Compound Movements

A lot of people I know workout. They go to the gym and do the machines or they focus one day on legs, one day on arms, one day on shoulders and so on. One thing that I have learned through my reading, the Jillian Michael's videos and my trainer, Tammye is the importance of compound movements. These are so crucial for weight loss.

Basically, Weight lifting exercises can be separated into two broad categories: compound movements and isolation movements. Isolation exercises are those which move a single joint through its range of motion. Examples include the bicep concentration curl or the tricep kickback which both involve the elbow, the leg extension involving the knee, or calf raises which involve the ankle. They’re called “isolation” exercises because they put major stress on a single, isolated muscles. Compound exercises are multi-joint movements that rely on the coordinated actions of several muscle groups to move two or more joints through a range of motion. The squat, for instance, involves both ankles, knees and hips and puts major stress on the quads, hamstrings, glutes, back and core, and a host of small, stabilizing muscles.

Lets think about it. What are your big muscles in your body? Your biceps? Nope! Your back, chest, abs, legs and butt! If you only have a minimum amount of time then this is where you need to focus. Building these muscles will also build some of the smaller muscles by default from the exercises and it will help turn your body into a fat burning machine. You got to get the most bang for your buck. If you can work out your larger muscles while adding some small muscle exercises at the same time you can get more in your workout for a lot less time. For example as you do lunges also do bicep curls, as you do squats also do shoulder press, as you do bench press lift up your butt and squeeze those glutes and legs. Do you get the idea?

Give it a try! Here is a really great article that gives you lots more details.