Isolation vs. compound

[EG News]

OPENING ARGUMENTS

DEFENSE

In bodybuilding, it’s not about moving the weight, it’s about building the muscle. In order to do that you have to isolate the muscle, so you can really focus on each contraction and achieve maximum motor unit activation.

PROSECUTION

A muscle can be fully activated when isolated or when contracting as part of a group of muscles acting together. There is nothing in the anatomy or physiology of the body that requires a muscle to be isolated to fully activate it.

EVIDENCE

• Studies using electromyography (EMG) to measure muscle activation have shown that compound exercises activate the major muscles involved in the movement as well as isolation exercises and sometimes better than isolation exercises.
• Studies on untrained subjects show that compound exercises produce equal increases in muscle size and strength as isolation exercises.
• Brazilian researchers compared two workouts in trained subjects: compound and isolation exercises and compound exercises only. They reported no differences between those who added isolation exercise to their workouts and those who didn’t.

VERDICT

Compound exercises are just as effective at building muscle size and strength as isolation exercises.

SENTENCING

Compound exercises stimulate more muscle groups and reduce the risk of losing muscle symmetry that can occur when focusing too much on a single muscle group. Isolation exercises should be used for specific muscles that need to be brought up or to reduce work for surrounding muscles that don’t need the extra work.

FLEX

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