Workout of the week: 30-min compound workout for strength

29th November 2021

ALLY NJAMA

Personal trainer at EVO Fitness in Bern

Ally is a former professional boxer and a former natural bodybuilder. He specializes in correcting and treating muscle imbalances, which cause pain and a limited range of motion. Ally has over 20 years of experience as a personal trainer and will help you achieve any personal fitness goal.

Follow him on Instagram: @njama3

Book a PT session: [email protected]

30-MIN COMPOUND WORKOUT FOR STRENGTH

ALL LEVELS / compound workout / 30 minutes

Equipment: Barbell, gym bench

Everyone’s training routine is a little different, and that’s how it should be. After all, variety is the spice of life. Plus, we all have particular preferences regarding our approach to training. We all can agree that we look for effective exercises, and that’s where compound exercises kick in. We’ve told you about them before and how they can benefit your workouts and your everyday life. 

Using a barbell only, you’re able to work on multiple muscles and joints, making your workouts more effective, challenging, and fun. With the help of our personal trainer from EVO Bern in Switzerland, Ally Njama, we bring you a 30-minute compound workout that will help you become stronger.

Each exercise needs to be performed 10 times for 3 sets. Rest time between sets is 1 minute.

WORKOUT SETUP

5 exercises
10 reps each exercise
3 sets
1 min rest between sets
30 minutes
Equipment: Barbell, gym bench

WORKING OUT FROM HOME? NO PROBLEM.

If you don’t have the equipment originally needed for this workout, you can substitute it with these everyday items or use these alternative exercises.

Alternative equipment

Barbell = a broom handle with a gym bag with weights on it
Gym bench = stable chairs

WORKOUT EXERCISE LIST

1 – DEADLIFT

10 reps, 3 sets

Target muscles: Gluteus Maximus, Erector Spinae

Stand with your feet under the barbell, hip-width apart. When you look down, the barbell should run halfway over your feet.
Bend down and grasp the barbell with a shoulder-width grip.
Keeping your torso upright and your back and arms straight, stand and pull the bar up the front of your legs, driving with your legs.
At the top of the movement, squeeze your glutes, pull your shoulders back, and exhale.
To return the bar to the floor, push your butt backward and lower the bar down the front of your legs, keeping your back straight.
Once the bar passes your knees, bend your knees and lower the bar to the floor.
Keep your arms and back straight, your torso upright, and your feet and knees are pointing in the same direction.
At the top of the lift, do not hyperextend your back.
Keep the barbell close to your body to improve mechanical leverage.
Start light and add weight gradually to give your lower back time to adapt.
When lifting heavy, you can wear a support belt to protect your lower back.

2 – BARBELL SHOULDER PRESS

10 reps, 3 sets

Target muscle: Anterior Deltoid

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a barbell with a pronated (overhand) grip at upper-chest height.
Exhale as you push the barbell straight upward.
At the top of the movement, shrug your shoulders to raise the barbell even higher.
Inhale as you reverse the motions and lower the barbell to the starting position in a controlled manner.
Do not lock your elbows out, and use a grip that is a little wider than shoulder-width.
To move your head out of the way of the bar, rock your body slightly forward as the bar ascends and slightly backward as the bar descends.
Your head should be facing forward, not looking up.
Keep your elbows a little forward, not directly out to the sides.
Keep your wrists directly above your elbows.

3 – BARBELL HIP THRUST

10 reps, 3 sets

Target muscle: Gluteus Maximus, Hamstrings

Place a loaded barbell next to and parallel to a bench.
Slide your legs under the barbell. Sit on the floor with your back against the side of a bench. The barbell should be over your hips.
Grasp the barbell at each side. This is your starting position.
Bend your knees and place your feet flat on the floor, approximately shoulder-width apart.
Keeping your torso rigid, exhale as you raise the barbell by extending your hips until they are fully extended.
Hold for a count of two and squeeze your glutes.
Inhale as you lower the barbell by flexing your hips. Do not allow the barbell to touch the floor. Repeat.
To prevent the bench from tipping over, place it against a wall.
If the barbell hurts your pelvis, use padding.
Do not allow your back to slide up and down against the side of the bench.
Keep your torso rigid. Your back shouldn’t arch, and your pelvis shouldn’t tilt.
All of the movement should occur in your hips.

4 – BARBELL SQUAT

10 reps, 3 sets

Target muscles: Gluteus Maximus, Quadriceps (Rectus Femoris, Vastus Lateralis, Vastus Medialis, Vastus Intermedius)

Load a barbell on a rack at upper-chest height.
Step under the barbell so that it rests on the back of your shoulders. Grasp the bar at each side.
Dismount the barbell and step backward carefully. Your feet should be shoulder-width apart and pointing slightly outwards.
Inhale as you squat down by simultaneously pushing your butt backward and bending your knees forward. Keep your torso upright, and descend at least until your knees are bent at a 90-degree angle.
Exhale as you push your body back up to the starting position, driving through your heels and keeping your torso upright. Repeat
Keep your back straight, torso upright, head up, and feet flat.
Keep your knees and feet pointing in the same direction.
Practice proper barbell squat form with an unloaded barbell.
Start light and add weight gradually, allowing your legs and lower back to adapt.
If lifting heavy, have a spotter ready, or use a squat rack or power rack.

5 – BENT OVER ROW

10 reps, 3 sets

Target muscles: Latissimus Dorsi, Middle, and Lower Trapezius, Rhomboids, Teres Major, Posterior Deltoid, Infraspinatus, Teres Minor, Brachialis, Brachioradialis, Sternal (Lower) Pectoralis Major

Stand over a loaded barbell, with the bar lining up with your toes.
Bend at the hips and a little at the knees and grasp the barbell with hands a little wider than shoulder-width apart. Your back should be straight and close to horizontal.
Exhale as you pull the barbell up to your waist. Count to two and squeeze your back muscles.
Inhale as you lower the barbell in a controlled manner until it nearly touches the floor. Repeat.
Keep your back straight and close to horizontal; Keep your elbows close to your body.
Pull with your back muscles, not your arms.
Many people think that the biceps brachii acts as a synergist in rowing exercises such as the bent-over barbell row. In fact, it only serves as a dynamic stabilizer, along with the long head of the triceps brachii.