What Are Compound Lifts and Why Are They Important?
- Author
- Gordon Light
- Published
- Tue 12 Jun 2018
- Episode Link
- http://sobampodcast.com
What are compound lifts and why are they so important?
In general, a compound lift is a type of lift that utilizes more than one joint and more than one muscle group. Think of a squat and how that exercise requires the knees and hip flexors to go through a wide range of motion in order to perform the lift correctly. This activates both joints, and supporting muscle groups within, above and below each of those joints (calves all the way up through the core).
An isolation exercise is the opposite of a compound lift. Isolation exercises exist to isolate a muscle group as much as possible, as well as limit the body's range of motion to a single joint. Think of a bicep curl and how your elbow is the only joint that really becomes active throughout that exercise. This allows for the athlete to put a tremendous amount of the load directly on that muscle group in order to build it and develop strength, size and density.
Which of these is better? Personally, I think compound lifts are the gateway to the body that most people are after. I also think that isolation exercises typically lead people to complacency. Historically, I've found that people new to fitness adapt to a routine (weight, reps, exercises, etc) when focusing on a isolation-based routine. This doesn't happen in all cases, of course, but it's more common than those who take on compound lifts and understand the "progressive overload" type of training.
If you're new to compound lifts, or weightlifting at all, this episode will be very valuable to you.
Please listen, share with a like-minded friend and of course, if you DID get value out of this episode drop me a rating and review in iTunes.
Thanks for checking it out!
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