I Focused on One Compound Lift Per Day for 5 Days a Week — Here’s What Happened

The strength training world is full of complex workout routines that promise ground-breaking results. I hate to break this to you, but most of these programs are a dud.

As a personal trainer with over 17 years of experience, I have tried almost every training regime under the sun.

I was recently dealing with a strength and muscle plateau despite following a very intricate program. This prompted me to simplify my approach, strip away the fluff, and focus on what truly matters — the big lifts.

This is how this one compound lift a day challenge was born.

In this article, I take you over my four-week challenge of doing one compound lift daily for five days a week. I’ll also share tips on how you can adopt this philosophy into your own training routine.

Why One Compound Lift a Day For a Month? 

Let’s break down what makes this one compound lift per day program so special.

Focused Effort vs. Diffused Training

As someone who spends most of his days in this gym, I can attest that many people bounce from one exercise to another in a workout without ever trying to master a single movement. This is one of the biggest reasons why they get mediocre results.

By focusing on one compound exercise per day, you channel all your energy and attention into perfecting that movement. It allows you to push yourself to the limits, achieving significant progress.

Specificity: Mastering the Movement

I also started this training challenge because I wanted to improve my performance in key compound lifts like the squat, bench press, and deadlift. This would help me improve my output in upcoming training programs by enhancing my motor control, muscle memory, and mind-muscle connection.

Power of Compound Lifts

Compound exercises, also known as multi-joint lifts, target multiple muscle groups simultaneously. This triggers a significant hormonal response, promoting muscle growth, strength gains, and recovery.

Plus, compound movements are way much more efficient than isolation lifts, making them more compelling if you can only perform a few exercises per workout.

One-Compound Lift Daily Challenge

This challenge was full of ups and downs. Let’s dive into a week-by-week breakdown of my journey through it:

Week 1: Foundations and Adjustments

I prioritized performing each exercise with a picture-perfect form in the first week. It helped reinforce my technique, which would help me as I started lifting heavier weights.

I employed a controlled rep tempo during these exercises, using a 4-0-2-0 tempo. This involves spending four seconds on the eccentrics, two seconds on the concentrics, and no pause at the top or bottom of the movement.

To say that the first week of this program kicked my backside would be an understatement.

Typically, lifters start the GVT program with a three-day split. However, I jumped right into the five-day programming. This resulted in high levels of systematic fatigue and delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS).

Week 2: Refining Technique and Increasing Intensity

Once my body had gotten used to the training volume and the soreness subsided, it was now time to step on the gas.

The first thing I did at the beginning of Week Two was to question if my form had improved. I scrutinized my lifting tapes to ensure I was moving in the right path.

Once that was done, it was time to overload the muscles while tightening up my technique.

I aimed to increase the weight by up to five percent in each subsequent workout. To challenge myself, I used the same weights from the first to the 10th set. However, there were days when I had to slightly lower the poundage due to suboptimal recovery.

Lifting Notes For Week Two

I saw the following areas for improvement:

• My lower back rounded during deadlifts. To correct this, I focused on bracing my core harder and initiating the lift by driving through my heels.
• While my overall bench press form was satisfactory, I made a note of keeping my wrists directly above my elbows to maximize force transfer.
• I decided to use squat wedges to keep my torso upright during the subsequent weeks to load my quads better.
• Performing the overhead presses with a strict form (no leg drive) was my next goal.
• I switched to a slightly wider grip for a better line of pull and lat engagement.

Week 3: Overcoming Plateaus and Building Momentum

Progressing linearly each week in compound movements like the bench press, deadlift, and squat is incredibly challenging.

I noticed that my squat had stalled, and implemented a simple but effective strategy to overcome the plateau — variations. I employed pause squats to stretch out the muscle tissues in the fully lengthed position and ignite new muscle tissue growth.

It is normal to lose motivation when you are stuck in a rut. I avoided this by keeping a detailed training log and noting every minute detail of my workouts. Seeing the numbers climbing in the other lifts fired me up.

Training Volume Guidelines

For an advanced lifter like me, doing the typical 3-4 sets of 8-12 reps of an exercise in a program like this wouldn’t deliver enough total volume to ignite new muscle growth. (1)

Considering this, I decided to adopt the German Volume Training (GVT) protocol. The GVT approach involves performing 10 sets of 10 reps of an exercise.

You might be thinking that most lifters typically perform 15 sets in a workout, as they perform three sets of five exercises in a session. Let me assure you that performing 10 sets of a single exercise is more challenging than performing three sets of five different lifts.

In my opinion, the GVT protocol induces significantly higher metabolic stress and muscle hypertrophy.

