Compound exercises are movements that work multiple joints and muscle groups at the same time. Think squats, deadlifts, bench presses, and rows. They’re the backbone of every effective strength program because they train your body the way it actually moves: as a coordinated system, not a collection of isolated parts.
If you want to get stronger (not just look stronger), compound lifts are where you invest most of your training time. They let you lift heavier loads, stimulate more total muscle, and build the kind of functional strength that carries over to sports, daily life, and injury prevention. This guide covers everything you need to choose the right compound exercises, program them intelligently, and progress without hitting a wall.
Key Takeaways
- Compound exercises build strength faster than isolation work — they recruit more muscle mass per rep, allow heavier loading, and trigger a stronger hormonal response.
- Five movement patterns cover your entire body — squat, hinge, press (horizontal and vertical), pull, and carry form the foundation of any strength program.
- Programming matters more than exercise selection — sets, reps, intensity, rest, and progression determine whether compound lifts actually make you stronger.
- Beginners and advanced lifters both benefit — compound movements scale from bodyweight to hundreds of pounds with the same movement patterns.
- Recovery is part of the program — compound lifts create more systemic fatigue, so sleep, nutrition, and structured rest periods between sets are critical.
- Form protects longevity — learning proper technique before chasing heavy weights prevents the injuries that derail long-term progress.
What Are Compound Exercises and Why Do They Build Strength?
Quick Answer: Compound exercises use two or more joints in a single movement, recruiting multiple muscle groups simultaneously. They build strength because they allow heavier loading than isolation exercises, create greater mechanical tension across more tissue, and stimulate systemic adaptations like increased testosterone and growth hormone release.
A bicep curl moves one joint (the elbow) and works one primary muscle (the bicep). A barbell row moves your shoulder and elbow joints while working your lats, rhomboids, rear delts, biceps, and core. That’s the difference between isolation and compound work.
Strength is your nervous system’s ability to recruit muscle fibers and coordinate them to produce force. Compound lifts train that coordination across entire chains of muscles. Your body doesn’t move in isolation during real life. It pushes, pulls, squats, hinges, and carries as a connected unit.
Mechanical Tension and Muscle Recruitment
Mechanical tension is the primary driver of strength gains. It’s the force your muscles produce against resistance. Compound movements let you apply more total force because multiple muscle groups share the load. You can squat 300 pounds, but you can’t leg-extend 300 pounds. That extra loading creates stronger adaptation signals.
Research consistently shows that multi-joint exercises produce higher levels of motor unit recruitment than single-joint movements. Motor units are bundles of muscle fibers controlled by a single nerve. The more motor units you activate, the more force you produce and the stronger you become over time.
Hormonal Response to Compound Movements
Heavy compound lifts trigger a short-term spike in anabolic hormones. Squats and deadlifts increase testosterone and growth hormone levels more than isolation exercises. While the long-term impact of these acute hormone spikes is debated among researchers, the overall systemic stress of compound training creates a powerful stimulus for adaptation.
Your body adapts to the demands you place on it. Compound lifts place demands on bones, tendons, ligaments, and stabilizer muscles alongside the primary movers. This creates comprehensive strength, not just bigger biceps.
What Are the Best Compound Exercises for Total-Body Strength?
Quick Answer: The best compound exercises for strength are the barbell back squat, conventional deadlift, bench press, overhead press, barbell row, and pull-up. These six movements cover every major movement pattern and muscle group, forming a complete strength foundation.
Squat Pattern: The Foundation of Lower-Body Strength
The barbell back squat is the king of lower-body compound exercises. It works your quadriceps, glutes, hamstrings, adductors, core, and spinal erectors. No other single movement loads this many muscles through a full range of motion.
Variations include the front squat (more quad-dominant, more upright torso), goblet squat (beginner-friendly, self-correcting form), and Bulgarian split squat (addresses imbalances between legs). Start with the variation that matches your mobility and experience level.
Hinge Pattern: Deadlifts and Their Variations
The conventional deadlift trains hip extension, which is the most powerful movement your body produces. Your glutes, hamstrings, erectors, traps, lats, and grip all work together to lift the bar from the floor. It’s the exercise where most people can eventually move the heaviest weight.
