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So you wanna be a bodybuilder, huh?
When it comes to bodybuilding, you will come across a range of programs, methods and principles. When planning your training program, you will come across two particular methods.
- compound exercises and
- isolation exercises
What are compound exercises?
As the name might suggest, compound exercises are workouts that exercise multiple muscle groups at the same time.
If you’re just starting out and trying to build muscle, doing compound exercises is a great way to begin. It provides for a solid foundation of strength and endurance.
Also for building overall tone and putting on muscle, compound exercises will get you there faster.
Compound exercises work out your muscles, your tendons, your joints and your ligaments.
What does this look like in practice?
- chest and triceps
- back and biceps
- legs and glutes
And what do these three exercises have in common?
They show that compound exercises target the larger muscles along with any “helper” muscles that come into play when you carry out the exercises.
When starting out, have a training routine where you focus on compound exercises for 12 weeks.
Build up your strength and endurance by training intensely enough and make sure you eat enough and rest enough.
Compound exercises are the fastest way to build muscle mass in your body in general. However, compound exercises aren’t great for laser-targeting specific parts of the body for muscular development.
This is where doing isolation exercises comes in.
What are isolation exercises?
Isolation exercises, on the other hand, are exercises that target a specific muscle group.
Is there a time when isolation exercises are better?
Yes, there is. Isolation exercises are great for targeting and improving a specific muscle group that’s out of balance.
I doubt there is any human being who is 100% symmetrical on both the left and right sides of the body. So…
..if your right tricep is larger than your left for example, you might want to do some isolation exercises targeting just your left tricep.
Isolation exercises also have an additional benefit of being able to put on short-term mass quickly. Professional bodybuilders will often do isolation exercises before a major competition in an attempt to add an inch or so of muscle.
To build muscles that really last, start with compound exercises, then refine your body with isolation exercises if imbalances come up.
Some popular compound exercises
What are some of the most popular and proven compound exercises in bodybuilding?
Perhaps the most popular is the bench press. The bench press works out the muscles in your upper body, including the “helper” muscles in your arms and your back.
Squats are another must-do compound exercise. Everything from your calves to your thighs to your buttocks is worked out by squats.
Deadlifts are another popular compound exercise.
When properly executed, deadlifts will work out your abs, your leg muscles, your back muscles, your hips and your forearms.
Of course there are many other compound exercises you can choose from depending on your fitness goals.
Pick the exercises you use based on the kind of body you want to develop.
In summary, compound exercises are the main building blocks for a solid workout routine. While isolation exercises are important for sculpting the body to achieve muscle balance, the actual work of building muscle is done primarily with compound exercises.
PS: the opening sentence is a nod to the guys who had a series around web development. They started off each article with “so you wanna learn about…(fill in the blanks)?” I learnt a lot about web development from them. Thanks!
Image by Pete Linforth from Pixabay
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