TL; DR (Too Long; Didn't Read)

If there is one thing that irritates me to no end—it’s the cutesy-wootsy combination exercises women are fed under the guise of “weight training.”

These “combination” exercises—like a squat to overhead press or a plank to single-arm row–are popular in many women’s circles but are highly ineffective for pretty much any outcome.

They are the exercise equivalent of a jack-of-all-trades, master of none.

I think the real reason they irritate me is they reinforce the idea that women should do MORE with LESS. Build muscle with LESS time, and in this case, LESS efficiency.

These movements often force you to compromise on weight selection and your ability to generate force, meaning neither muscle group is trained optimally. Instead, focus on separating compound lifts and training them to failure for the best strength and muscle gains.

As women, we should luxuriate in our training and do movements that actually work for us.

Now you know how I really feel!

WHY Should You Ignore Combo Moves?

It's a tale as old as time: women are given a budget and constraint to work within instead of actual reasonable expectations.

Do more with less!

Train 2 body parts in 1 movement!

Lose weight in half the time!

How about we do more with more and take our time training our muscles properly?

(P.S. Have you ever seen this recommendation for men?)

These “combo” moves serenade you with the promise to engage multiple muscles at once, but they fail to account for fundamental biomechanics.

Large muscle groups like your quads and glutes require heavy loads, while smaller muscle groups like your shoulders or arms can’t handle nearly as much weight.

Do you think you are going to shoulder press a weight that is appropriate for your legs? Of course not.

So, by default, you have to select a weight appropriate for the smaller muscle group—this exercises the shoulders—rendering half of this exercise (the lower body squat part) useless.

Similarly, adding instability—like balancing on one arm while holding a plank while rowing—limits your ability to generate force in the very target muscle (the lats), making the movement less effective for muscle growth and strength development than a barbell row or a bent over dumbbell row.

WHAT are the Worst Exercises?

🚫 Squat to Overhead Press — Squatting is a lower-body powerhouse move that demands heavier loads, while overhead pressing is a smaller, weaker movement that requires lighter weights. The result? You’re either lifting too light for your legs or too heavy for your shoulders, making this an ineffective way to train either muscle group.

🚫 Plank to Single-Arm Row — This movement combines a core stability hold with an upper-body pulling exercise, meaning your lats (back muscle) won’t get enough resistance for real strength gains. Instead, your focus shifts to stabilizing your hips and shoulders, making this more of a balance challenge than an effective strength exercise.

🚫 Burpee to Bicep Curl — Burpees are a cardiovascular conditioning exercise, while bicep curls are a targeted strength movement. Trying to do both in one movement results in sloppy form, poor muscle engagement, and an increased risk of injury.

🚫 Jump Lunge with a Lateral Raise — Like the squat-to-press issue, lunges demand heavy weights to challenge the legs, while lateral raises require significantly lighter weights to properly target the shoulders. Combining them makes it impossible to load either effectively.

🚫 Russian Twists Holding Heavy Dumbbells — Adding weight to Russian twists does not increase effectiveness–it just strains your lower back. Most people compensate by twisting from the lumbar spine instead of the obliques, putting unnecessary stress on the spine.

HOW to Think About Training Instead

✅ Prioritize Compound Lifts First — Exercises like squats, deadlifts, pull-ups, and presses should be done on their own with heavy enough weights to challenge the target muscle group.

In this way, I feel women should have the right to train like men, to divide muscle groups up, and work them close to failure.

✅ Train Stability Separately from Strength — If you want strength, do strength exercises. If you want explosive power, do explosive power exercises. If you want stability, do stability exercises.

Yes, this seems simple and obvious when I write it with this level of sarcasm, but the point I'm making is to focus the exercise on the goal and outcome you want. If you want big muscles, you need to train them **with enough weight** to challenge them to grow.

✅ Follow a Logical Training Structure — Generally (emphasis on generally), strength training should start with big, multi-joint exercises first, followed by accessory movements. Avoid cramming multiple unrelated movements together just for the sake of making an exercise look more “functional.”

NOW: 3 Simple Steps to Start Today

1️⃣ Ditch inefficient combination exercises and replace them with dedicated strength movements.

2️⃣ Ensure each muscle group is challenged appropriately with the correct weight and form.

3️⃣ Structure your workouts with compound lifts first, then finish with accessory movements and stability work.

Train smarter, not trendier Bettys. You got this.

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