# What is a compound lift?



## Saturday Fever (May 26, 2004)

A lot of times I hear someone say that isolation is better for "this" or compound lifts are better for "that." So I figured it would be in all of our interest to define what a compound lift is. Here's my take:

Every lift requires that joints move. Be it a simple curl or something like a bench press. Joints move. They are moved by muscles. So when someone says bench is a compound lift, they say that because there are multiple joints, that are isolated, that must work in conjunction to accomplish the task.

So if these joints are being used, in isolation, as part of a compound lift, my question is, how can an "isolation movement" be better for bodybuilding? Given that we've established that what make a lift a compound lift is that it is a lift that contains numerous isolations?

Anyone have any different definitions?


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## M.J.H. (May 29, 2004)

I am not sure about how one lift is better for bodybuilding. But from what I understand generally a compound lift is one that involves a few large muscle groups. Such as squats, deadlifts, bentover rows, etc. Where isolation exercises involve less smaller muscle groups, such as BB curls, skullcrushers, wrist curls, calf raises, etc.


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