Working as a fitness professional, I get one type of question all the time that shows that many people are missing the big picture regarding the benefits of strength training. This popular question usually goes something like this:

“What exercise can I do to isolate my _______ (insert muscle of your choice: abs, quads, biceps, triceps, etc.)?”

No matter what muscle someone is asking about, they always seem to be asking how to ‘isolate’ it. My first response to this question is always, “Why the hell would you want to isolate it?”

The first thing I try to teach my clients is that the body does not work well in muscle isolation. Rather, it works best in movements along a kinetic chain; that is, large portions of the body help other portions of the body to complete a complex movement. In fact, there really is no such thing as true muscle isolation. There is almost always a nearby muscle group that will help you in some way with whatever movement you are doing. However, this article compares the attempt to ‘isolate’ body parts through single joint exercises with the much more effective strategy of performing complex multi-joint movements.

When you try to ‘isolate’ muscles by performing single joint exercises, you are actually creating a body that is non-functional and will be more prone to injury. Essentially, he is creating a body that is a compilation of body parts, rather than a powerful, functional unit that works together.

Now if you really want to end up limping around in a bandaged body with joint problems, tendonitis and excess body fat, then by all means continue to try to ‘isolate’ body parts. On the other hand, if you prefer to have a lean, muscular, injury-free, and functional body that functions as a complete and powerful unit to perform complex movements (in athletics or even in everyday tasks), then you need to shift your focus away from muscle isolation. Trust me, focusing on how well your body works will give you the side effect of an even better looking body than if you were to focus on muscle isolation. For example, take a look at the physiques of world-class NFL running backs, wide receivers, or even speedsters. Trust me when I say these guys NEVER train for muscle isolation (their strength coaches wouldn’t be crazy enough to let them), yet they are absolutely torn to pieces! Just look at guys like Maurice Green or Terrell Owens and tell me who wouldn’t want a physique like those guys.

Another benefit of moving away from the “muscle isolation” mentality to a “more complex movement” mentality is that you will have a much easier time losing body fat. The reason is that by focusing more on complex multi-joint movements instead of single-joint muscle isolation, you not only burn a lot more calories during each workout, but you also increase your metabolic rate and stimulate the production of more fat burning and hormones. muscle building agents like growth hormone and testosterone.

Let’s see an example. The machine leg extension is a single-joint exercise that primarily works the quadriceps, can cause knee joint instability in the long run, and doesn’t even burn many calories. On the other hand, exercises like squats, lunges, step-ups, and deadlifts are all complex, multi-joint movements that work hundreds of muscles in the body (including the quadriceps) as a functional unit, creating more stable and stronger joints in the long run. term (when done correctly), and it also burns massive amounts of calories compared to single-joint exercises.