Dad Strong: A 5-Move Compound Strength Workout

When I think back to my childhood, I remember playing with my dad and how big and tall and strong he was. He could carry me on his shoulders so I could see the distance; he could grab things off the highest shelf; he could lift just about anything. How is it that dads seem to have this superhuman strength?

Fatherhood comes with ample opportunities to display both physical and mental fortitude. And one of the most powerful ways to build these muscles is through resistance training.

“Strength training powers you to care for and play with your kids and move through your day with more energy and ease. It’s a step toward ensuring you’re around and healthy for your family for a long time,” says Adam Hoffman, Dynamic Personal Trainer at Life Time King of Prussia in Wayne, Pa., who’s also a stepfather and “funcle” (fun uncle!).

“If you’re like me, the 3-, 5-, and 8-year-olds in your life like to treat you like a jungle gym. I find this type of strength training to be super beneficial in affording me the opportunity to be that jungle gym that I quite honestly enjoy being.”

To help you unleash more superhuman strength, Hoffman put together an efficient compound workout designed to build real-world strength.

“A compound exercise uses two or more joints to perform the movement,” Hoffman explains. “For a full-body workout, using more joints than less is a better use of time — and let’s face it, time is something every parent could use more of. This workout is geared toward someone who only has one day to focus on a total-body workout.”

The Warm-Up

“Make sure you warm up properly before attempting any of these moves,” advises Hoffman. He notes that spending about 10 minutes warming up prior is usually sufficient. Some suggested options include:

• Soft tissue work: Foam roll tight areas rather than entire muscle groups. (Moves to try: “5 Beginner Foam-Rolling Moves.”)
• Dynamic stretching: Perform the World’s Greatest Stretch, completing 5 to 10 reps on each side. (See instructions: “The World’s Greatest Stretch.”)
• Targeted stretching: These three pre-workout stretches are designed to warm up your upper body, lower body, and oblique and spinal muscles. (Stretches to try: “6 Pre- and Post-Workout Stretches for Strength Training.”)
• Activation drills: Do movements such as scapular push-ups or dead bugs for 5 to 10 reps. (See instructions: “Scapular Pushups” and “Dead Bugs.”)
• Central nervous system stimulation: Perform 5 to 10 reps of seated high jumps to prepare for higher-intensity work.

The Workout

“This workout provides the opportunity to focus on a single primary move,” explains Hoffman. “The one primary move can be any of the five below. The primary move you choose will depend on what you’d like to focus on for the day. The other four movements can then be your accessory exercises. This puts the focus on one area while still getting a total-body workout.”

Select your primary movement of choice and perform the sets. Rest for 2 to 4 minutes before moving on to perform your chosen accessory movements one at a time, resting for 1 to 2 minutes between each move.

Primary Movement

Accessory Movements

1. Kettlebell Goblet Squat

Focus as primary move: Quad and glute strength. “This can power you to get off the ground with kids wrapped around your back and shoulders with more ease,” says Hoffman.

• Stand tall with your feet about shoulder width apart and grab the two “ears” or corners of the kettlebell and bring it to about chin height.
• Drive your elbows under your wrists and hold the kettlebell away from your body about 6 to 8 inches; this will engage your core). Inhale and brace.
• Lower into a squat position, driving your knees out over your outer toes and keeping your chest up. Aim to get your body parallel so your hip crease is below your knee crease.
• Exhale forcefully as you reverse the movement to return to standing.
• Repeat.

Pace of movement: 3-1-1: a 3-second descent, 1-second pause, and an explosive 1-second concentric stand up

2. Traditional Barbell Deadlift

Focus as primary move: Hamstring and posterior chain strength. “The strength you build with this move is best used for lifting your kid and all of your kids’ things off the ground safely,” says Hoffman.

• Stand tall about one to two inches from the bar.
• Squeeze your glutes, brace your abdominals, press to the outside edges of your feet, and grip your toes into the ground.
• Diaphragmatically inhale and then lower yourself to the bar.
• Grab the bar with an overhand grip as tight as you can with the barbell positioned so it’s touching your shin. Pan the foreground with your eyes, engage your lats, and push the ground away as fast as you can while exhaling with force and pulling the bar from the ground to reach a standing position.
• Inhale and brace as you return the bar to the ground, maintaining as much physical tension as possible.
• Exhale and repeat.

Pace of movement: 1-1-1 or faster: a 1-second accent, a 1-second or less pause at extension at the top, and then a 1-second return to the ground, with no pause at the bottom

3. Dumbbell Bench Press

Focus as primary move: Chest strength. “The strength you gain here is helpful for lifting your kids up and down over you when you’re lying flat on your back on the ground,” Hoffman says.

• Hold two dumbbells in a vertical position extended straight up over your shoulders as you lie in a prone position on a bench.
• Pin your shoulders down into the bench and engage your lats so your shoulders won’t float up to your ears during the movement.
• Inhale and lower the dumbbells toward the base of your chest, drawing your elbows in toward your body. Aim for about a 45-degree angle at your armpits at the depth of your press and your forearms are to be vertical.
• Exhale forcefully to initiate the movement from the depth of the press as you return your arms to the extended position.
• Repeat.

Pace of movement: 3-1-1: a 3-second descent from straight arms, a 1-second pause at the bottom, and a 1-second explosive return to extension

4. Barbell Bent-Over Row

Focus as primary move: Back strength. “This move can help you more easily lift your kids off the couch and away from screen time!” jokes Hoffman.

• Grab a barbell with an open hand grip (palms facing away from you) and stand tall. Your hand placement is as tight to your outer thighs as possible.
• Pin your shoulders down and back and inhale and brace as you hinge forward until the bar comes to knee height or just slightly past.
• While hinging, with your head up and facing forward, exhale forcefully as you drag the bar up your thighs and into your hips. Pause, and then inhale as you return the bar to an extended arm position.
• Repeat.

Pace of movement: 1-1-3: a 1-second pull toward the hips, a 1-second pause at the hips, and a 3-second extension of the arms back to the knees

5. One-Arm Kettlebell Strict Press

Focus as primary move: Shoulder strength. “The strength you acquire from this move will allow you to throw your kids into the water during pool-time fun,” teases Hoffman.

• Stand with your feet about shoulder width apart. Grab a kettlebell, feeding your fingers through the handle focusing your grip on one of the two “ears,” or corners of the kettlebell. Hold the kettlebell in a racked position (your wrist will be neutral, not extended, and the kettlebell will rest on your forearm and bicep). Make sure to keep your elbow down (to not endanger your shoulder socket) and engage your lats. Inhale and brace.
• Stand tall, focusing on squeezing the quadricep and glute on the same side of the body the kettlebell is on. Brace your abdominals.
• Exhale forcefully as you press the kettlebell up into a stacked position directly over the shoulder socket with a completely locked-out elbow. Pause at the top, then inhale and brace as you return to a racked position. (Note: If you can’t lock your elbow out or you can’t bring the kettlebell directly over your shoulder socket, then you might not have the shoulder mobility to perform this move safely.)
• Repeat your reps on one side before moving onto the other side.

Pace of movement: 1-1-2: a 1-second explosive extension, a 1-second overhead pause, and a 2-second eccentric back to the racked position