A straightforward way to give your workouts a new spin is to include some combination moves where you combine two or more exercises into each rep. Combination exercises help you build muscle, shed fat, and improve conditioning. These exercises are great when you’re short on time, in a fat-loss phase, or looking to add variety to your workouts.
Combo exercises don’t require the skill of complexes, which is excellent for the older and less experienced lifter and perfect if you like a challenge. Here we’ll dive into the advantages and disadvantages of combo exercises and three combo moves that will have you sweating and smiling in no time.
WHAT ARE COMBINATION EXERCISES?
Combination exercises take two different exercises and pair them together. You do one rep of the first exercise and one rep of the second and continue alternating between the two movements until your set is finished. Here is a popular example.
ADVANTAGES & DISADVANTAGES OF COMBINATION EXERCISES
Combination exercises are excellent when used in the right way and used correctly for your goals. But they are only for some and not a good fit for certain goals. Here are the advantages and disadvantages of performing combination exercises.
Advantages
Works more muscle in less time, which is great if you’re short on training time.
Increases your overall conditioning, especially when transitioning from a lower- to upper-body exercise.
Gives you exercise variety and a challenge you are sure to enjoy.
Disadvantages
Not ideal if your goal is maximal strength because you are using submaximal weight for one of your lifts.
Combining two exercises increases the risk of injury, especially when tired.
It requires learning two movements, and time is needed to learn how to combine them.
COMBINATION EXERCISES CONSIDERATIONS
You can’t combine any two exercises and call it a combination exercise—there has to be some rhyme and reason in order for it to work. Here are a few considerations regarding performing and choosing your combination exercise.
Choose Exercises with a Fluid Transition and Similar Loading Needs: When combining two exercises, they should have a fluid transition from one to the next. For example, a dumbbell; squat to press. Avoid exercise combinations that have different resistance needs—for example, combining a deadlift with a reverse curl.
Select the Correct Resistance: When selecting a resistance for a combination exercise, use the weight of the “weakest” of the two. For example, if you can overhead press 200 pounds and front squat 300 pounds, use 200 pounds for the squat-to-press exercise.
Rep Range: Combination exercises, due to their extended time under tension and their fatiguing nature, keep rep ranges on the lower end, around 6-12 reps, for quality.
Programming Suggestions: It is best to program these at the beginning of your training for better technique and quality when you’re fresh. Before you get into your work sets, perform a light warm-up set to groove the movement and determine your working weight.
3 COMBO EXERCISES FOR BETTER STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING
Now that you are more informed about combo exercises and how and why to program them, here are three excellent combo exercises to take out for a spin.
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Squat to Press
This is a tried and true combo that always stays in style. The smooth transition from a lower- to upper-body exercise will improve your total body strength and power—as well as have you sucking in air for a great calorie burn. If this is your first time doing this, start with dumbbells before moving to the advanced barbell variation.
Muscles Trained: Hamstrings, glutes, quadriceps, shoulders, and triceps.
How to do it:
Stand up straight in a squat stance while holding a shoulder-high barbell in the front rack position. Squat down until your thighs are parallel to the ground, keeping your chest up and shoulders down. As you rise from the bottom of the squat, press the weight overhead until your elbows are locked out.
Coach’s tip: During the eccentric part of the front squat, rip the floor apart with your feet, keep your chest up, and use the leg power to press the weight overhead.
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Deadlift To Bentover Row
What is one way to make the deadlift more awesome? Add a row, of course. You’ll select a weight you can row for six to 12 reps and perform this combo movement. You’re using less weight than you can deadlift, but you are working more muscle by adding the row for added muscle and fat loss potential.
Muscles trained: Hamstrings, glutes, lower and upper back, lats, posterior deltoid, and biceps.
How to do it:
Stand with feet hip-width apart and grip the barbell shoulder width. Then hinge back, set up for the deadlift, perform it, and lower to the ground. Keep your hinge position, and complete a bent-over row, pulling towards your sternum. Lower back to the ground, set up, perform the deadlift, and then the row for desired reps.
Coaches Tip: Keep your shoulders down and chest up through the entire movement. Keep the bar close to your body the whole time.
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Walking Renegade Row
Pushups are great, and one-arm rows are fantastic, so why not put them together for the ultimate upper-body exercise? Many one-arm rows are performed with the stability of a bench, but the walking renegade row doesn’t have this luxury, and as a result, your core strength and endurance will thank you. When you’re looking at improving the coordination between your core and upper body, this exercise is it.
Muscles trained: Chest, shoulders, upper and lower back, biceps, forearms, and triceps.
How to do it:
Start by gripping two hex dumbbells, and set up in a solid front plank with your feet wider than hip-width apart. Then lower your chest between the dumbbells into a push-up; after performing the push-up, row one dumbbell at a time and try not to rotate your hips and torso from side to side too much. After the row, move forward one dumbbell at a time and reset and repeat for desired reps.
Coach’s tip: Performing with hex dumbbells makes this exercise easier, but if you love MORE of a challenge, use either round dumbbells or kettlebells. Keeping feet wider apart gives you a better support base and minimizes rotation.
