Are pull ups a compound exercise? Yes, pull up and chin ups are compound exercises. What is a compound exercise ? Compound exercises involve movement at more than one joint, and often train many muscle groups at one time. Isolation exercises involve movement at only one joint. Both the chin up and the pull up involve movement of the scapulo-thoracic joints, the glenohumeral joints and the elbow joints. A seated leg extension is an isolation movement. It only involves movement at the knee joint. Benefits to Compound Exercises Because the chin up and the pull up are compound exercises, they have a greater energy cost than single joint movements. Pull…