Like most people, you’ve heard of isolated or compound movements. However, we are sure, like most people, that you do not know what both are, what they do, and why they are called so. In this article, we aimed to make you learn this distinction. Thus, you can increase the efficiency of the exercises you perform and understand which movement you are doing and why.
What is Compound Motion?
To define it briefly, compound movements are exercises that work more than one muscle group with more than one joint movement. In other words, the definition of ‘compound exercises’ is used to express movements that can work more than two muscle groups at the same time by making use of two or more joint movements.
These exercises make it possible to work with high weights, as they target multiple muscle groups and provide flexibility in joint movements. Therefore, gaining muscle mass becomes easier and faster. Exercises such as bench press, dadlift, squat, lunge, bent over row, shoulder press; are examples of compound movements.
What is Isolated Motion?
Isolated movements mean working a single muscle group with the help of only one joint. If a particular area needs to be developed or enlarged, isolated exercises are used.
These movements are not suitable for using high weights because the force to be applied is limited. However, it is the best method that can be preferred for activating small and underdeveloped areas. In isolated exercises, you do not need to wait for the target muscle and the muscles that work together to rest. This gives you the opportunity to work on a single muscle for a long time and as you wish. Biceps curl, triceps extension, front raise, lateral raise and similar movements; are the most common isolated movements.
Compound Movements vs. Isolated Movements
The isolation movement is like Lebron James. The combined movement is like a mix of Steph Curry and Kevin Durant’s Klay Thompson and Draymond Green. By working more than one muscle group at the same time, you can lift higher than you can with a single muscle. In general, the more complex the muscle group, the easier the compound movements will be. On the other hand, simpler muscle groups like the calves and biceps are best emphasized with isolation moves. However, we have prepared a guide for you to work each muscle group in a teamwork style.
quadriceps
All leg movements are already compound except for leg extension, leg adduction and abduction movements. Squats, hack squats, Smith machine squats, leg presses and all types of these movements (with one leg, front, etc.) work the glute and hamsting muscles as well as the quads. Even the lower back and calf muscles get some work. It’s easy to do a quad workout that’s all compound moves.
hamstrings
The Stiff-leg and Romanian deadlift target your hams as well as other lower body muscles. Although most bodybuilders think of lunges as quads and glutes, lunges actually work the hamstrings (and glutes) more than quads.
Upper Back
Because of the complex nature of the back (many muscles work together and most wing moves involve the elbow and shoulder joints), you have to work very hard on upper back movements such as pullovers and stiff-arm pulldowns. Since many variations of pull-ups, pulldowns, and rows are combined, your back routine is most likely already compound-focused.
Lower Back
Deadlift works a number of upper and lower body muscles along with spinal erectors. Good morning works the spinal erectors together with the hamstring muscles.
Calf
Since all calf movements isolate the lower legs, you need to attack the lower legs with the thighs. The move we recommend at this point is the walking calf raise. As you lift the dumbbells, rise as high as you can with each step. For extra stretch, do this on the stairs (without dumbbells); Increase your range of motion by pressing the front of your soles on the ends of the steps as you go up.
Chest
Just like the upper back, you can easily work the chest with compound movements. Since it involves two different joints (shoulder and elbow), the chest press attacks the chest muscles with some support from the front shoulder and triceps muscles. So is the dip, but you have to lean forward a little to focus on the chest instead of the triceps. In contrast, the flye movement (whether with dumbbells, cable or machine) provides complete isolation.
Shoulder
Similarly, different types of overhead presses focus on the front and middle shoulders but also work the triceps muscles; especially at the top of the repeat. The upright row with a shoulder-width or wider grip targets the middle shoulders but also hits the trapezius and biceps muscles. Wide-grip rows hit the back shoulder as well as the upper back and biceps.
Trapeze
The narrow grip upright row attacks the trapezius with support from the mid shoulders and biceps. You can also work your traps by doing only the upper part of the deadlift movement; Get off the shelf, not the floor, and start the sets from above the knee. Power clean is also a unified and ballistic movement that you feel in the trapezius more than all the muscles working in the movement.
Your wife
Plank works many parts of the body together with the abdomen. The same goes for the barbell rollout and press situp moves.
triceps
A combined triceps routine is similar to that of the chest: press and dip. Press with a narrow grip to concentrate on the triceps. Whether on the machine or with the parallel bar, stand upright and position the movement on your elbows while bottoming. You can also dip on the bench by placing your feet in front of you and your hands behind you.
biceps
With a routine consisting of compound movements, we have come to the most difficult muscle group to work. All the curls you do are isolation. Perhaps the best combined biceps workout is with the chinup (bottom grip pull-ups). Try to hit the biceps instead of the back by doing it with solid form. You can also do solid pulldowns with an underhand grip; Just focus on the upper part of the movement (elbows going down, not back). A third option is the cheat barbell curl, which also works the leg and waist muscles involved in swinging high weights up.
Forearm
Reverse curl and hammer curl work the lower arms, as well as the biceps and biceps. Old-school moves like the Farmer’s walk work the hands and forearms, as well as other muscles.
Principles of Compound Movements
• Compound movement works multiple muscles. For example, the overhead press works the shoulder and triceps muscles.
• The primary muscle group takes over the movement. The secondary muscles are support and sometimes only work a certain part of the movement and less.
• With the combined action, you can lift the heaviest weights and attack the targeted body harder. This time, however, it may be difficult to aim.
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