What Is a Multi-Joint Exercise?
This is a form of physical activity where the learner performs a range of movements that target more than joints and muscles. These exercises are also termed composite exercises as many muscles of the body are called into action simultaneously.
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For example, when you lift something behind your back like a barbell you pay much attention to your back, buttocks, abdomen or lower backs, arms, as well as your hips, knees, and ankles. This makes it a multi-joint exercise because it involves the three joints in the body at the same time.
Simple Example:
If you do a push-up, your shoulders, elbows, and wrists all move during the exercise. It’s a multi-joint exercise because it works several joints and muscles, helping you build strength and coordination.
Why Are Multi-Joint Exercises Important?
Multi-joint exercises are super important for many reasons. Let’s take a look at the top benefits of adding multi-joint exercises to your workout routine.
1. Builds Strength Faster
Because multi-joint exercises work several muscles and joints at the same time, you can build strength more quickly compared to doing exercises that focus on just one muscle group at a time.
For example, the deadlift targets your back, legs, and core all in one move. This makes your body stronger in multiple areas.
2. Burns More Calories
When you engage more muscles in your workouts, your body burns more calories. This is because multi-joint exercises use a lot of energy, which helps with fat loss and overall fitness.
3. Improves Coordination
Since multi-joint exercises require you to control your movements across multiple joints, they help you improve coordination. This can make everyday activities, like running or jumping, easier and safer.
4. Saves Time
Doing exercises that target multiple muscles at once means you can get a full-body workout in less time. For busy people or those who don’t have much time to work out, multi-joint exercises are a great option.
5. Better Functionality
Our daily activities require us to move multiple joints at once, like bending, lifting, or squatting. By doing multi-joint exercises, you train your body to move in ways that are useful in real life.
6. Helps Build Muscle
When you engage multiple muscle groups, your body produces more muscle-building hormones like testosterone and growth hormone. This helps your muscles grow stronger and larger over time.
Examples of Multi-Joint Exercises
There are many different multi-joint exercises that you can add to your workout routine. Here are some of the most popular and effective ones:
1. Squats
Squats are a classic multi-joint exercise that works your hips, knees, and ankles. They also engage your quads, hamstrings, glutes, and even your core.
2. Deadlifts
The deadlift is another great multi-joint exercise. It works your lower back, hips, knees, and ankles, along with your hamstrings and glutes.
3. Push-Ups
When you do a push-up, you use your shoulders, elbows, and wrists. You also work your chest, arms, and core. It’s a fantastic upper-body multi-joint exercise.
4. Lunges
Lunges are excellent for your legs and hips. They involve your hips, knees, and ankles, while also working your glutes, quads, and hamstrings.
5. Pull-Ups
Pull-ups target your shoulders, elbows, and wrists, and work your back and arms. This is a fantastic upper body multi-joint exercise.
6. Bench Press
The bench press targets your shoulders, elbows, and wrists, and it works your chest, arms, and shoulders all at the same time.
7. Rows
Rows, whether done on a machine or with a barbell or dumbbell, work your shoulders, elbows, and wrists while strengthening your back and arms.
8. Overhead Press
The overhead press works your shoulders, elbows, and wrists, and it engages your upper chest and triceps.
9. Clean and Jerk
This Olympic weightlifting move is a full-body multi-joint exercise. It works your legs, hips, shoulders, and arms, making it one of the most effective compound exercises.
Why Should Kids Do Multi-Joint Exercises?
Children can also perform multi-joint exercises for training! Many of these exercises build up the child’s strength, coordination, and balance. They also assist in making kids boost their posture and avoid/get over some injuries as they grow.
Simple Multi-Joint Exercises for Kids:
- Bodyweight Squats
- Jumping Jacks
- Bear Crawls
- Lunges
- Push-ups (or modified push-ups on the knees)
These exercises help kids develop strength and coordination in a fun way.
Multi-Joint Exercise vs. Single-Joint Exercise
Before we finish, it’s important to understand the difference between multi-joint and single-joint exercises.
| Type of Exercise | Multi-Joint Exercises | Single-Joint Exercises |
|---|---|---|
| Muscle Groups Involved | Multiple muscle groups and joints at once | One muscle group or joint |
| Example | Squats, Deadlifts, Push-Ups | Bicep Curls, Leg Extensions |
| Time Efficiency | More time-efficient because more muscles are worked | Takes more time to target all muscle groups |
| Strength Building | Builds strength faster because it works more muscles | Builds strength but takes longer to see results |
| Coordination | Improves coordination and balance | Less focus on coordination |
Which One is Better?
Both multi-joint and single-joint exercises are important for a well-rounded workout plan. However, multi-joint exercises tend to be more effective for overall strength, calorie burning, and time efficiency.
How to Add Multi-Joint Exercises to Your Routine
Adding multi-joint exercises to your routine is easy! Here’s how you can start:
- Start with Bodyweight Exercises: For anyone who has never performed any multi-joint exercises, start by performing bodyweight exercises such as squats, push-ups, and lunges. These will assist you in having a proper foundation.
- Gradually Add Weights: Once you get familiar with bodyweight exercises, make it the next step to include barbells or dumbbells to take the body through an extra workload.
- Create a Balanced Workout: Make a goal of having at least 3-4 movements with multiple joints involved in each training session. For instance, a basic exercise might consist of squats, push-ups, and lunges as well as rows.
- Listen to Your Body: Do not be a hard worker from the beginning until you find that you can push more. If you feel discomfort, then remember to stop and check whether you are in the right posture or not.
- Rest and Recover: This one is pretty obvious: Don’t forget to rest between the workouts. Taking time to recover will not only assist you to get stronger without injuries but also to be fit for other activities.
Conclusion
All in all, a multi-joint exercise is an exercise involving the joints as well as the muscles within the specific areas of the exercised joints. These exercises are incredibly useful for increasing muscle mass, decreasing body fat, enhancing balance, and cutting the time scheduled for workouts in half. If you are a novice or a professional exercising with multi-joint movements will assist you in achieving your intended results faster.
From squats to push-ups, death lifts, and lunges, it is possible to work all the muscles of the body and become stronger and healthier. And the best part? It’s quite doable without the need to own state-of-the-art equipment- just your body and a small space.