As a fitness professional, there are certain questions people ask me often. One of the most popular of these questions is, ‘What exercise can I do to isolate my abs,/quads/biceps/triceps, etc.?’ Unfortunately, these sorts of questions illustrate a lack of understanding of the true benefits of weight training, and I would like to address such misconceptions now.
In short, why would you want to isolate any given muscle in the first place?
The human body works better when the entire machine is working in a kinetic chain – which is to say that large parts of the body should be assisting other parts of the body in order to complete a complex movement. Furthermore, there really isn’t such a thing as ‘body part isolation.’ Any movement requires a nearby muscle’s assistance. So, when you attempt to isolate muscles through the use of single-joint exercises, in effect you are creating a body that isn’t working properly and thus is more prone to injury. The goal in any workout ought to be to create a more powerful, functioning whole.
The possible result of attempts to isolate a particular muscle can include joint problems (and tendonitis in particular) and excess body fat in odd locations. Professional athletes, on the other hand, achieve rock-hard bodies because they’re willing to endure full-body workouts that utilize powerful, complex movements. It’s a win-win situation, because you’ll eventually wind up with a body that works as well as it looks – and when you consider NFL receivers, running backs, and world-class sprinters, the results speak for themselves. Even if these individuals wanted to attempt muscle-isolating workouts, their coaches certainly wouldn’t be insane enough to let them do it!
Moving away from a focus on individual muscles means that you’ll very quickly discover how much easier it is to lose weight. That’s because when your body is exercising multiple joints instead of simply a single joint or muscle, you’re going to burn more fat and calories during every single workout. Your metabolism will speed up, which produces more calorie- and fat-burning hormones.
Mike Geary, CPT, CNS, is the author of the internationally Best-Selling Abs program, The Truth About Abs, with readers in 150+ countries. For more examples of muscle building complex movements, visit his website now.