The Romanian deadlift (RDL) keeps a slight knee bend and emphasizes the eccentric (lowering) phase, making it excellent for hamstring strength. The trap bar deadlift uses a hexagonal bar that shifts your center of gravity, reducing lower back stress while still training the hinge pattern.
Horizontal Press: Bench Press Variations
The barbell bench press works your chest, front delts, and triceps through a horizontal pushing motion. It’s the most popular upper-body strength exercise for good reason: it allows heavy loading in a stable position.
The dumbbell bench press adds a stability component and lets each arm work independently. The incline bench press (set at 30 to 45 degrees) shifts emphasis toward the upper chest and front delts. Both are valuable variations that complement the flat barbell bench.
Vertical Press: Overhead Press
The standing overhead press (also called the strict press or military press) builds shoulder and tricep strength while demanding serious core stability. Pressing weight directly overhead with no back support is one of the most honest tests of upper-body strength.
It works your anterior and lateral deltoids, triceps, upper chest, traps, and core stabilizers. The standing version is superior to the seated version for strength because it requires your entire body to stabilize the load.
Pull Pattern: Rows and Pull-Ups
The barbell row is the primary horizontal pulling exercise. It trains your lats, rhomboids, rear delts, biceps, and lower back. A strong row keeps your shoulders healthy by balancing the pressing work most people overemphasize.
Pull-ups and chin-ups are the vertical pulling counterpart. They build lat width, bicep strength, and grip endurance. If you can’t do bodyweight pull-ups yet, lat pulldowns serve as an effective substitute while you build the strength to progress.
| Exercise | Primary Movement Pattern | Primary Muscles Worked | Joints Involved | Typical Strength Rep Range | Average Intermediate Male 1RM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barbell Back Squat | Squat (bilateral) | Quads, glutes, hamstrings, core | Hip, knee, ankle | 3–5 reps | 265–315 lbs |
| Conventional Deadlift | Hinge (bilateral) | Glutes, hamstrings, erectors, traps, lats | Hip, knee | 1–5 reps | 315–405 lbs |
| Barbell Bench Press | Horizontal push | Chest, front delts, triceps | Shoulder, elbow | 3–5 reps | 205–255 lbs |
| Overhead Press | Vertical push | Delts, triceps, upper chest, core | Shoulder, elbow | 3–6 reps | 135–175 lbs |
| Barbell Row | Horizontal pull | Lats, rhomboids, rear delts, biceps | Shoulder, elbow | 5–8 reps | 185–225 lbs |
| Pull-Up / Chin-Up | Vertical pull | Lats, biceps, rear delts, core | Shoulder, elbow | 3–8 reps | Bodyweight + 25–55 lbs |
How Should You Program Compound Exercises for Maximum Strength?
Quick Answer: Program compound exercises in the 1 to 6 rep range at 75 to 90 percent of your one-rep max, with 3 to 5 working sets per exercise and 2 to 5 minutes of rest between sets. Train each compound movement pattern 2 to 3 times per week for optimal strength development.
Sets, Reps, and Intensity for Strength
Strength lives in the low-rep, high-intensity zone. That means 1 to 6 reps per set at 75 to 90 percent of your one-rep max (1RM). Your 1RM is the heaviest weight you can lift for a single clean rep. Working at this intensity forces your nervous system to recruit high-threshold motor units, the muscle fibers responsible for maximal force production.
Perform 3 to 5 working sets per compound exercise. Working sets don’t include your warm-up sets. More than 5 sets at this intensity tends to produce diminishing returns and excessive fatigue for most lifters.
Rest Periods and Recovery Between Sets
Strength training requires longer rest periods than hypertrophy (muscle growth) training. Your phosphocreatine system, the energy system responsible for short bursts of maximal effort, takes 2 to 5 minutes to fully replenish.
Cutting rest periods short means you’ll lift less weight on subsequent sets. That reduces the mechanical tension stimulus. For your heaviest compound sets (squats, deadlifts, bench), take a full 3 to 5 minutes. For lighter accessory compound work, 2 to 3 minutes is sufficient.
Training Frequency Per Movement Pattern
Training each compound movement pattern 2 to 3 times per week produces better strength gains than once-a-week training. This is because strength is a skill, and more frequent practice improves motor pattern efficiency.
