Should I do compound or isolation exercises first?

Compound exercises are exercises that work multiple muscle groups at the same time. Examples include the squat, deadlift, and bench press. Isolation exercises, on the other hand, focus on working a single muscle group. Examples include the bicep curl and leg extension. Both types of exercises have their own benefits and can be used in a well-rounded workout routine. Compound exercises tend to induce a larger stimulus for muscle growth but at the cost of higher fatigue, while isolation exercises let you do more total training when added to the right places.

Benefits of compound exercises

Compound exercises have several benefits, including:

1. More total muscle mass used: Compound exercises engage multiple muscle groups at the same time, leading to a greater amount of muscle mass used and an overall larger muscle growth stimulus.
2. Improved functional strength: Compound exercises usually use fundamental human movements patterns, such as a squat or a press. This means that there often will be a larger carryover to sports or everyday activities.
3. More efficient workout: Since compound exercises work multiple muscle groups at the same time, you can get a full-body workout in less time than if you did isolation exercises for each muscle group. Assuming you aren't too strong.

It's also worth noting that compound exercises are generally considered to be more demanding than isolation exercises, and therefore they may require more preparation and recovery time.

Benefits of isolation exercises

Isolation exercises have several benefits, including:

1. Targeted muscle growth: Isolation exercises focus on working a single muscle group, making it easier to target specific areas for muscle growth. This can help you bring up muscle groups that don't get much work from compound movements.
2. Isolation exercises are often less demanding than compound movements and they will allow you to get more training to muscle groups that can tolerate larger training loads. (squatting and deadlifting might cause a lot of spinal erector fatigue, but the quads might be able to take more training load etc.)

A good training program will usually combine the use of isolation and compound work if the goal is to maximize hypertrophy results. It's also worth noting that isolation exercises are generally considered less demanding than compound exercises, and therefore they may require less preparation and recovery time.

Factors to consider when deciding between compound and isolation exercises

When deciding between compound and isolation exercises, there are several factors to consider:

1. Goals: Consider what you want to achieve from your workout. If you want to improve strength in specific movements or work a large amount of muscle mass at the cost of more fatigue, compound exercises may be more beneficial. If you want to target specific muscle groups to get a bit more training stimuli, isolation exercises may be more appropriate.
2. Time: If you have limited time for your workout, compound exercises can be more efficient as they work multiple muscle groups at the same time.
3. Experience and fitness level: as you get stronger compound lifts become more and more demanding and some benefits can be gained by doing more isolation work.
4. Injury: If you have an injury, isolation exercises or variations of compounds may be more appropriate as they may allow you to work specific muscle groups with less or even without feeling pain.
5. Recovery: Consider the time you have to recover after a workout. Compound exercises are more demanding and may require more recovery time.
6. Training split: If you're following a specific training split, you may want to use a combination of both compound and isolation exercises.

Ultimately, the best approach will depend on your individual goals and fitness level. A well-rounded workout routine should include a combination of both compound and isolation exercises to target different muscle groups and achieve optimal results.

Tips for incorporating both types of exercises into your workout routine

Here are some tips for incorporating both compound and isolation exercises into your workout routine:

1. Prioritize exercises with a large stimulus magnitude: Some exercises will cause a larger muscle growth stimulus. Think squats and deadlifts etc. Often these movements are compound movements that move large amounts of load and will cause disruption in a large amount of muscle mass.
2. Use isolation exercises to complement compound exercises: Isolation exercises can be used to target specific muscle groups, and this can be used to complement compound movements. One can for example get more quad training by using a leg extension after the stabilizer muscles have been fatigued from squatting.
3. Use progressive overload: To continue to see results, it's important to progressively increase the weight, reps, or difficulty in your exercises over time.
4. Focus on proper form: Proper form is crucial to be able to track progress over time. It allows you to move more efficiently and deliver training stimulus to the muscles you want to work and keep the fatigue of assisting structures lower.
5. Apply strategic variation: Mixing up your workout routine can help to prevent boredom, avoid overuse injuries and use exercises that are currently the most stimulating for you. When an exercise starts feeling stale, progression is lacking and etc. Trying different exercises and switching up the order in which you do them might help improve the results from training.
6. If one becomes too strong in a compound exercise. It is possible to keep using the exercises, by pre-fatiguing the targeted muscles with an isolation movement first.

By incorporating both compound and isolation exercises, you can target different muscle groups and achieve optimal results. Remember to listen to your body and adapt your workout routine as needed.

Conclusion

In conclusion, both compound and isolation exercises have their own benefits and should be incorporated into a well-rounded workout program. Compound exercises work multiple muscle groups at the same time, inducing a larger stimulus for muscle growth but at the cost of higher fatigue. On the other hand, isolation exercises target specific muscle groups, making it easier to bring up muscle groups that don't get much work from compound movements.

When deciding between compound and isolation exercises, consider your goals, time, experience and fitness level, injury, recovery, and training split. Prioritizing exercises with a large stimulus magnitude, using isolation exercises to complement compound exercises, applying progressive overload, focusing on proper form, and applying strategic variation are some tips for incorporating both types of exercises into your workout routine. Ultimately, the best approach will depend on your individual goals and fitness level, and it's important to listen to your body and adapt your workout routine as needed.