Improve Physical Performance by Training Movements Not Muscles

Training movements through compound exercises, single limb and alternating limb exercises will bring about the greatest real world performance improvement... Not training muscles through Isolation exercises.

For performance improvement you can actually use in the real world, you must train movements that are multi-planar and multi-jointed.

People in movement almost never isolate muscles or joints... so why train that way?

Favor compound exercises over Bodybuilder type isolation exercises.

Remember, Bodybuilding programs are specifically designed for muscle growth, not muscle performance... and are definitely not for training the body to work as one complete unit.

Compound exercises use multiple muscle groups in unison to perform the movement... much like we move in sport, work and life activities.

Let's take a look at the worst possible combination... isolation exercises on machines.

First of all I would like to say that I am not completely against the use of machines under certain circumstances.

For example, I believe that the use of machines for physical therapy and rehabilitation can be very helpful.

If one isolated muscle needed to be rehabilitated due to injury, using a machine that isolated that muscle would be a very productive, safe and controllable way to improve that muscles performance.

The goal of the therapy would be to bring the injured muscle up to the performance level of the rest of the body... allowing it to contribute to compound exercises and multi-planar, multi-jointed movements.

But what happens after the muscle has been rehabilitated and functions equally with the rest of the body... would you continue to isolate it with the hopes of further improving performance?

I think not... you would move on to some other type of training to use the healthy muscle in conjunction with the rest of the body to improve over-all performance... such as compound exercises.

Does this mean that the vast majority of commercial gyms believe your fitness level is so bad that you must use rehabilitation methods?

It is definitely something to think about.

I believe that the reliance of machines in the fitness industry comes from trying to develop a system of physical training that can be used for the greatest cross-section of the population with relative safety... but this does not mean that it is the most effective training method.

Now, just because I have focused on machines does not mean that I am in favor of isolation exercises done with free-weights or any other method.

The reason I do not favor isolation methods is that it leaves gaps in your strength... whereas compound exercises train the body to perform as one complete unit.

Let's say that you train the bicep curl and military press separately... what happens when you have to curl and press an object in one fluid motion?

The transitional period of the movement between the end of the bicep curl and the beginning of the military press would rob the movement of strength since that movement had never been trained.

I am assuming that the purpose of your physical training is to optimize your performance for sport, work and life... and not just improve performance in the controlled environment of the gym.

You will perform how you train... so train the same movement patterns that you actually use in the real world by using compound exercises, single limb and alternating limb movements.

Compound exercises, single limb and alternating limb exercises most closely mirror how we perform in nature... so it would stand to reason that the greatest amount of usable, real world performance improvement would be made by training these exercises.

I would further contend that the majority of activities in the real world are done with the feet planted firmly on the ground... therefore, for the greatest amount of functional improvement your training should take place in this fashion.

Unless there is some specific reason you need great amounts of isolated strength while seated or lying down... concentrate your physical training on compound exercises, single limb and alternating limb exercises where your feet are in contact with the ground.

Coach Lomax is a strength, conditioning and fitness coach dedicated to building better humans for sport, work and life. Learn more at Optimum Physical Training or take his FREE Tabata Calisthenics Workout Mini Course.

Hot Topics In Fitness

    Treadmll Ratings - What Most Buyers Don't Know About Treadmill Ratings

    If you're buying a treadmill, chances are you'll want to research before you buy. Everyone wants to get the best deal for a discount price. They also want to find the best treadmill to suit their work...

    Meditation Can Also Make Your Heart Happy

    Meditation is good for your heart. This is the message recently (in the year of 2006) conveyed by the Archives of Internal Medicine. The study reported that transcendental meditation (TM), a relaxatio...

    The History Of Tai Chi

    I've got something pretty miraculous to tell you about. I found out about this awesome way of balancing your mind and body. It is like nothing I have ever seen before. It's called Tai Chi and finding ...

    Tai Chi

    TaiChi is a complete and highly developed internal martial art (Neijia). A form of moving meditation, TaiChi promotes in the practitioner a sense of Qi (breath/life energy) circulation and health. As ...

    Is Home Exercise Equipment For You?

    We are bombarded with messages about the current obesity epidemic that seems to be under way and the need to combat it with daily exercise and a healthy, well-balanced diet. The FDA has even redesigne...

    Great Cardio Workouts You Can Do At Home

    You know how important cardio workouts are for your health and wellbeing, but it's hard to get a good cardio workout in when you can't leave to house to go to the gym or for a run. Here are some great...

    5 Tips To A Strong, Muscular Physique!

    For over ten years now, I have been a drug-free competitive bodybuilder, and I can tell you first hand what it takes to develop a muscular physique. In this article, I want to discuss with you my top ...

    Pulsating Tinnitus - Here's How To Beat It

    Throbbing Tinnitus - What Causes It?

    When you can hear a regular pulsing noise in your ears in tune with your your heart beat that is probably pulsatile tinnitus. There may be single or many rhythmi...

    The Top 5 Yoga Positions

    Often times the right information can change a person's life. This happened with me and yoga.

    There are a lot of yoga positions and poses that is built to enhance posture.

    All things consider...

    Why Weight Train During Pregnancy?

    There was once a time that a pregnant woman was thought of as "fragile". Any form of exercise was strictly prohibited by doctors and feared by concerned fathers. We've now come to realize that a pregn...

    3 Steps To Starting a Successful Fall Exercise Program

    Ah, the crisp cool breeze, the invigorating feel of the outdoors as the leaves start to turn colors, the sound of kids laughing on their way to school.

    Fall is the time for new beginnings. New...

    The Importance Of Creatine In Building Lean Muscle

    Creatine monohydrate can rightly lay claim to being the most popular and arguably most effective bodybuilding supplement currently available. The beauty of creatine is that it is 100% natural and occu...

Most Recent Fitness Supplements

Interesting Today:

Most Recent Fitness Blogs:

Releated to Fitness:

Fitness Links:

Fitness Fitness Rss feeds.