Article # 236. Compound Exercises VS. Isolation Exercises

Compound Exercises VS. Isolation Exercises

There has been a controversy over what type of exercises lead to better muscular development; isolation or compound exercises? Both Isolation and Compound movements have tremendous amount of benefits that complement one another. In other words, why not have the best of both worlds and combine the power of both the isolation and compound exercises.

ISOLATION EXERCISES: Isolation exercises are movements that only work one joint and muscle group at a time. A good example of isolation exercises would be the Leg Extensions.

One of the ultimate benefits of performing isolation exercises is their power to work a specific muscle group very effectively without exerting too much energy. Certain muscle groups can not be isolated effectively due to the poor bio-mechanics of compound exercises. In most cases, there are several weak areas of your body that could be left out without being noticed during a compound exercise whereas an isolation exercise would allow you to realize your strengths and weaknesses as you are performing that given exercise. This way you can target a weak body part and specifically isolate that body part in order to improve.

Also, Isolation exercises are also commonly used while recovering from an injury. Since you are able to isolate specific areas without putting stress on multiple joints, it is more favorable of an option as opposed to a compound movement.

EXAMPLES OF ISOLATION EXERCISES:

Shoulders: Front Raise, Side Raise, Reverse Fly
Biceps: Concentration curls, preacher curls, Spider curls
Triceps: Cable Press downs, Triceps kickback, Single arm overhead extensions
Legs: Leg extensions, leg curls
Back: Straight arm pull downs, barbell pull overs
Chest:Cable Crossovers, dumbbell fly

COMPOUND EXERCISES:

Compound Exercises are multi-joint movements that work several muscle groups all at once. A perfect example of a compound exercise would be the Barbell Squat.

One of the biggest reasons why compound exercises can not be avoided is their ability to release anabolic hormones naturally. Hormones such as testosterone, insulin-like growth factor 1, and growth hormone are released after the nervous system goes under stress through compound exercises. In return, these hormones aid recovery which will lead to muscle growth and help with overall mass gains.

Time is another positive factor when it comes to compound exercises. Since multiple muscles are all working at once, this is a great choice for individuals who are short in time to get a great full body workout.

As far as the weaknesses goes, the compound movements are not mechanically engineered to isolate weak areas specifically form different angles. Also compound movements are not the best option to train with if you are suffering from an injury such as an ankle sprain. For example, you could still train your legs with isolation exercises such as leg extensions and leg curls without having to put any weight on your ankle joint.

EXAMPLES OF COMPOUND EXERCISES:

Shoulders: Military Press, Arnold Press, Hang Clean and Press
Biceps: Close-Grip Chin-Up (with palms facing toward your face), Standing Barbell Curl
Triceps: Close-Grip Pushup, Dips, Close Grip Bench Press
Legs: Stiff Legged Deadlift, Barbell Squat, Lunges
Back: Deadlifts, T -Bar rows
Chest: Barbell Bench Press, Dumbbell Bench Press

THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS:

We talked about a few different pros and cons of both the isolation and the compound movements. But the ultimate and most beneficial workouts are achieved through a combination of both these movements.

A great strategy while combining these 2 movements would be to start with a compound exercise that works several different muscle groups including a lagging area. For example, if a trainee wanted to bring up his/her hamstring muscles, it would be a great option to begin with a compound exercise such as the Stiff legged Deadlift and finish out the workout with an isolation move such as the lying leg curl.

In this article, I will keep it quite simple and give you 2 options to pick from.

OPTION 1: TRADITIONAL METHOD

COMPOUND EXERCISES first:
ISOLATION EXERCISES as finishers:

EXAMPLE QUADRICEPS WORKOUT:

Warm up: Of choice

BARBELL SQUATS: 3 sets of 10 repetitions
DUMBBELL SQUATS: 3 sets of 10 repetitions
LEG EXTENSIONS: 3 sets of 15-20 repetitions

OPTION 2: PRE-EXHAUSTING METHOD

This method consists of a workout program that begins with the isolation exercise to pre-exhaust the targeted muscle group and then go into a compound exercise to finish with.

