While heavy compounds tend to be the meat and potatoes of every workout routine, isolation exercises play an important role in maximizing muscular development. There’s a good reason why we see them incorporated in essentially every bodybuilding program.
One study comparing single-joint and multi-joint exercises showed that single-joint exercises are just as effective as multi-joint movements for both muscle strength and size.
The problem is, there’s a plethora of isolation exercises to choose from…yet only a select few are worthy of incorporating into your routine.
While exercise variety provides “a positive effect on enhancing motivation to train,” you would want to consider the safety of the exercise and the stimulus it can provide to the target muscle.
Our goal is to help you modify your training in a way that makes it not only safer, but more optimal for achieving muscle and strength gains. Therefore, choosing the right isolation exercises is just as important as having them in your training program.
In this video, we go over seven isolation exercises you must stop doing and provide you with safer and more efficient alternatives to each one.
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References:
1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4592763/
2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6934277/
3. http://research.me.udel.edu/buchanan/PDF_Files/Murray,%20Buchanan,%20Delp,%20JB%202000.pdf
4. https://suppversity.blogspot.com/2011/08/suppversity-emg-series-m-triceps.html?fbclid=IwAR1JgOI_LAIeen3lyAkqJG9qv2enhZn9rp69B_GifIMi6fAr85Yz94OkodM
5. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s004210050118
6. https://europepmc.org/article/med/12173959
7. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0730725X03001838
8. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF00240964
9. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9239549/
10. https://www.acefitness.org/getfit/studies/bestworstabexercises.pdf
11. https://journals.lww.com/nsca-jscr/Fulltext/2012/08000/Effect_of_Range_of_Motion_on_Muscle_Strength_and.17.aspx
12. https://www.patreon.com/posts/mechanical-63338556
13. https://www.patreon.com/posts/range-of-motion-43104246
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There are very few isolation exercises that are worth doing.
Stop training for physique and train for strength.
Thanks for these useful tips.
Some of these suck, no matter your age!
Extremely informative, thank you so much and keep the good job going! Strangely, I have been avoiding such exercises through intuition, now I am 61 and spritely!
Gym Bro….by far one of my absolute favorite YouTube characters!!! Thank you for you
Are you guys ever gonna stop throwing that bullshit in my face listen you can claim whatever you want I know the truth y’all ain’t shit.
Glad to help out your channel, hope it finallly gets some likes (most sarcastic emoji ever)
Thank you great videos for us pushing 50
Please send me the link for your book. I'm 63 and love your programs. Thank Nathan
I love the 1980’s and 90’s outfits on the guy you use to do the exercises wrong. I wore that type of outfit.
Good content though
who is this stalone lazy cousain ahahahhahaha
I disagree, there really is no proper case here for eliminating the excercises mentioned
If you squeeze the dumbbells together at the top of the movement you will add more tension to the chest. On the incline chest movement. I have only used cables for my chest once or twice. And I only use dumbbells now and my chest gets sore after my workouts.
I work out at home and only have dumbbells, a bench, and rotating push up grips. What are the best isolation exercises for triceps given the equipment I have at home?
For abs I'll do a hanging leg raises going side to side. I assume that's comparable to a captain's chair. And then use the bands on my pullup bar to do kneeling crunches (2 x25)
I exercise legs and butt twice a week. Seated calf raises one day and standing calf raises the following one. Concentration curls, side bends , upright rows and pec flyes I quickly learnt gave me injuries. An injury prevented me from doing any pressing exercises. I gradually incorporated face pulls and front raises since overhead shoulder presses are also more discomforting. Was still able to do lateral raises. Only in the last two weeks (after 18 months) have I gradually started doing press-ups. Planks will come much later. I’ve been doing standing abdominal exercises and isometric exercises instead of any crunch. There’s often (NOT ALWAYS) a way to work around some injuries. I’m 58.
your puppet is your brother?
very helpful, thanks.u make me to be proud about myself.I have been doing all that right all without sciencefrom old man.
Holy crap I'm so glad I found this channel
I wonder why MuscleMonsters started recently specializing in men over 40 niche. Probably one of them has hit his early 40s haha. While I am still 10 years away from 40, I am gonna keep an eye on these videos to get ready for what's coming!
These tips you gave and showed us . Seemed very helpful advice!
Yes I had a/fib weeks ago. And I really want that lean body with abs! I’ll be 55 soon
I’ll be 55 next month. So I’m probably doing something wrong.I’ve been struggling putting on muscle and get abs
Kickbacks are a waste of time, they damage your shoulders, but,,,,,,, if you place your shoulder on the bench on an incline you can benefit. I've stopped doing kickbacks a couple years back I've never had good growth from that anyway. I've replaced it with laying extensions, skull crushers, wide and Clos grip tricep cable push downs and standing cable extensions,
About to hit the big 40 myself, appreciate all of the content but hoping I don't need to cut my routine too much as I become an old bastard!
Great informative video!