If you’re only doing hip thrusts, donkey kicks, or bicep curls, you’re wasting your time. One thing these exercises have in common is that they are single joint or isolation exercises. They primarily work one muscle.

Compound exercises are exercises that work two or more muscles. They are the most bang for your buck exercises. If you only have time to do one or two exercises, you’re better off doing compound exercises. Not only do they work on more than one muscle group, they are also more complex and therefore have a higher muscle building potential than just an isolation exercise.

Some examples of compound exercises: all variations of the

• Squat
• Deadlift
• Bench press
• Pull up
• Row
• Shoulder press

They require a high degree of skill and physicality to perform. You can also gain an amazing physique from them when applied properly. If you’re not including these in your workout program then you are seriously missing out.

Now if you’re doing isolation exercises, it’s not the end of the world. They just aren’t the best muscle building, body toning, metabolism building movements when compared to compound movements. Not to say that you should never do them, in fact they are still great exercises to supplement your program, but they definitely take a back seat to the compound lifts. An example of when to utilize isolation exercise is after your compound lifts, and to focus on a certain body part that may be lagging or just not where it needs to be aesthetically.

If you have any questions or comments just let me know and I’d be happy to help!