COMPOUND EXERCISES vs ISOLATION EXERCISES

A common question - are compound exercises better than isolation exercises?

The simple answer is no.
However, it then depends on what you are trying to achieve .

The fact is that both compound and isolation exercises can provide many different benefits in several workout routines based on your body and your goals.

This means that the only way to know what type of exercise is perfect for you is by getting down to the details of each.

Lets take a look at the difference.

COMPOUND EXERCISES

Compound exercises are exercises that consist of using more than one muscle group at a time and are multi-joint movements.

Compound exercises allows for faster and more constant progression.  It will help with functional fitness to simulate everyday life activities and  sports performance.

A few exercises include:

• Squats
• Lunges
• Bench Press
• Shoulder Press
• Lat pull downs
• Abdominal bicycle

ISOLATION EXERCISES

The isolation exercises are exercises in which just one muscle group is trained by itself.

Isolation exercises separate muscle groups so you will be using lighter weights.

There are many other specific situations where isolation exercises can be of use and serve a vital purpose in your workout routine.

A few exercises include:

• Leg extension
• Lying leg curl
• Bicep curl
• Tricep cable push downs
• Dumbbell lat raises
• Oblique crunch

A personal trainer can to help you by designing the perfect workout specific for your goals whether it be for functionality, flexibility, sports performance, cardio fitness or even weight loss.