A full-body workout structure 3 days per week or an upper/lower split 4 days per week both accomplish this frequency. The key is spreading your total weekly volume across multiple sessions rather than cramming everything into one brutal workout per muscle group.
| Variable | Beginner (0–12 months) | Intermediate (1–3 years) | Advanced (3+ years) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rep Range | 5–8 reps | 3–5 reps | 1–5 reps (periodized) |
| Working Sets Per Exercise | 3 sets | 4–5 sets | 5–8 sets (including back-off) |
| Intensity (% of 1RM) | 65–75% | 75–85% | 80–95% |
| Weekly Frequency Per Lift | 2–3x | 2x | 2–3x (varied intensity) |
| Rest Between Sets | 2–3 minutes | 3–4 minutes | 3–5 minutes |
| Weekly Progression Rate | 5–10 lbs per session | 5 lbs per 1–2 weeks | 2.5–5 lbs per month |
What’s the Difference Between Compound Exercises and Isolation Exercises?
Quick Answer: Compound exercises work multiple joints and muscle groups in one movement, while isolation exercises target a single muscle through one joint. Compound lifts build overall strength more efficiently. Isolation exercises refine specific muscles. A strong program uses compounds as the foundation and isolation work as a supplement.
When Compound Exercises Are Superior
For raw strength development, compound exercises win hands down. They allow heavier loads, train coordination between muscle groups, and produce greater systemic adaptation. If you only have 30 to 45 minutes to train, compound exercises give you the most results per minute.
They also build what trainers call “real-world strength.” Picking up a heavy box off the floor is a deadlift. Pushing yourself up from the ground is a press. Standing up from a chair with a kid on your shoulders is a squat. Isolation exercises have no direct functional equivalent.
When Isolation Exercises Add Value
Isolation work shines for training to build muscle mass in specific lagging areas, rehabilitating injuries, and addressing weak links in compound movements. If your bench press stalls because your triceps are weak, targeted tricep work fixes the bottleneck.
The ideal approach: build your program around 3 to 5 compound exercises per session, then add 1 to 3 isolation exercises to address specific needs. Compounds first while you’re fresh, isolation after.
Which Compound Exercises Are Best for Beginners?
Quick Answer: Beginners should start with goblet squats, trap bar deadlifts, dumbbell bench presses, dumbbell overhead presses, and cable rows. These variations teach the same movement patterns as barbell compounds but with more forgiveness for form errors, reduced injury risk, and easier loading increments.
Beginner-Friendly Compound Variations
Barbell movements are excellent, but they aren’t required on day one. The goblet squat teaches squat depth and upright torso position naturally because the front-loaded weight acts as a counterbalance. The trap bar deadlift removes the “bar scraping your shins” challenge and keeps the load closer to your center of gravity.
Dumbbells let each arm work independently, which reveals and corrects imbalances early. Cable rows provide constant tension and a fixed movement path that makes it easier to “feel” the target muscles working. All of these build the motor patterns you’ll need for heavier barbell work later.
How to Progress from Beginner to Intermediate Compounds
Transition to barbell compounds when you can perform the beginner variations with proper form for the prescribed sets and reps. There’s no specific weight threshold. If you can goblet squat 50 pounds for 3 sets of 8 with clean depth and no pain, you’re ready to try a barbell back squat with just the 45-pound bar.
Add weight in small increments. Most gyms have 2.5-pound and 5-pound plates. Linear progression (adding weight every session) works for beginners because your nervous system adapts rapidly when movements are new.
| Movement Pattern | Beginner Variation | Intermediate Variation | Advanced Variation | Transition Indicator |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Squat | Goblet Squat | Barbell Back Squat | Pause Squat / Front Squat | 3×8 at 50+ lbs goblet with full depth |
| Hinge | Trap Bar Deadlift | Conventional Deadlift | Deficit / Paused Deadlift | 3×5 at 135+ lbs trap bar with flat back |
| Horizontal Push | Dumbbell Bench Press | Barbell Bench Press | Paused Bench / Close-Grip | 3×8 at 40+ lb dumbbells with stable shoulders |
| Vertical Push | Dumbbell Overhead Press | Barbell Overhead Press | Push Press / Z Press | 3×8 at 30+ lb dumbbells with no back arch |
| Horizontal Pull | Cable Row | Barbell Row | Pendlay Row / Weighted Row | 3×10 at full stack with controlled eccentric |
| Vertical Pull | Lat Pulldown | Pull-Up (bodyweight) | Weighted Pull-Up | 3×10 at 70%+ bodyweight on pulldown |
How Do You Avoid Injury When Performing Heavy Compound Lifts?
