Using more muscles per exercise means a more efficient workout. Why waste time on 10 individual muscles when you can hit all 10 during a single exercise? Although working one muscle at a time has it’s place, most gym goers would benefit from working multiple at once. Not only does it save time, but it also enhances the results of each workout. So, which one’s work the most muscles at the same time?
The squat, bench, and deadlift use the most muscles out of all exercises. They’re compound movements that use both free weights and muscle synergy. In other words, they use a lot of different muscle groups and challenges them more than if you’d work each muscle individually.
What is a Squat, Bench Press, and Deadlift?
Squat
Squatting refers to bending the knees and folding at the hips to lower the body closer to the ground. It works on almost all of your leg muscles at the same time; thighs, hamstrings, hips, and calves. Most versions have both feet planted just under your shoulders while holding a weight close to your chest. It can be modified to have one foot in front of the other, both feet leaving the ground to jump, or carry the weight in a different position like the back.
Here’s a list of squat variations and what equipment is needed for each:
| Barbell Squat | Barbell and squat rack |
| Goblet Squat | Dumbbell or Kettlebell |
| Split Squat | None (or dumbbells for more difficulty) |
| Box Jump | Box (usually between 12 to 24 inches tall) |
| Bodyweight Squats | None |
Bench Press
A bench press (or “bench” for short) refers to lying on your back and pressing a weight from your chest towards the ceiling. The weight can be a barbell, dumbbell, or even your own bodyweight (pushups). This is the opposite of squats in that it works almost all of the upper body muscles; chest, arms, upper back, and shoulders. Most people lay flat on a bench, but you can also use an adjustable bench to lay at a 45 degree angle. This will target more of your upper chest as oppose to the middle on a flat bench.
Here are the bench variations and their equipment
| Barbell Bench Press | Barbell and bench |
| Dumbbell Bench Press | Dumbbells and adjustable bench |
| Pushups | None |
| Assisted Pushups | Any elevated surface to put your hands on (makes pushups easier) |
Deadlift
Deadlifts look similar to squats, but the subtle difference in movement makes it a very different exercise. During a squat, your knees are doing most of the bending, but during a deadlift, your hips do most of the bending. Essentially, you’re leaning forward as far as you can while keeping the back straight, as if you’re making your back a tabletop. From here, you pick up a weight from the floor and come back to a standing position. Because of this positioning, deadlifts focus more on the posterior chain. The posterior chain is basically all of the muscles behind you; your entire back, glutes, hamstrings, and calves. Although the knees and hips do a lot of the moving, the back gets a great workout because it has to stabilize such a heavy weight.
Deadlift variations and their equipment include:
| Barbell Deadlift | Barbell and a deadlift pad |
| Romanian Deadlift | Barbell |
| Single Leg Deadlift | Dumbbell or Kettlebell |
| Kettlebell/Dumbbell Deadlift | Kettlebell or dumbbells |
| Pullups* | Pullup bar |
How do they use the most muscles?
There are three main reasons why these use the most muscles; they’re compound exercises, they use free-weights instead of machines, and they use muscle synergy to increase muscle output.
Compound Exercises
A compound exercise is anything that requires more than one joint to move at once. This may sounds like a simple requirement, but moving more than one joint means using multiple muscle groups in the same exercise. For example, chest fly machines only have you moving at your shoulder. The only muscle responsible for that movement is your chest. Also, a triceps extension machine only moves the elbow, so your triceps are the only one getting a workout. Contrast these two exercises with a bench press, which has you bending at the elbow AND the shoulder, getting your chest and triceps working at the same time.
Exercises that only work one joint are called an isolation exercises. While they do have their place, they are not nearly as effective as compound exercises when it comes to engaging the whole body.
Free Weights
Earlier we said a bench press can also work your upper back too. How does that work? Well, simply use free weights instead of machines. Free weights are any weight that are not attached to a specific device, and therefore don’t move in a specific track. The most common examples include barbells, dumbbells, and kettlebells. Machines, on the other hand, are built to move in a very specific way. Chest fly machines, for example, are built so that you literally cannot mess up the movement; your hands cannot move outside of it’s perfectly straight path. This sounds like a good safety precaution, but the downside is you’re not using your stabilizer muscles at all.
Stabilizer muscles, as the name implies, are any muscles that make sure your body is stable during the exercise. During a machine fly, your upper back (the main stabilizer muscle group) doesn’t have to do anything because the machine is keeping you stable instead. During a dumbbell chest press, however, your upper back is working like crazy to make sure the dumbbells stay on the path you want them to. By simply ditching your machine exercises for more free-weights, you’ll be doubling the amount of muscles you use during a workout.
Muscle Synergy
Muscle synergy is what separates the squat, bench, and deadlift from all other compound exercises. Synergy occurs when using different muscles at the same time creates a greater output than if you used each muscle individually. For example, if your chest produces 400 units of energy during a chest fly, and your triceps produce 200 during a triceps extension, then they can work together to produce 1,000 units during a chest press. These are arbitrary numbers, but it gives an idea of just how impactful these movements are compared to isolation exercises.
