Compound vs isolation exercises: A simple explanation
“I started going to the gym, and I haven’t stopped hearing new jargon since. I feel so lost!”
Notice how you started seeing more fitness content since you started going to the gym? The thing is, you quickly receive more information than you can process. All of a sudden, your gym experience gets overwhelming again, even though you were convinced you left that awkward phase behind weeks ago. “Compound”, “Hypertrophy”, “Progressive overload”, “Isolation”, “mind-muscle connection”… Gym vocabulary gets technical as you dive deeper into it. In this article, let’s focus on a key aspect of weight training: compound and isolation exercises.
What do they mean?
According to the Australian Fitness Academy, “A compound exercise is one that uses multiple muscle groups at the same time to perform a movement.”
Some compound exercises include squat, bench press, overhead press…
On the other hand, isolation exercises “tend to focus on a single muscle or muscle group.”
Some isolation exercises include bicep curl, tricep extension, leg extension…
What are their goals?
Compound movements are great for improving overall strength, as they involve more muscles. They are also an efficient way to work on coordination, balance, and stability. All in all, they require more energy to be executed, but their effects are beneficial for individuals who want to get their whole body stronger.
In contrast, isolation movements will target fewer muscles at once. They are a great choice to train body parts that are not stressed enough during compound exercises. They are also an alternative for people who are recovering from injuries. (⚠️Please remember to seek medical advice when training during/after an injury.⚠️)
What exercise belongs to what category?
Experience will be your best ally for this one. But if you discover a new exercise and don’t know which category it falls under, ask yourself this question: How many joints are involved in performing this movement?
If the answer is one, it is most likely an isolation movement.
Let’s understand the mechanics of the bicep curl, for example:
The primary muscles targeted are the biceps brachii, the brachialis and the brachioradialis, a forearm muscle and the main elbow flexor (you can learn more about the arm muscles here). To perform this exercise, the elbow is the only joint supposed to move to allow the flexion of the arm, and therefore, the activation of the muscles mentioned above.
Here are other examples of isolation exercises for different body parts:
Here, the lateral deltoid is targeted. Let’s keep in mind that the deltoid is divided into three parts; the posterior part that helps you move your arm backward, the lateral part that helps you move your arm to the side and put it up and down, and the anterior part that helps you move your arm forward. (You can visit this official Cleveland clinic page that explains the function of this muscle in greater detail.) To perform this exercise, the shoulder is the only joint that moves.
Isolation exercises also exist for lower body muscles. Here, the quadriceps is the main muscle targeted. To be exact, all four of its subcomponents are targeted: the rectus femoris, the vastus lateralis, the vastus medialis and the vastus intermedius (please visit this page to learn more about the quad muscles). To perform a leg extension, the knee is the only joint involved.
In contrast, if the answer is more than one joint, the exercise is most likely a compound movement. Let’s take the example of bench pressing:
More muscles are targeted when performing this exercise: the pectoralis major, the anterior deltoid, the triceps and biceps brachiis, and the serratus anterior (a muscle located on the upper ribs). To perform this exercise, both the elbow and shoulder joints are needed to help bring the bar down near the chest and then back up.
Here is another example of a compound exercise:
Many muscles are targeted when deadlifting: primarily, the gluteus maximus, the quads, the hamstrings, the adductors and the erector spinae (the muscles along the spine). The secondary muscles targeted are the latissimus dorsi (the lats), the trapezius, the rhomboids (the muscles between the shoulder blades) and the core muscles. To perform a conventional deadlift, four joints are needed. The hips, the knees, the ankles and the shoulders. They all contribute to helping the bar travel in a straight line from the ground to hip level when standing straight.
In conclusion, pairing isolation and compound movements during a training is beneficial and recommended. Obviously, your personal goals will determine what exercises are best for you, and working alongside a personal trainer can help you take the right direction, understand anatomy and the functions of different movements and ways of training. Try to master the fundamentals of weight lifting before adding more complicated techniques, exercises and variations to your routine. For example, learning a complex compound movement such as squatting should be done with lighter weights to fully integrate the right technique and avoid injuries and dangerous situations.
