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Isolation vs. Compound: The Rule of Thumb You Should Know and Follow
When it comes to your workouts, efficiency matters. You probably have limited time, and I know you have limited energy. There is a way to know when you should be doing isolation exercises instead of compound moves.
Compound exercises form the foundation of every muscle building workout. Compound moves involve the use of more than one joint and work more than one muscle. Things like the bench press, squat , deadlift and so on. They provide the most bang for your buck, time wise.
Isolation moves are just the opposite. Done correctly they involve just one joint and muscle. The bicep curl, laterals and triceps extension are the best examples.
There is a time for each, but each are not for everybody. Muscle building is a continuum by definition. You are never “doneâ€. No matter how much muscle you have, you can build more. So the first thing you have to know is where on the continuum are you? Beginning lifters should have different lifting priorities than seasoned pros. There is nothing more embarrassing for me to see than to see someone training their calves, with legs that look like toothpicks. So when do you use isolation moves?
Having hard and fast rules for this is tough because everyone is different. But experience and years of observation has led me to conclude that when you can bench press AND squat 100 pounds in each exercise more than your body weight, you can begin using isolation moves as a means of expanding your mass building to the smaller muscles. If benching and squatting this amount over your body weight sounds like a lot to you, then you make my point (and you shouldn’t be training your calves).
As I said earlier, compound moves remain the foundation of almost every workout, even for the pro’s. It is where your mass will be built, unless you are in the elite. If you are not in the elite, keep your isolation moves limited to the last 10-15 minutes of your workout, and even then focus only on the bicep curl, triceps extension, side laterals and if you must, calf raises.
Taking into consideration the average persons limited time and energy, take this rule of thumb into the gym with you, follow it, and you will see your mass building move to another level as you use your resources in the most efficient way.