This is what my training programming looked like:

Weights

I stuck to lifting 60% of my one-repetition maximum (1RM) in the initial phase. The goal here isn’t just to lift heavy; you must also focus on improving your technique.

Rest Periods

I limited my rest periods to 60-90 seconds. Resting longer can lower the training intensity and metabolic stress, resulting in suboptimal gains.

Recovery Protocols

I ate 2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight to promote muscle protein synthesis. Also, I aimed for eight hours of quality sleep each night to allow my muscles enough time to rest and recuperate.

Since I had two days off each week, I went outdoors for a 20 to 30-minute walk or hike. Research shows that physical activity on your rest days can be more effective for recovery than sitting on the couch all day long. (2)

Week 4: Maximizing Results and Long-Term Implications

The pause squats from the previous week led to a significant breakthrough as my numbers resumed their upward trajectory in the final phase. I could not have asked for a better start to the concluding week of this challenge.

That said, here are my final results after focusing on one compound lift per day for four weeks:

Lift	Starting 1RM (lbs)	Ending 1RM (lbs)	Change (lbs)
Squat	315	335	20
Bench Press	275	290	15
Deadlift	405	425	20
Overhead Press	185	195	10
Barbell Row	225	235	10

As you can see, all my lifts improved by a respectable margin, with the biggest gains being in the squat and deadlift. These numbers validate the effectiveness of this focused, high-frequency approach.

Besides the raw numbers, I saw an improvement in my training form, which I believe is much more valuable in the long term. I can already experience a greater sense of control and stability during challenging exercises, like the squat and deadlift.

My mind-muscle connection has also improved, leading to better target muscle fiber recruitment and muscle pumps.

Breaking Down The 1 Compound Lift a Day Challenge

Before we get into the nitty-gritty of this challenge, I think I should go over my prior training experience so you have a better understanding of my starting stage.

I have followed traditional bodybuilding plans, alternating between the infamous bro split, push, pull, legs (PPL), and upper/lower split, for the majority of my lifting career. While these programs yielded respectable results, I felt a need for change to unlock my full fitness potential.

And the one compound lift per day challenge was born.

This five days a week compound lifting experiment is very different from a typical bodybuilding or powerlifting routine. The fact that I could only perform one exercise daily felt changing to me as I had to make every rep count to get the best bang for my buck!

Here are the five lifts I picked for this challenge:

• Squat: The king of all exercises, it targets the glutes, quads, hamstrings, and calves.
• Bench press: Biases the chest, triceps, and anterior deltoids. This exercise has been a benchmark of upper body strength for time immemorial.
• Deadlift: A full-body exercise that primarily targets the posterior chain. One of the best strength-building exercises you can do.
• Overhead press: Besides helping you build pushing strength, it solidifies your core, improving your overall functionality and performance.
• Barbell row: Helps add width and thickness to the back, delivering the coveted V-taper.

Mitigating Overtraining

Remember, performing 10 sets of 10 reps of daily compound lifts can be taxing for your joints, muscles, and connective tissue, increasing the risk of overtraining and injury.

I mitigated this risk by following thorough warm-up routines, which included dynamic stretches and light cardio to prepare my body for heavy lifting. Conversely, I incorporated cool-down routines comprising static stretches to reduce muscle soreness and promote recovery.

Mental Adjustment

This training program is as mentally challenging as it is physically demanding. It required a shift in mindset as I was no longer blasting through a workout but focusing on mastering every movement.

On the bright side, the decision fatigue was significantly lower as I did not have to come up with new workouts daily.

Conclusion

I had no idea what to expect from this one compound lift per day challenge. However, I was blown away by the strength gains, improvement in my lifting form, and overall confidence gain by the end of the four weeks.

Staying consistent, disciplined, and patient is key for achieving your training objectives, and it is no different in this challenge. Start small and gradually increase the training load to achieve your dream physique. Best of luck!

References

1. Schoenfeld BJ, Grgic J, Van Every DW, Plotkin DL. Loading Recommendations for Muscle Strength, Hypertrophy, and Local Endurance: A Re-Examination of the Repetition Continuum. Sports (Basel). 2021 Feb 22;9(2):32. doi: 10.3390/sports9020032. PMID: 33671664; PMCID: PMC7927075.
2. Ortiz RO Jr, Sinclair Elder AJ, Elder CL, Dawes JJ. A Systematic Review on the Effectiveness of Active Recovery Interventions on Athletic Performance of Professional-, Collegiate-, and Competitive-Level Adult Athletes. J Strength Cond Res. 2019 Aug;33(8):2275-2287. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000002589. PMID: 29742750.

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