Have you have got to the gym and found yourself just standing there looking at the equipment and wondering where to start. Well, selecting the right exercises can literally be one of the most important factors in your success. There are 2 main weight training classes determined by how many muscle groups are being significantly worked and how many joints are used to perform the movement.
- Compound exercises
- Isolation exercises
What is a compound exercise?
Compound exercises basically is an exercise that involves pushing, pulling, squatting or deadlifting. It’s usually training more than one major muscle group, and often simulates real life activities. Compound exercises are multi joint movements that work several muscles or muscle groups at the same time. Let’s take squats for example, to perform squats you will engage your quads, hamstrings, calves, lower back and your core.
What are the benefits of using Compound exercises?
- You will increase your heart rate/cardiovascular benefits and therefore will burn more calories.
- The muscle groups working together will allow you to lift more weight and therefore increase strength.
- These help to build the muscles that stabilize the main group you are targeting and therefore improves coordination, balance, stability and strengthens your joints.
- You can spend less time in the gym – 3 to 5 sets of compound exercises is enough to encourage muscle growth and will help you to avoid over training.
- Hormone release – performing these exercises will trigger the greatest anabolic hormone release in the body, mainly testosterone and growth hormone.
Some good examples :
- Chest pressing exercises also use the shoulders and triceps
- Shoulder pressing exercises also use the triceps.
- Back pulling/rowing exercises also use the biceps.
- Deadlifts, squats and lunges also use a variety of lower body muscles and, in some cases, the lower and upper back
What is an isolation exercise?
An isolation exercise is pretty much exactly what it says, basically it is a movement that isolates the muscle or muscle group that you are targeting. These are movements that use only one joint to complete such as the bicep curl or tricep kickback. Isolation exercises are performed by hitting the same muscle group using a few different exercises typically from different angles to work that muscle group only.
What are the benefits of using isolation exercises?
- For therapy of a particular muscle after injury.
- To correct an imbalance if a muscle is under developed or has been injured.
- It can help to build a muscle that has been supported by surrounding muscle.
- To increase the strength or size of one muscle or muscle group.
Some good examples :
- Bicep curls
- Tricep kickbacks
- Lateral raises
- Front raises
- Rope pull-downs
- Leg extensions
- Hamstring curls
- Calf raises
- Dumbbell flys
My conclusion
Determine your goals at the beginning, decide what kind of look you are trying to acquire and build your workout plan accordingly.
If you are trying to build muscle, loose fat and tone up then a program that consists of mainly compound exercises would be better for you. Compound exercises will help you to increase your strength, build your stabilizing muscles and improve your performance.
A secondary focus on isolation exercises can beneficial to your routine to help you develop the muscles that need a bit of extra attention, size or strength.
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-Richard
Tags: Build Muscle, Build Muscle Fast, Build Muscle Naturally, Compound Exercises, Get Stronger, Isolation Exercises, Loose Fat, Weight Lifting
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