Ab Isolation Exercises
1. Cable Crunch
The biggest benefit of the cable crunch is it’s easy to add weight to. Being able to add weight to “crunch” exercises increases their effectiveness and allows you to use progressive overload (which is the most important driver of muscle growth).
2. Hanging Leg Raise
Research shows that exercises that involve bringing the pelvis toward the chest, such as the hanging leg raise, are best for training the lower abs—an essential part of building a six-pack.
3. Air Bicycle
Research shows the air bicycle is a fantastic way to train your obliques, the muscles beneath your “love handles” that help “frame” your abs.
FAQ #1: Are isolation exercises necessary?
They’re not essential, but they’re beneficial for maximizing muscle gain.For instance, research shows that combining isolation and compound exercises causes more growth than doing compound exercises alone.
FAQ #2: Should I do compound or isolation exercises first?
Always do compound exercises first.It’s generally a good idea to do your hardest exercises first in your workouts, followed by the second hardest, and so forth.
Practically speaking, this means starting with your hardest compound exercises and finishing with your easier isolation exercises.
For instance, if your lower-body workout included the squat, Romanian deadlift, lunge, and leg curl, you’d want to do the squat first, Romanian deadlift second, lunge third, and leg curl last.
Organizing your workouts this way lets you put more effort into the most challenging and rewarding exercises, which should boost muscle and strength gain.
FAQ #3: Do isolation exercises build muscle?
Yes.Provided you lift heavy enough weights (~70-to-85% of your one-rep max), train close enough to failure, and gradually get stronger, isolation exercises help you build muscle.
That said, you should still prioritize compound exercises when looking to gain muscle. A handy guideline is to spend around 80% of your training time on compound exercises and the remaining 20% on isolation exercises.
