I think the advice to stick to big compounds is given assuming a young male wants to get bigger, leaner, stronger and so on. All you need to do is tweak your diet. I'd say 90% of guys who train want to get bigger and leaner. Those who say they are happy to stay lean and small, lie, they want to get bigger. Those who say they are happy bulky and big, lie, they want to get leaner. Those in the middle are rapt lol. Obviously if you want to be a marathon runner or a swimmer, muscle mass isn't a big factor, then your training would deviate from standard bodybuilding and powerlifting compound movement techniques.