I had a nice conversation the other day with a good friend about the current anti-isolation trend in "functional" training. He mentioned that he was recently TOLD by a gym member that there was no reason to ever do isolation work - that compound movements were all anyone ever needed. ...sigh... As with many of these things, (like stretching, isometrics, partials, eccentrics, etc) we need to be careful not to throw the baby out with the bathwater, because there really is a precious baby in there.
Isolation exercises are extremely "functional" for the following:
*Hypertrophy
When I was 18, I read (I think it was) an Arthur Jones quote that went something like "You want big arms? Train until you can bench 500, rows with 300, and do dips and chins with 100lbs strapped around your waist, and you'll have 'em!" I took that to heart and cranked out the dips and chins, benches and rows. No matter how much I gained in those exercises, it always seemed like the tank-top guy over there cranking out the curls and triceps extensions had better arm development... Bodybuilders get it. Men's Health guy gets it. Why don't the rest of us?
*Rehabilitation
I shouldn't need to expand on this here - it should be obvious. If a person is suffering from injury, isolation work may be key. As a tool to stress and strengthen specific areas without unnecessarily stressing areas that need rest, what else is there? Yes, squats, pulls, and hill running will strengthen the posterior chain from the Achilles tendon to your iliocostalis, but are they your best options for someone regaining ankle and knee kinesthetic awareness, mobility, and strength? Probably NOT.
*Specialized Training
Consider a powerlifter who has just finished doing uber-tons of squats and pulls. If he needs to do some work for his VMO to maintain proper knee health, should he load up the barbell and crank out some close stance front squats, or would he be better off doing some backwards sled dragging, terminal knee extensions, or [EGADS!] some leg extensions? The correct answer would generally NOT be to add front squats unless this powerlifter has a goal of running himself into the ground with auxiliary lifts. Isolation will give the trainee a chance to bring up specific weaknesses with minimal inroads into recovery.
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
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4 comments:
great post. couldn't agree more. use the right tool for the job.
Boris great post, many training modalities have their purpose. The key is to recognize what that purpose is, I think you've wrapped that up pretty nicely.
As usual, I agree heartily. An exercise is only functional with respect to some task. Grip athletes do lots and lots of isolation exercises, but that's the nature of their sport. (In 'Enter the Kettlebell', Pavel mentions that special forces guys do kettlebell curls to improve their "shooting muscles.") Too many compound exercises can deplete the nervous system.
Powerlifting legend Ed Coan, if the internet is to be believed, has at points in his career done biceps curls, leg extensions, leg curls, triceps extensions, etc. So it's a little rich to hear powerlifters, for instance, say that curls are for sissies.
Speaking of dumbbell biceps curls: these have always struck me as very functional. Grabbing an object and curling it up toward one's shoulder/head for closer inspection is a pretty common activity in everyday life. And I wonder if the biceps tears that occur sometimes during heavy deadlifts are the result, in part, of neglected biceps muscles.
Thank you Mark. Thank you Boris.
Sam,
I agree - curls are a great exercise. I went through a phase where I didn't think I needed them, but pick up a heavy stone sometime and you'll be glad you included them in your training. I recall reading that Jouko Ahola did hammer curls and that certainly says something!
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