The science is clear: isolation exercises help you build muscle.
The issue is, many weightlifters spin their wheels on suboptimal isolation exercises and skip the best ones, which prevents them from gaining as much muscle and strength as they should.
In this article we’ll help you avoid this by outlining the best isolation exercises for each body part, so you can optimize your workouts and boost muscle and strength gain.
(And if you want a strength training program that includes all the best isolation exercises to maximize muscle growth, check out my programs for men and women, Bigger Leaner Stronger and Thinner Leaner Stronger.)
A compound exercise involves multiple joints and muscles. For example, the squat involves moving the knees, ankles, and hips and requires a whole-body coordinated effort, with the quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes bearing the brunt of the load.
An isolation exercise involves just one joint and muscle. For example, the biceps curl involves moving the elbow and trains the biceps only.
They also let you train more efficiently (one compound exercise can do the work of several isolation exercises) and raise testosterone and growth hormone levels more than isolation exercises, which may have a small but beneficial effect on muscle gain.
Therefore, a well-designed weightlifting program should primarily consist of compound exercises.
However, most people shouldn’t exclude isolation exercises.
Research shows that programs containing both compound and isolation exercises promote more growth than those only containing compound exercises.
They’re also a practical option for training your muscles when doing compound exercises is no longer feasible.
For instance, after several sets of compound pulling exercises, your lats, traps, and rhomboids might be exhausted, while your biceps might still be comparatively fresh. Training them with a few sets of curls ensures they’re adequately stimulated, which is vital to maximize growth.
Furthermore, isolation exercises make it easy to train your muscles in different positions and through different ranges of motions, which likely produces more balanced and complete muscle growth than training them with just 2 or 3 compound exercises.
Another valid reason to do isolation exercises is they’re fun, and enjoyable and engaging workouts are often more productive than boring ones.
Thus, while compound exercises will give most of your gains, adding isolation exercises can boost growth even more. That’s why I recommend dedicating approximately 80% of your training time to compound exercises and the remaining 20% to isolation exercises.
The dumbbell fly is a highly effective pec isolation exercise because it trains your pecs when deeply stretched, which is important for maximizing muscle growth.
2. Cable Fly
The cable fly trains your pecs similarly to the dumbbell fly. The only difference is the cable fly keeps constant tension on your pecs throughout the entire range of motion which may make it slightly better for gaining muscle.
The machine fly is a good fly variation for new weightlifters in particular as it’s easier to learn and requires less coordination than free-weight exercises.
The cable pullover is an excellent lat isolation exercise because it trains your lats through shoulder extension (moving your arms from out in front of you to either side of your torso and beyond), which maximally activates your lats.
The shrug is a trap isolation exercise that primarily trains the upper traps, which when developed help “frame” your upper body and aesthetically connect your neck to your shoulders.
The back extension strengthens the lower back, making it a good option for those who can’t do exercises like the deadlift due to past injuries.
The front raise isolates the anterior deltoid, the front part of your shoulder muscles. While this may be beneficial in some scenarios, most people don’t need to do front raises because their “front delts” get enough stimulation from pressing exercises.
The dumbbell side lateral raise isolates the lateral (side) head of the deltoids. Training this portion of the delts is important for full, proportionate shoulder development.
The dumbbell rear lateral raise is a great rear delt isolation exercise that trains the small, stubborn sections on the back of your shoulders that often need extra attention if you want them to grow as quickly as the other parts of your shoulders.
The positioning of the barbell during hip thrusts forces your glutes to work hard throughout the motion, which is a unique benefit of this exercise.
The glute bridge is a useful beginner isolation exercise for glutes because it’s easy to learn, lets you start with your body weight, and strengthens your glutes effectively.
Unlike other glute exercises involving a similar movement pattern (e.g., the Romanian deadlift), the cable pull-through lets you train your glutes without stressing your spine, making it a useful option for people with lower back issues. The downside, however, is that you can’t lift much weight on the cable pull-through before it becomes awkward, which limits the exercise’s strength and muscle building potential.
The issue is, many weightlifters spin their wheels on suboptimal isolation exercises and skip the best ones, which prevents them from gaining as much muscle and strength as they should.
In this article we’ll help you avoid this by outlining the best isolation exercises for each body part, so you can optimize your workouts and boost muscle and strength gain.
