Isolation vs. Compound Movements

What are compound movements?

Compound movements are exercises that focus on working multiple muscles or muscle groups at one time. If you want to focus on increasing your strength or improving athletic performance, compound exercises are a great way to start. 

A perfect example of compound exercise would be deadlifts. Deadlifts target your muscles in the following areas: 

• Forearms 
• Lats 
• Glutes 

• Hamstrings 
• Core 
• Upper-, mid-, and lower back 

Compound Movement Pros

• Decreases the risk of injury 
• Burns a lot of calories 
• Allows you to get in an effective workout 
• Shows significant results of toning and strength 
• Keeps your heart rate up 

Compound Movement Cons

• Can be tricky when you have damaged muscles 
• Can result in injury when lifting too heavy weights with bad form

What are isolation movements?

Isolation exercises are those that work only a muscle or muscle group at one time. These exercises are great for beginners, but it is important to balance your exercise by training the opposing muscle group as well. 

A great example of an isolation exercise is the sit-up, which focuses on toning and strengthening your core. 

Isolation Movement Pros

• Can isolate areas you specifically want to bulk up 
• Can improve strength in specific muscles 
• Best for rehabilitation from an injury 
• Corrects muscle imbalance

Isolation Movement Cons

• Isolation exercises require more variation 
• Difficult to have an effective workout trying to isolate one at a time 
• They take more time