I know, I know, you see fitness magazines with models that say they do tons of isolation exercises and think you will benefit from that as well. Isolation exercises have their place but for most of the population just trying to get in shape they are not the best bang for your time. Why only work one muscle group when you can work multiple and still hit those muscles? Here are the most common isolation exercises and what to do instead.
Waste of time / E-fit-cient
Bicep curls / chin ups
Knee extensions / split squats
Crunches / plank or hanging leg raises
Bicep Curls is probably one of the most among men. I have literally seen guys walk into the gym, head straight to the dumbbell rack, do a few sets of bicep curls and walk out. The alternative, chin ups is a much better option because you can still work those biceps while using those big back muscles and core.
This next one can actually halt your fitness progress, knee extensions on a weight machine can put a lot of stress on the knee joint especially if you have been spending the majority of your life sitting and/or just starting a fitness program. Split squats on the other hand put less stress on that one joint and they not only work your quads like knee extensions but they also work the big glute (your behind) muscles. If it’s hard to get full range of motion just go through the range of motion that you can work with. As you get strong and practice good form, you will be able to work your way to doing them with full range of motion.
Women do these in the gym almost like it’s their job and I understand why. Many people still believe in the spot reduction myth, that is if you do crunches they will burn the belly fat off. The most crunches will do is change the shape of the abdominals so when the belly fat does come off (not from crunches) they have a solid defined look to them. Both the plank and hanging leg raises will challenge you better than crunches by making your body use more muscles; working upper body, mid section, and lower body all at once.
Replace the isolation exercises for the one listed next to it and feel the workout getting more challenging and effective. If you have any questions feel free to ask!
Now I will say this is ideal for general strength training, weight loss, and conditioning. If you already have a solid base to work with, have been training for at least 6 months, and looking to increase your total training volume for more results, it is okay to isolate the muscles that need more work.
I hope you find this post useful, if you did, like my Facebook page (on the sidebar to the right) for continued blog updates and discussion.
-Shawn A