(And if you want a strength training program that includes all the best isolation exercises to maximize muscle growth, check out my programs for men and women, Bigger Leaner Stronger and Thinner Leaner Stronger.)
What Are Isolation Exercises?
There are two types of weightlifting exercises: compound exercises and isolation exercises.A compound exercise involves multiple joints and muscles. For example, the squat involves moving the knees, ankles, and hips and requires a whole-body coordinated effort, with the quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes bearing the brunt of the load.
An isolation exercise involves just one joint and muscle. For example, the biceps curl involves moving the elbow and trains the biceps only.
Compound vs. Isolation Exercises
Compound exercises allow you to train dozens of muscles simultaneously and lift more weight safely, which is highly beneficial for muscle and strength gain.They also let you train more efficiently (one compound exercise can do the work of several isolation exercises) and raise testosterone and growth hormone levels more than isolation exercises, which may have a small but beneficial effect on muscle gain.
Therefore, a well-designed weightlifting program should primarily consist of compound exercises.
However, most people shouldn’t exclude isolation exercises.
Research shows that programs containing both compound and isolation exercises promote more growth than those only containing compound exercises.
They’re also a practical option for training your muscles when doing compound exercises is no longer feasible.
For instance, after several sets of compound pulling exercises, your lats, traps, and rhomboids might be exhausted, while your biceps might still be comparatively fresh. Training them with a few sets of curls ensures they’re adequately stimulated, which is vital to maximize growth.
Furthermore, isolation exercises make it easy to train your muscles in different positions and through different ranges of motions, which likely produces more balanced and complete muscle growth than training them with just 2 or 3 compound exercises.
Another valid reason to do isolation exercises is they’re fun, and enjoyable and engaging workouts are often more productive than boring ones.
Thus, while compound exercises will give most of your gains, adding isolation exercises can boost growth even more. That’s why I recommend dedicating approximately 80% of your training time to compound exercises and the remaining 20% to isolation exercises.
The Best Isolation Exercises for Your Entire Body
Chest Isolation Exercises
1. Dumbbell Fly
The dumbbell fly is a highly effective pec isolation exercise because it trains your pecs when deeply stretched, which is important for maximizing muscle growth.
2. Cable Fly
The cable fly trains your pecs similarly to the dumbbell fly. The only difference is the cable fly keeps constant tension on your pecs throughout the entire range of motion which may make it slightly better for gaining muscle.
3. Machine Fly
The machine fly is a good fly variation for new weightlifters in particular as it’s easier to learn and requires less coordination than free-weight exercises.
Back Isolation Exercises
1. Cable Pullover
The cable pullover is an excellent lat isolation exercise because it trains your lats through shoulder extension (moving your arms from out in front of you to either side of your torso and beyond), which maximally activates your lats.
2. Shrug
The shrug is a trap isolation exercise that primarily trains the upper traps, which when developed help “frame” your upper body and aesthetically connect your neck to your shoulders.
3. Back Extension
The back extension strengthens the lower back, making it a good option for those who can’t do exercises like the deadlift due to past injuries.
Shoulder Isolation Exercises
1. Dumbbell Front Raise
The front raise isolates the anterior deltoid, the front part of your shoulder muscles. While this may be beneficial in some scenarios, most people don’t need to do front raises because their “front delts” get enough stimulation from pressing exercises. 2. Dumbbell Side Lateral Raise
The dumbbell side lateral raise isolates the lateral (side) head of the deltoids. Training this portion of the delts is important for full, proportionate shoulder development.
3. Dumbbell Rear Lateral Raise
The dumbbell rear lateral raise is a great rear delt isolation exercise that trains the small, stubborn sections on the back of your shoulders that often need extra attention if you want them to grow as quickly as the other parts of your shoulders.
Glute Isolation Exercises
1. Hip Thrust
The positioning of the barbell during hip thrusts forces your glutes to work hard throughout the motion, which is a unique benefit of this exercise.
2. Glute Bridge
The glute bridge is a useful beginner isolation exercise for glutes because it’s easy to learn, lets you start with your body weight, and strengthens your glutes effectively.
3. Cable Pull-Through
Unlike other glute exercises involving a similar movement pattern (e.g., the Romanian deadlift), the cable pull-through lets you train your glutes without stressing your spine, making it a useful option for people with lower back issues. The downside, however, is that you can’t lift much weight on the cable pull-through before it becomes awkward, which limits the exercise’s strength and muscle building potential.