Quick Answer: Avoid injury by warming up properly before heavy lifts, maintaining correct technique at every weight, increasing load gradually, and never sacrificing form to hit a number. Most compound lift injuries come from ego lifting, rushing warm-ups, or ignoring pain signals that indicate a technique problem.
The Warm-Up Sequence That Protects You
A proper warm-up has three stages. First, 5 minutes of general movement (rowing machine, brisk walking, or cycling) to increase core body temperature and blood flow to working muscles. Second, dynamic stretches targeting the muscles you’ll use (leg swings for squats, arm circles for pressing). Third, ramping sets of the actual exercise: start with the empty bar and add weight across 3 to 4 sets until you reach your working weight.
Never jump straight to your heavy working sets. Ramping sets rehearse the motor pattern, lubricate your joints, and prime your nervous system for heavy loading.
Common Form Mistakes That Cause Injuries
In the squat, the most common injury-causing mistake is letting your knees cave inward (valgus collapse). This stresses the ACL and meniscus. Cue yourself to “push knees out” over your toes throughout the movement.
In the deadlift, rounding your lower back under load is the primary risk. Your spine should maintain a neutral position from setup to lockout. If you can’t keep a flat back, the weight is too heavy or your hamstrings are too tight.
In the bench press, flaring your elbows to 90 degrees puts excessive stress on your shoulder joint. Keep your elbows at roughly 45 to 75 degrees from your torso. Think about “bending the bar” to engage your lats and protect your shoulders.
Knowing When to Deload
A deload is a planned week of reduced intensity or volume. It lets your body recover from accumulated fatigue. Most intermediate and advanced lifters benefit from a deload every 4 to 6 weeks.
Signs you need a deload: joints ache (not just muscle soreness), your working weights feel unusually heavy, your sleep quality drops, or you’re dreading sessions you normally enjoy. During a deload, reduce your working weights to 50 to 60 percent of normal and cut your total sets in half. You’ll come back stronger the following week.
What Does a Sample Compound Exercise Strength Program Look Like?
Quick Answer: A sample strength program uses 3 to 4 training days per week, centers each session around 2 to 3 heavy compound lifts, uses 3 to 5 sets of 3 to 6 reps at 75 to 85 percent of 1RM, and adds weight weekly. Below is a proven upper/lower split that covers all movement patterns.
Upper/Lower Split: 4 Days Per Week
Day 1 (Upper A): Barbell Bench Press 4×5, Barbell Row 4×5, Overhead Press 3×6, Pull-Ups 3×6–8. Day 2 (Lower A): Barbell Back Squat 4×5, Romanian Deadlift 3×6, Bulgarian Split Squat 3×8 each leg. Day 3 (Upper B): Overhead Press 4×5, Weighted Chin-Ups 4×5, Incline Dumbbell Bench 3×8, Cable Row 3×8. Day 4 (Lower B): Conventional Deadlift 4×3, Front Squat 3×6, Walking Lunges 3×10 each leg.
This structure hits each movement pattern twice per week with slightly different exercises and rep ranges. The variation prevents staleness and addresses each movement from multiple angles.
How to Manage Weekly Progression
Beginners: add 5 to 10 pounds per session on lower-body compounds, 2.5 to 5 pounds on upper-body compounds. If you complete all prescribed sets and reps cleanly, increase the weight next session.
Intermediates: add 5 pounds per week on major lifts. If you miss reps, repeat the same weight next session. Two consecutive missed sessions means it’s time for a deload or programming adjustment.
Advanced lifters: use periodized approaches like daily undulating periodization (DUP), where intensity varies session to session (heavy day, moderate day, light day) across the week. Monthly gains of 2.5 to 5 pounds are realistic at this stage.
How Does Nutrition Support Strength Gains From Compound Training?
Quick Answer: Strength gains require adequate protein (0.7 to 1.0 grams per pound of bodyweight daily), sufficient total calories (at least maintenance level), and consistent carbohydrate intake to fuel heavy training sessions. You cannot out-train a poor diet when pursuing strength goals.
