Why Compound Lifts Are Essential
I see people in the gym making all kinds of mistakes. I’m not talking about
the use of advanced techniques, or taking too much time between sets. Or even
too much time spent doing cardio — which is a mistake.
The mistake is with those who want to lift weights but either don’t know how
or don’t want to exert enough effort.
They don’t do compound lifts.
What is a compound lift?
When you lift a weight, or push or pull on a resistance training machine
(such as a Nautilus), limbs or torso move around the joints.
A compound lift is simply one that moves around two or more sets of joints.
They are multi-joint exercises.
Isolation lifts, in contrast, are single-joint exercises.
For example, a row, a move in which you pull a weight (whether a barbell or
on a machine) toward you, involves the shoulder joints and the elbows. It’s a
compound exercise.
An example of an isolation or single-joint exercise is biceps curls, which is
done properly, involves only the elbow joints.
The wrong idea about weight training
Many people seem to have the wrong idea about weight training.
Whether you are in the gym for overall conditioning, for building muscle to
prevent aging, or to become an actual bodybuilder, the process should involve
working all of the skeletal muscles.
It appears to me — and this is a guess — that many people look at muscular
men and see big arms to the exclusion of anything else. They then proceed to
do isolation exercises, like biceps curls and triceps pull downs, to the
exclusion of most other things.
If your goal is health, work on all of your muscles.
If your goal is size and strength, work on all of your muscles.
Isolation exercises are ineffective
Can you build muscle through isolation exercises?
Yes, you can, but it remains to be seen whether they’re optimal or necessary.
A recent study took a look at the effect of adding isolation, or singlejoint, exercise to compound, or multi-joint, exercises, on muscle size and
strength in untrained men.[1. Gentil, Paulo, et al. “Effect of adding singlejoint exercises to a multi-joint exercise resistance-training program on
strength and hypertrophy in untrained subjects.” Applied Physiology,
Nutrition, and Metabolism 38.3 (2013): 341-344.]
One group did bench press and lat pulldown, and the second group did those
exercises and also did biceps curls and triceps pulldowns. After 10 weeks,
the size and strength of the biceps muscles were measured.
No difference was seen between the two groups.
Compound lifts are essential
The basic compound exercises consist of the following:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
bench or chest press
row
overhead press
pull-ups or pull-downs
leg press or squats
deadlifts
A program that consists of these moves, and/or variations of them, will give
you all the muscle growth you need. (I also contend that the average person
who lifts weights doesn’t need to do the last on the list, deadlifts. They
cannot be done on a machine and require a barbell as well as training and
skill to avoid injury. I do them, but I’m experienced.)
Isolation exercises
Isolation exercises are neither necessary nor sufficient. I must admit that I
do them, but I may need to reevaluate. They consist of exercises like the
following (not a complete list):
1. biceps curl
2. triceps pull-down
3. leg extension
4. calf raise
The study above used untrained men, i.e. newbies to weight lifting. It’s
possible that well-trained men may need to use some isolation moves, along
with the compound moves, to get the growth that they want.
Conclusion
Isolation exercises may be ineffective in untrained men. Compound exercises
suffice for building muscle.
Whether or not you do any isolation exercises, you must do compound exercises
for a true, health-promoting weight workout.
PS: Read why strength training is essential and how to do it in
my book, Muscle Up.
PPS: Check out my Supplements Buying Guide for Men.
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