Strength training, answered plainly
Notes on how the program works and why it is built the way it is. No listicles, no supplement affiliate links, no workout of the week.
How long a strength workout should take, by day
A full strength session runs 40 to 80 minutes depending on the day and the rest setting, and the four blocks that fill that time are all countable.
Read the articleDoes exercise order matter in a workout?
The exercise placed first in a session earns more total reps than the same exercise placed last, and untrained lifters gain more strength on it.
When to deload: the signs, and how long to back off
Deload when two or three lifts stall in the same week, not when one does. About six days at reduced volume is typical, and Compound leaves the call to you.
What happens when you miss a rep target?
Missing a rep target changes nothing in double progression. The target repeats untouched next session, with no reset, no penalty, and no partial credit.
Compound vs StrongLifts 5x5, after the novice gains
StrongLifts 5x5 adds weight every session and works well for months. Compound's double progression takes over once those jumps stop, no deload needed.
Compound vs Jefit: a library, or a program
Jefit gives you a database of exercises and a routine builder. Compound gives you one program, already decided. Here is how they differ.
Compound vs Fitbod: variety or progression
Fitbod's algorithm builds a new workout each session from your equipment and modeled recovery. Compound repeats the same four workouts and adds weight.
Compound vs Hevy: a feed, or a number that went up
Hevy tracks lifts with a social feed of followers and leaderboards. Compound tracks the same lifts with no account, no feed. Here is the honest tradeoff.
Compound vs Strong: a program or a logbook
Strong logs any workout you bring it. Compound decides the workout and runs the progression itself. A factual comparison of what each app actually does.
Double progression: how it works and how to run it
Double progression adds a rep until you top out your range, then adds weight and resets the reps. Here is the rule, the edge cases, and a worked example.
What Compound decides for you
Compound decides your next training day, exercises, sets, reps, rest, and weight automatically, leaving about a dozen settings for you to tune.
Rest between sets: how long, and why it changes by lift
Rest 180 seconds on heavy compounds, 120 on secondary lifts, 90 on isolation work. Longer rest builds more muscle, not less.
Mobility after lifting: what the ten minutes should contain
Stretch after lifting, not before. Compound's ten-minute mobility block, 25 to 60 second holds, is matched to that day's lifts, not a generic list.
The warm-up that works, and how long it takes
A lifting warm-up is three parts in five to eight minutes: light cardio, dynamic movement, then ramp-up sets at 40/60/80 percent of working weight.
The pull, push, legs, auxiliary split, explained
Compound trains pull, push, legs and auxiliary in that fixed order, four days covering 31 lifts, so the deadlift and squat are never back to back.