Workout: Back and Chest, and Why Isolation is Not Ideal for Building Strength.

By Josh Shively

This workout is from the first day of the first week of the first full workout program I have ever written. The main principle is to combine every movement with a complimentary or antagonistic superset. Doing this alters the ratio of the workout from high-intensity/low-volume to high-intensity/moderate-volume. This allows for the ability to train the nervous system for strength and the muscles for hypertrophy at the same time, which leads to large strength and mass gains. This workout is difficult and is intended people wanting to greatly increase strength and muscle mass.

            Power: speed hang cleans 3x5 (Light)

-          BB Bench press 5x2 (warm-up sets as necessary)

o   Superset w/ explosive push-ups x5. Push up as hard as possible, come off of the ground, land with hands and stabilize.

-          BB Bent Rows 3x3 (warm-up as necessary)    2-1-3 tempo (including warm up)

o   Superset 3x30sec front plank

-          Weighted dips 4x6       !-1-3 tempo

o   Superset w/ staggered push ups x3         !-1-3 tempo

-          Weighted pull ups 4x6             !-1-3 tempo

o   Superset w/ band reverse fly x5       1-1-3 tempo

 

 NOTE: an "!" in the tempo indicates moving concentrically as explosively as possible without losing proper form or muscle control.

REST: rest as much as necessary in between sets but there is no rest between one set to a superset. For example: Perform bench press for 1 set of two reps, then immediately perform 1 set of 5 explosive push ups. Then rest as much as necessary before repeating.

So why would  I say that using isolation exercises is not ideal for strength?

The reason I don't say that it is entirely detrimental to strength is because in situations in which muscles are imbalanced, such as after a surgery, certain muscle will need to be strengthened in absence of other muscles, such as needing to strengthen the glutes because they are imbalanced with the hamstrings. The reason why isolation is generally not ideal for building strength is because it creates faulty recruitment patterns. This means that when a particular movement is required, like pulling for instance, the nervous system will over recruit a particular muscle and under recruit another. So if someone goes to the gym and does so many biceps curls that they can't scratch the back of their head, but fails to do any pull-ups or rows, his nervous system will learn to heavily recruit the biceps for pulling motions and under recruit the back muscles for pulling. This can lead to improper posture, or ever serious injury. This imbalance will not arise from only one workout, but if repeated over time, an imbalance between the biceps muscles and back muscles associated with pulling can develop.

An imbalance between the biceps and back is one of the most common muscle viruses caused by isolating a particular muscles. Nowhere in the body is there a muscle that does not work in conjunction with other muscles. The biceps muscle is meant to work with all the pulling muscles in the back. It can work on its own, in the pattern of a curl, but that movement is rare compared to a pull, such as a pull up, or row. A general rule that I apply to movements in order to discern whether they are an isolation or compound exercise is this: If only one joint changes position through the movement, it is isolation. The hip and shoulder joints are exceptions to this because of the large amount of complex muscles surrounding them.

Here are the most common isolation movements:

• Bicep curl
• Tricep Extension
• Forearm Curl
• Leg Extension
• Leg Curl
• Calf Raise

If the goal of the individual is to become as muscular as possible, with complete disregard to functionality, then using isolation movements can be advantageous. If the goal of the individual is to become the strongest person they can become, then isolation will not help them unless it is being used to balance an already existing imbalance.