Compound exercise
A multi-joint exercise that stimulates the use of multiple muscles or muscle groups. For example: my favorites are the bench press, squat, deadlift, pull-up, and military press. These exercises enable you to move much more weight, which in return usually translates to bigger strength gains related to the release of anabolic hormones and stimulating the recruitment of more muscle fibers versus that of an isolated lift.
Isolated Exercise
Even though they are never truly isolated, these exercises place emphasis on a single muscle. Such as a bicep curl, a tricep extension, or calf raise.
Sooooo why would I now say you should implement BOTH isolated and compound movements?
-Compound exercises still have a muscle that is the prime mover, depending on the regimen you have, certain muscles will not get the optimal amount of work.
-Adding isolated movements to your routine, with compound lifts as your core exercises, will increase hypertrophy.
-Working on isolated movements could improve the weak parts of your chain. For example glute bridges, or hip thrusts could improve your deadlift.
-Adding isolated exercises could help you break that plateau. Studies have shown that isolation movements create muscle adaptation different from compound movements. Yes you can vary the load, intensity and rest time of your big lifts, but adding these supportive exercises could benefit you when your numbers are stuck.
-Adding variety. I love deadlifts mmmm, if I can pick one exercise, the deadlift would take the number one spot on the podium. We definitely have a special relationship. Anyways.... changing up your routine is not only good for making new adaptations, but also to give you a new sense of excitement. There are so many lifts out there, some ugly, some pretty, some play hard to get, but they all need us to pick them up.
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