Also, you can’t just turn anything into an effective compound exercises. An example of a “bad” compound exercise would be doing leg extensions and overhead presses at the same time. Yes this is technically a compound movement because you’re bending your knees and elbows at the same time, but neither of these movements compliment each other. What exactly makes muscles synergize is very complicated, but just know that you cannot just combine two different exercises to get a good compound movement. Sticking to the squat, bench, deadlift, and the compound exercises listed at the end will ensure a good compound lift for the whole body.
What if I can’t do these exercises?
If you’re new to strength training, you most likely cannot do a barbell squat, bench, or deadlift right away. Instead, use a variation that’s less intense but still provide a good compound benefit.
For squats, you can start with step-ups. Use a 12″ box, and take your time bringing your entire body up onto the box without cheating or using momentum. As you get stronger, you can either add weight or make the box taller. Once your holding about 20lb on each hand, you’re likely ready to progress into split squats. Slowly progress the same way by adding weight, then maybe you can further progress into bodyweight squats.
For bench, start with assisted pushups. There are three ways to make pushups easier; put your knees on the ground instead of your feet, put your hands on something elevated like a box, or do both. Most people have to start by doing both, and their hands have to be about 12-18″ off the ground. Once you can get up to 15 reps without exhausting yourself, you can bring the height lower and lower until you finally get to the ground. If you can do pushups on the floor, you can definitely do a bench press with at least dumbbells if not a barbell.
For deadlifts, start with a dumbbell or kettlebell Romanian deadlift. This will definitely be the most frustrating movement since it requires a lot of technique. As long as you’re patient and using only a 15lb kettlebell, you’ll get the hang of it. You know you’re doing it correctly when you can cross of this checklist:
- My back is straight the whole time
- I can feel my hamstrings stretch towards the end
- The kettlebell stays directly in front of me (people may push the kettlebell away from them as the go down)
If you’re not comfortable doing this on your own, try using an assisted pullup machine which most gyms have some version of.
If it Hurts, Don’t Do It
Muscle pain is expected with any workout, but if the pain is in a bone or a joint, that can be dangerous. If you’re not sure whether it’s a muscle or joint pain, it’s safer to just stop the movement entirely. Try an easier movement or ask a professional to watch you. Never push past joint pain.
How do I add these to my routine?
Use 2-4 at the start of the workout
Compound movements are best performed at the beginning of a workout. That way you’re not tired from less effective isolation movements. Also, you only need between 2-4 compound movements to see good results. If you’re a beginner, start with just 2 so you don’t get super sore the next day. As you get stronger, you can work up to 4 or more per workout. You can see a list of all the different compound movements below.
Give yourself plenty of rest
Since these movements are more taxing for the body, be sure to give yourself plenty of rest between sets. For those who don’t know, reps are how many times you do the exercise in a row, and sets are packages of those reps. For example, doing 10 pushups in a row, then taking a minute to catch your breath, then doing 10 more means you did 2 sets of 10 reps.
The time between your sets is called your rest period. With compound lifts, you should be spending between 1-3 minutes during your rest period. Most people only give themselves 10-30 seconds, but resting too little can increase risk of injury because your muscles aren’t fully prepared for the demands. Just remember that rest periods are not a waste of time. They’re just as important, if not more important, than the exercise itself.
Sample Workouts and Compound Exercises
The following samples can be used 3 times a week, and you can do the exact same workout each day. To learn more about how to do the same workout every day, read our article here.
Beginner (Bodyweight)
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
| Wall Angels | 3 | 5 |
| Assisted Pushup | 3 | 8-12 |
| Split Squat | 3 | 8-12 |
| McGill Curlup | 3 | 8-12 |
| Bird Dog | 3 | 8-12 |
| Glute Bridges | 3 | 8-12 |
Intermediate (Free weights)
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
| Goblet Squat | 3 | 8-12 |
| Dumbbell Shoulder Press | 3 | 8-12 |
| Dumbbell Pullover | 3 | 8-12 |
| Cable Row | 3 | 8-12 |
| Hip Thrusts | 3 | 8-12 |
| Decline Sit-up | 3 | 8-12 |
Advanced
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
| Barbell Squat | 3 | 5 |
| Barbell Row | 3 | 8-12 |
| Barbell Bench Press | 3 | 8-12 |
| Pullups | 3 | 8-12 |
| Hip Thrusts | 3 | 8-12 |
| Hanging Leg Raises | 3 | 8-12 |
Sample Compound Exercises
| Legs | Squats, deadlifts, lunges |
| Chest | Bench Press, chest press, pushups |
| Back | Pullups, deadlifts, rows |
| Shoulders | Overhead press |
| Glutes | Hip Thrust, deadlift |
| Core | Plank variations |