Protein Requirements for Strength Athletes
Protein provides the amino acids your muscles need to repair and grow stronger after training. The widely supported range for strength athletes is 0.7 to 1.0 grams of protein per pound of body weight per day. A 180-pound person needs 126 to 180 grams daily.
Spread protein intake across 3 to 5 meals with 25 to 40 grams per meal. This maximizes muscle protein synthesis, the process that repairs and strengthens muscle fibers after compound lift sessions.
Carbohydrates: The Fuel for Heavy Lifting
Your muscles use glycogen (stored carbohydrate) as the primary fuel source during heavy compound sets. Low-carb diets consistently impair strength performance in research. Aim for 1.5 to 3 grams of carbohydrates per pound of bodyweight, depending on training volume.
Prioritize carbs around your training window. A meal with 40 to 60 grams of carbs 1 to 2 hours before training ensures your glycogen stores are topped off when you need them most.
Caloric Surplus vs. Maintenance for Strength
You can gain strength at caloric maintenance (eating the same calories you burn). But a slight caloric surplus of 200 to 300 calories per day above maintenance accelerates strength gains because your body has extra resources for recovery and muscle building.
Eating in a significant caloric deficit (cutting) makes strength gains very difficult. If your primary goal is getting stronger, eat at least at maintenance. Fat loss can come in a later training phase.
| Bodyweight | Protein (g/day) | Carbohydrates (g/day) | Fat (g/day) | Total Calories (approx.) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 140 lbs | 112–140 | 210–420 | 47–62 | 2,100–2,600 |
| 170 lbs | 136–170 | 255–510 | 57–76 | 2,500–3,200 |
| 200 lbs | 160–200 | 300–600 | 67–89 | 2,900–3,800 |
| 230 lbs | 184–230 | 345–690 | 77–102 | 3,300–4,300 |
How Long Does It Take to See Strength Gains From Compound Exercises?
Quick Answer: Beginners notice meaningful strength gains within 2 to 4 weeks as their nervous system adapts to new movements. Visible increases in the weight you can lift happen within 4 to 8 weeks. After the first year, progress slows to monthly rather than weekly gains, but compounds continue producing results for decades.
The Neurological Adaptation Phase
Your earliest strength gains are almost entirely neurological, not muscular. Your brain gets better at activating the right muscles in the right sequence. This is why beginners can add weight to the bar every single session for their first several months.
This “newbie gains” phase typically lasts 6 to 12 months. Enjoy it. You will never gain strength this quickly again. The compound movements you learn during this phase become the foundation of your entire training career.
Long-Term Strength Development Expectations
After the beginner phase, expect strength to increase by roughly 5 to 10 percent every 3 to 6 months as an intermediate. Advanced lifters may see 5 percent gains over an entire year. These rates assume consistent training, adequate nutrition, and smart programming.
The barbell lifts most responsive to long-term gains are the squat and deadlift because they use the body’s largest muscle groups. Upper body lifts tend to plateau earlier. This is normal and not a sign that your program has stopped working.
Can You Build Strength Using Only Bodyweight Compound Exercises?
Quick Answer: Yes, bodyweight compound exercises like push-ups, pull-ups, dips, pistol squats, and inverted rows build real strength, especially for beginners and intermediates. However, loading limitations make barbell compounds superior for maximal strength development once bodyweight movements become easy for more than 12 reps.
Best Bodyweight Compound Movements
Push-ups (horizontal push), pull-ups (vertical pull), dips (vertical push and horizontal push), inverted rows (horizontal pull), and pistol squats (single-leg squat) form a complete bodyweight compound program. Each of these works multiple joints and muscle groups.
To increase difficulty without adding external weight, slow down the eccentric (lowering) phase to 3 to 5 seconds, add pauses at the bottom position, or progress to harder variations (diamond push-ups, archer pull-ups, elevated pistol squats).
When to Transition to Weighted Compounds
When you can perform 3 sets of 12 or more reps on a bodyweight exercise with strict form, the resistance is no longer sufficient for maximal strength gains. At that point, you need external loading. Add a weight vest, use a dip belt, or transition to barbell and dumbbell compounds to continue progressing.
What Role Does Sleep Play in Strength Recovery From Compound Training?
Quick Answer: Sleep is when your body performs most of its muscle repair and strength adaptation. Adults who sleep less than 7 hours per night show reduced strength output, slower recovery between sessions, and impaired motor learning. Aim for 7 to 9 hours per night to maximize compound exercise gains.
