Single Joint Exercices & Isolating Muscles

Isolating muscles by executing single-joint type exercises is used by everyone, from soccer moms to elite athletes, from rehab specialists to performance enhancement gurus. In some cases, isolating a muscle may be beneficial. In most cases (99% of the time), muscles should not be worked in isolation, especially when the goal is fat loss, optimal health, improved performance and/or muscle hypertrophy. A single joint exercise (i.e., bicep curls, triceps kick backs, leg extensions, etc.) has very little or no value in a training program.

The body doesn’t normally function in isolated patterns, so why spend time on this kind of training? How would an overweight middle-aged woman benefit from a seated dumbbell bicep curl? How would a computer programmer benefit from calf raises and overhead tricep extensions? For some people, these types of exercises may be helpful, especially if they’re training for good muscle definition.

However, most people would derive greater overall benefit from compound-movement exercises i.e., pushing and pulling exercises such as squatting, lunging, rowing, pull-ups, push-ups, etc. With compound exercises, more calories are burned and greater lean tissue is gained This, in turn, improves body composition and increases strength. Take a look at a gymnast’s body - how many bicep curls do you it took to get these muscles? NONE.

My Significant 7 Exercises:

1. Squat
2. Deadlift
3. Lunge
4. Push- Ups
5. Vertical Pull-Ups
6. Horizontal Pull-ups
7. Planks