The Case Against Training Isolated Muscles

A frequent question that all trainers get is “What exercise should I do to isolate my abs(or biceps, triceps, quads etc) and build them up?

No matter what area a person is talking about, the truth of the matter is you DO NOT want to train like this. The body does not work well in muscle isolation. The body responds much better in synergistic movements; that is, complex movements that involve large areas of the body to complete. If you think about it there really is no such thing as an isolated movement-there is always another nearby muscle group that assists in some way to complete the movement you are doing. Since the body effectively works as a multi-joint, multi muscle whole, why not design an exercise routine that utilzes the strategy of doing complex multi-joint movements?

The best part is such a strategy is both more effective for building a lean, smoothly functioning athletic body and it doesn’t condemn you to boring repititions of isolated exercises. For example, leg extensions on a machine will work mainly the quadraceps, and puts a lot of strain on the knee. In fact, it has been known to cause knee instability. Unfortunately, it doesn’t even burn that many calories. In addition, complex movement training is more interesting to do.

A much more effective complex, multi-joint movement such as squats, step-ups, lunges, and deadlifts will work hundreds of muscles together in the body as a synergistic whole(including the quadriceps). This greatly helps create stable joints, smoothly functioning muscles, and will also burn tons of calories. These complex type of exercises ramp up your metabolism and stimulate the production of fat burning hormones and muscle building hormones like testosterone. Follow the lead of nature with complex movement training and your routine will be 10 times more effective. The result? You get a ripped, shredded body without doing boring routines on isolated muscle groups.

Filed under: Fitness And Exercise

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