Core Exercises Versus Isolation Exercises
Most beginners in bodybuilding make the mistake of performing a glut of isolation exercises during their workouts.
Dumbbell curls, tricep extensions etc.
Then there is the exercise that all men seem to be guilty of performing too often - including myself, bench-press.
Luckily bench-press is more of a core strength exercise than an isolation, but too much to the neglect of other exercises is still not good.
The reason we don't tend to focus on core strength exercises, as we should, is simple.
They suck! They are difficult, painful, and make you want to die.
That is why they have names like "Dead lift" for example.
Who really wants to go into the gym and do squats? Answer: Nobody! It is much more fun to curl 50 pound dumbbells 12 times for 3 sets and get a nice burn in your biceps than perform 2 sets of squats maxed out and hardly be able to walk the next day.
But the truth is if you want to add those inches to your arms, you must grow your legs first.
All beginning bodybuilders should focus their workouts around a few core strength exercises in order to make significant progress.
As much as it hurts, that is the simple formula for building muscle.
All the bicep curls in the world will not add as many inches to your arms as performing squats regularly with progressive weight.
Dead lifting is the single best exercise to build strength in the posterior chain region.
Correct form is the key to this exercise.
Once you build your strength with core exercises like these, the isolation exercises will be much more helpful in sculpting you.
Another key to remember is that exercises requiring you to move your body through space are better than pushing weight.
Think of how ripped gymnasts get.
Pull-ups and chin-ups are much better for building biceps than preacher curls.
Handstand pushups are better than tricep extensions.
Ok, ok, you can substitute close grip bench press for that one.
But are you starting to get the idea? Good! So remember if you are just starting out and want to speed up your progress significantly, structure your workouts around a few core strength exercises.
Pull-ups, chin-ups, dead lifts, military press, squats, and bench press of course.
Then do the isolation exercises as a supplement.
Dumbbell curls, tricep extensions etc.
Then there is the exercise that all men seem to be guilty of performing too often - including myself, bench-press.
Luckily bench-press is more of a core strength exercise than an isolation, but too much to the neglect of other exercises is still not good.
The reason we don't tend to focus on core strength exercises, as we should, is simple.
They suck! They are difficult, painful, and make you want to die.
That is why they have names like "Dead lift" for example.
Who really wants to go into the gym and do squats? Answer: Nobody! It is much more fun to curl 50 pound dumbbells 12 times for 3 sets and get a nice burn in your biceps than perform 2 sets of squats maxed out and hardly be able to walk the next day.
But the truth is if you want to add those inches to your arms, you must grow your legs first.
All beginning bodybuilders should focus their workouts around a few core strength exercises in order to make significant progress.
As much as it hurts, that is the simple formula for building muscle.
All the bicep curls in the world will not add as many inches to your arms as performing squats regularly with progressive weight.
Dead lifting is the single best exercise to build strength in the posterior chain region.
Correct form is the key to this exercise.
Once you build your strength with core exercises like these, the isolation exercises will be much more helpful in sculpting you.
Another key to remember is that exercises requiring you to move your body through space are better than pushing weight.
Think of how ripped gymnasts get.
Pull-ups and chin-ups are much better for building biceps than preacher curls.
Handstand pushups are better than tricep extensions.
Ok, ok, you can substitute close grip bench press for that one.
But are you starting to get the idea? Good! So remember if you are just starting out and want to speed up your progress significantly, structure your workouts around a few core strength exercises.
Pull-ups, chin-ups, dead lifts, military press, squats, and bench press of course.
Then do the isolation exercises as a supplement.
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