I was training bench press with my flatmate the other day when he asked what I was training afterwards. The look of shock on his face when I replied with ‘split squats and lunges’, almost as if it is incomprehensible to train two different muscle groups on…wait for it…the same day.
But why is it that people seem to favour the ‘bodybuilding’ way of isolated training over more traditional varied training with compound movements. Opting for ‘back, bi’s and tri’s’ over the big three- deadlifts, squats and bench press.
What is isolated training?
Isolated movements are movements which place emphasis on a single muscle, for example a ‘bicep curl’. When isolated training, you may choose to dedicate one training session to back, one to glutes and one to legs.
What are compound movements?
In contrast, a compound movement is any exercise that engages two or more different joints to fully stimulate entire muscle groups and, indeed, multiple muscles, for example ‘deadlifts’.
What is varied training?
*Please note: I coined this phrase myself because it seemed the best way to describe the type of training, it is in no way an ‘official term’.
Varied training is where you choose to train different muscle groups on the same day. For example on ‘squat day’-where I work my entire lower body- I will finish with some conditioning to target my back and shoulders.
So, which trumps the other?
Isolated training, as aforementioned, is ideal for bodybuilders as it allows you to really sculpt and tweak your body. However, for your average-Joe gym go-er looking to make significant muscle gains or lose body fat, varied training and compound movements are more suitable.
Why?
#1- Reduced time in the gym
If you are wanting to target each individual muscle group effectively you will probably have to spend at least 5 days in the gym. I personally, only train a maximum of 4 days a week, and that normally includes just 1 day of abs and stretching.
#2- Reduced risk of over training
You will see countless memes on the internet showing crippled men with the caption ‘leg day’.
People claiming they ‘can’t walk’ or ‘can’t drive’. If you train effectively this should not be happening after your sessions. I train heavy legs twice a week, but because I spread it out over 2 days and train other body parts on these days, I am able to deadlift heavy one day, and squat heavy two days later.
#3- More Bang For Your Buck
If I can spend time doing one exercise which is going to target several muscle groups effectively, I would much prefer to do this, opposed to an isolated exercise.
Take a bench press verses a tricep kickback.
The bench press is going to work your pec muscles, your triceps, and your deltoids, with your biceps acting as a dynamic stabiliser. The kickback will pretty much only target your triceps. Not only will compound exercises target the greatest portion of muscle fibres, they will also cause the greatest release of anabolic hormones in the body.
#4- Create a More Balanced Physique
When isolated training, many people end up training upper body on multiple days and only dedicating one day to training legs. This can lead to an imbalance ie. you look like a lollipop.
Examples of Compound Movements
As shown above, compound movements include deadlifts, squat, benchpress, military press, lunges, split squats, pull-up’s and chin up’s.
THE WINNING FORMULA: Focus on compound movements (6-8 sets) and use isolated movements for conditioning (3-4 sets)- making sure to use both your upper body and lower body each session.
I hope this blog post was useful, I know a lot of people favour isolated training and if it works for you, great! I personally favour a more varied type of training and find it works better for me.
As ever if you have any post requests, leave me a comment or hit me up on instagram @dionnelifts.
Bye for now X
DIONNELIFTS 