Warm up: Of choice

3 sets of 15-20 Seated Leg Curls
3 sets of 15-20 Lying Leg Curls
3 sets of 10-12 Stiff Legged Deadlifts

CAUTION: If you pick this method, make sure to go much lighter than normal on the compound exercise due to the pre-fatigued muscles.

Next time you are in the gym, pick one of the above options and work on the weak areas. For those of you suffering from injuries, you can always get around certain injuries by picking the right isolation exercise and continue your training.

Article # 235. Benefits of Isolation Exercises

Benefits of Isolation Exercises

It is common in fitness centres to have several equipment’s that have specific purposes for weight training.  These machines often target specific sets of muscles in your body to help build size and strength. These types of exercises are called Isolation exercises, where specific muscle groups are used in order to be executed.

Isolation exercises are often used when someone comes back for fitness training after an injury or an illness that makes it difficult to perform compound exercises.  It can also be beneficial as you recover after surgery.  Any part of your body that has been weakened regardless of the circumstances can be brought back to the same level as the rest of your muscles with this type of exercise.

Because activity is isolated in one area of the body only, you will be able to customize your program to concentrate on weak areas, or specific body parts that have been left out.  If you are doing compound exercises, you will not notice that there are muscles that are being left out because of bad bio-mechanics.  You will only notice that one part is weak compared to the others when you do isolation exercises.

This concentration will then give you the ability to build strength in  specific body parts.  You will notice that there are some people who have bigger torsos compared to their legs.  This is because they are just targeting their upper body with both compound exercises and isolation exercises.  Including isolation exercises in your workout will help increase muscle mass faster.
There are several types of isolation exercises that you can do to compliment or enhance your current fitness program.  These include bicep curls, front raises, and leg extensions to name a few.   All of them can be customized according to your level of need.

Article # 234. What Is a Compound Exercise?

What Is a Compound Exercise?

A compound exercise targets more than one joint and muscle group, as opposed to a single-joint exercise, which works only one muscle or muscle group. Compound exercises typically emphasize the major muscle groups, such as the buttocks, hamstrings, lower and upper back, quadriceps and shoulders, and involve lifting relatively heavy weights. Consult a personal trainer to determine which compound exercises are appropriate for you and how to fit them into your exercise regimen.

Benefits

Emphasizing compound, or multijoint, exercises during your workouts will likely prove more effective at helping you reach your goals than single-joint exercises, says Roger Earle and Thomas Baechle, authors of "NSCA's Essentials of Personal Training." This is perhaps due to the fact that many daily activities -- sitting, standing and walking -- involve multiple joints and muscle groups, making compound exercises more practical than single-joint exercises. Additionally, workouts that stress compound exercises are more efficient, allowing you to train all the major muscle groups in less time than those that emphasize single-joint exercises.

Lower Body

The back squat, deadlift, front squat, leg press, lunge and stepup are classic examples of lower-body compound exercises. Each targets the gluteus maximus and hamstrings, which extend your hips, and the quadriceps, which extend your knees. The deadlift and squat exercises also work your lower back, so they could also be classified as full-body exercises, but they primarily emphasize the hips and knees.

Upper Body

The bench press, bent-over row, lat pulldown and military press are examples of upper-body compound exercises. The bench press strengthens the pectoral muscles of your chest, the front of your shoulders and the triceps on the back of your upper arms; the bent-over row targets the back of your shoulders and your upper back; the lat pulldown works the latissimus dorsi muscles, or lats, that span the sides of your back and the elbow flexors; and the military press strengthens your shoulders and triceps.

Full Body

The clean, jerk, push press and snatch are examples of full-body compound exercises. These are explosive exercises performed with light-to-moderate resistance to increase your power. Each exercise targets the buttocks, calves, hamstrings, quadriceps, lower back and various muscles within your forearms, shoulders, upper arms and upper back.

Considerations

Perform compound exercises before single-joint exercises during each workout to ensure your muscles are fresh. Always have a spotter nearby to provide encouragement, feedback about your technique and assistance, if necessary. Compound exercises are more difficult than single-joint exercises because they're more complex, requiring coordinated efforts from multiple muscle groups. Consequently, performing them may increase your risk of injury, so start with light resistance until you master the correct techniques, and then increase the amount of resistance conservatively. Consult your doctor if any exercise causes pain.