January 1, 2021
The Big 5
“By completing them regularly you are able to improve your lower body, upper body and core strength to help you to improve your overall strength.”
If you are a regular at the gym, you might be aware of the big 5 compound movements that you should be completing in order to see improvement in your strength, power and performance, but do you really know why they are important?
The Big 5 is a term used to refer to whole body power and strength exercises which make up the base of anyone’s strength and power whether they are a casual gymgoer or a top athlete. In order to improve overall strength and power individuals should be completing the following 5 exercise as a base for each of their sessions in the gym.
- Squat
- Deadlift
- Bench Press
- Barbell Row
- Overhead Barbell Press
But why are they important?
Each of these exercises are known as ‘compound movements’ meaning that they hit all the major muscle groups in the body. By completing them regularly you are able to improve your lower body, upper body and core strength to help you to improve your overall strength. The movements are also important as weight can easily be added to progress the movement and therefore increase an individual’s overall strength.
Use these exercises to frame each of your workouts in the future. Start each session with one of the compound lifts and then add accessory movements and lifts to help target the same muscle groups. For example, a day focusing on ‘Squats’ could also have elements of body weight squats, lunges, hip thrusts and even box jumps to support the initial strength exercise.
Remember that when it comes to completing these exercises, you have to ‘earn the right to progress’. This means that you should be comfortable completing each exercise with perfect form with little or no weight before adding weight on or even progressing or varying the movement.
Always ask a trainer or coach to help you when completing these exercises for the first time.
