Isolation exercises will build more muscle and weight

One of the big factors that many talk about when looking for the right ways to gain weight and build muscle is the type of exercises selected for each muscle group.

Exercises such as the bench press (for pecs), squats (for quads), deadlifts (for back), military presses (for shoulders), and bent-over rows (for lats) have been the most used for the longest time. praised as the main “mass builders”.

Everyone says that if you want to build the most muscle in the shortest amount of time, focus on these compound exercises in your workout routine.

To be clear, a compound exercise is any exercise that forces more than one muscle group to work.

For example, the bench press, which everyone thinks is hands down the best movement for building a thick chest, is considered a compound exercise because not only does it have to work the chest, but the shoulders and triceps come into play. I play a lot like Good.

A compound exercise would be considered different from an isolation exercise, which only uses 1 muscle group for movement.

An example of an isolation movement would be flyes, which work the chest almost exclusively.

Now, this is where the whole “compound exercises are the best muscle mass builders for gaining weight and muscle” myth begins…

When you compare the amount of weight you can lift with a compound exercise and an isolation exercise, there’s almost no comparison.

You can lift much more weight with a compound exercise than you can with an isolation exercise.

So everyone seems to reason “Hey, if I can lift 250lbs when I bench press, instead of 90lbs with flys, then since I’m lifting a lot more weight on the bench press, then I must be building more muscle!” !”.

Sorry to be the bearer of the truth, but that’s not how it works.

I’m sure you can lift a lot more weight with a compound exercise. But why is that?

Because with a compound exercise you have 2-3 different muscle groups, sometimes more, all helping to lift weight.

Of course you are going to lift more, since with an isolation exercise you are only using 1 muscle group.

But this is where the reality of the situation comes in…

Continuing with the example of the bench press: 9 times out of 10 if you are bench pressing you are trying to build a bigger chest.

Well, realize that of the total amount of weight you may be lifting, the muscles that do the most work are the ones.

triceps, then shoulders,……then, and only then, does the chest come into play.

Your chest isn’t doing half the work it takes to bench press, regardless of how well you perform that exercise and focus on the pecs.

Now, keep in mind the flies, the isolation exercise for the chest.

With flies, the chest is forced to do more than 90% of the work! Almost all because of his little self.

You’ll put more tension and work on the chest muscles with an isolation exercise like flyes than with any compound exercise like the bench press, and as a result you’ll stimulate more muscles.

Just because you can lift more overall with a compound exercise than with an isolation exercise, don’t let your ego or the overall numbers get in the way of doing the right thing to help you build and gain muscle weight.

Have you ever noticed that there are some people who can bench press a ton of weights, but have almost no chest to show it off?

Have you ever observed someone who can hold a house in a squat, but when you look at their thighs/quads you would never think the person is exercising?

Have you ever seen all these people who love to bench, have huge shoulders and triceps, but have flat chests?

Prove my point.

Sure, you may not be able to lift as much weight with an isolation exercise, but you’ll build bigger muscles.

Who cares how much you can lift. Let’s be honest. What matters most is how muscular, defined and big we look.

Copyright (c) 2006 Jonathan Perez