternatives that would work just as well?

Absolutely! There are many other engineered sports nutrition products that are designed for consumption during training sessions and races. Gels are a popular choice and so are sports beans (like jelly beans) and energy drops. All of these essentially function in the same way by providing carbohydrates for energy and some much-needed electrolytes. Some may include other ingredients as well, including caffeine. Your best bet is to experiment with several options during your training to find out what works best for you. It’s also important to remember that these products are very concentrated, so they need to be consumed with plenty of water to help with the digestive process. If you fail to do this, you may end up with gastrointestinal distress, and no one wants that in the midst of a training session or race. Lastly, let’s not forget about good old solid food. Some people perform really well consuming bananas, pretzels and even candy. The issue here is finding something that’s both easy to carry and will keep well throughout your event. Good luck!

If you have a question you would like the experts at Anytime Fitness in Washington to answer, email washingtonpa@anytimefitness.com.

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