Growth Hormone Release During Sleep
Your body releases approximately 75 percent of its daily growth hormone during deep sleep stages. Growth hormone is critical for tissue repair, which is exactly what your muscles need after heavy compound training sessions. Disrupted or shortened sleep directly reduces this hormone release.
Practical Sleep Strategies for Lifters
Keep a consistent sleep schedule, even on weekends. Avoid caffeine within 8 hours of bedtime. Keep your bedroom cool (65 to 68°F is optimal for most people). If you train in the evening, finish your workout at least 2 to 3 hours before bed to allow your nervous system to downregulate.
Many experienced strength athletes consider sleep their most important recovery tool. It’s free, requires no equipment, and produces measurable improvements in training performance.
How Do Compound Exercises Compare to Machine-Based Strength Training?
Quick Answer: Free-weight compound exercises build more functional strength than machines because they require stabilizer muscle activation, coordinate multiple joints, and train balance. Machines are valuable for isolation work, injury rehab, and training around limitations, but they should not replace compound free-weight movements as your program’s core.
Stabilizer Muscle Activation
When you squat with a barbell, your core, hip stabilizers, and spinal erectors all work to keep you balanced. A leg press machine handles all the stabilization for you. The result: free-weight squats produce greater core activation, better balance adaptation, and more transferable strength than machine alternatives.
When Machines Make Sense
Machines are useful for training around injuries (a Smith machine can reduce lower-back demand during squats), accumulating extra volume for specific muscle groups after your compound work, and providing safe options when training alone without a spotter. They complement compound movements but don’t replace them.
| Attribute | Free-Weight Compounds | Machine-Based Training |
|---|---|---|
| Stabilizer Muscle Activation | High (full stabilization required) | Low (machine provides stability) |
| Functional Strength Transfer | High (mimics real-world movement) | Low to moderate (fixed path) |
| Injury Risk (with proper form) | Low to moderate | Low |
| Learning Curve | Moderate to high | Low |
| Maximum Strength Potential | High (progressive overload scalable) | Moderate (limited by machine design) |
| Best Use Case | Primary strength building | Accessory work, rehab, beginners |
Frequently Asked Questions About Compound Exercises for Strength
How many compound exercises should you do per workout?
Two to four compound exercises per session is the sweet spot for most people. This keeps sessions under 60 to 75 minutes while covering your primary movement patterns. More than four heavy compounds in one session usually leads to poor performance on the later exercises due to accumulated fatigue.
Can compound exercises replace cardio for heart health?
Compound exercises raise your heart rate significantly, especially sets of squats and deadlifts. However, they don’t replace dedicated cardiovascular training for aerobic endurance and long-term heart health. Adding 2 to 3 sessions of 20 to 30 minutes of moderate-intensity cardio (brisk walking, cycling, rowing) per week alongside your compound lifting provides the most complete fitness profile.
Should you use a lifting belt for compound exercises?
A weightlifting belt increases intra-abdominal pressure, which supports your spine during heavy squats and deadlifts. Most coaches recommend using a belt only when lifting above 80 percent of your 1RM. Train without a belt at lighter weights to build your natural core strength. The belt is a tool, not a crutch.
Is it safe to do compound exercises every day?
Training the same compound movement every day doesn’t allow enough recovery for strength adaptation. However, you can do compound exercises daily if you rotate movement patterns. Squats on Monday, pressing on Tuesday, and deadlifts on Wednesday is fine because different muscle groups recover while others work. Most people see the best results training 3 to 5 days per week with rest days in between.
Do women benefit from compound exercises the same way men do?
Absolutely. Compound exercises build strength in women through the exact same mechanisms: mechanical tension, motor unit recruitment, and neural adaptation. Women produce less testosterone than men, so they gain muscle mass more slowly, but their relative strength gains follow the same progression curves. Squats, deadlifts, presses, and rows are equally effective regardless of sex.
What should you eat immediately after a compound workout?
A post-workout meal with 25 to 40 grams of protein and 40 to 80 grams of carbohydrates within 2 hours of training supports recovery. Whey protein with rice, chicken with sweet potato, or Greek yogurt with fruit and granola all work. The “anabolic window” isn’t as narrow as old gym lore suggested, but eating a balanced meal reasonably soon after training is still good practice.
