Build more muscle in a lot less time

I’ve been thinking about my criticism of isolation exercises and I think I should say something more about a better way. Below are some ideas on compound exercises.

When you’re in the gym, moving monotonously from one machine to the next, you might be wondering if there’s a faster way to get fit. All you have to do is ask – any personal trainer worth his or her salt will tell you there is. Incorporate compound strength training exercises into your routine and you’ll soon find out why multi-joint moves are favored by the enviably fit.

What is a compound exercise?
Instead of working just one muscle, as an isolation exercise does, compound exercises often work two or more at the same time. They also take the body through more than one joint movement. A bicep curl is considered an isolation move, because it targets only the biceps. The clean and jerk (a very advanced move) on the other hand, works almost every muscle and joint in the body.

Which is better, compound or isolation?
Isolation exercises are great for bodybuilders and fitness athletes, or for anyone wanting to target a specific muscle. When rehabbing an injury or dealing with a muscle imbalance, isolation exercises may be what’s required.

But most people don’t have the same goals as bodybuilders, so why should they follow the same strategy? Compound exercises help us build strength evenly over our entire bodies. They let us work more muscle groups in a shorter amount of time, which is great for the average person who has to juggle a full-time job, family life and fitness.

Why compound exercises are better
• They save time – If the length of your typical strength training session allows you to complete 10 different exercises and you choose all isolation, you’ll only be working about 10 muscles total. If your 10 moves are compound you can easily work 30 or more muscles in one session!
• They allow you to build more muscle – The more muscles you work, the more new muscle you’ll gain when they repair themselves. And as I’ve mentioned, more muscle equals a higher metabolism.
• They burn more calories – The calorie burn you get when doing one-muscle exercises, such as bicep curls (biceps) or leg extensions (quads), is nothing compared to an exercise that requires you to use your legs, butt, abs and arms all at once.
• They mimic real-life movements – When you bend down and pick up one of your kids, or reach up to a top shelf to pull down a heavy box of Christmas ornaments, several of your muscles and joints are working together. Compound exercises better prepare you for these tasks because they also require simultaneous movement in more than one joint and draw strength from more than one muscle group.

Examples of compound exercises
• Squat – This, my favorite of all the compound exercises, works the glutes, lower back, hamstrings and calves. To step it up a notch try to barbell squat which involves even more of your body’s muscles.
• Lunge – Not only does this lower body move really hit your quads and glutes, it also requires balance that can only come from a number of stabilizer muscles working together.
• Push-up – There’s a reason push-ups are hard, they work a lot of muscles. For the upper body push-ups hit the chest, shoulders and triceps. When you do full push-ups (on your toes) your lower body is also getting a workout. Core stabilizer muscles hold your body steady throughout.
• Bench Press – Your upper body will thank you for this one, which along with squats and deadlifts is considered one of the three kings of bodybuilding. But don’t worry, the amount of weight you’ll be lifting and the amount of time you’ll be performing it isn’t nearly enough to make you actually look like a bodybuilder. It works the pecs, delts and triceps.
• Deadlift – This one works the upper and lower body, and it’s one of the best for targeting the butt as long as you make sure to squeeze your glutes. Deadlifts work the back, shoulders and legs.

crystals women's fitness, working out health, strength training, women's fitness

Absolutely no quick fixes

Last time, we talked about spot reduction, but let’s expand on that a little… I’m going to lay it all out right now to avoid any confusion. Tight, defined abs are difficult to get and even harder to keep. Only those who are genetically blessed with a body that doesn’t store fat in the stomach, and those who stick to a strict diet and fitness routine, will reach what might be considered perfect abs. Even if they work hard and eat right, some people’s bodies just aren’t meant to lose the amount of fat necessary to reveal stomach muscles.

That doesn’t mean you should give up, just that it’s not something you’ll accomplish without a lot of hard work. It’s a good idea to become comfortable with the thought that your stomach may never be washboard flat. You should just be happy your strong abs are doing what they were originally meant for – moving and stabilizing the torso and preventing injury.

Can an ab machine get you cut?
If you incorporate the ab machine’s moves into a complete fitness routine the answer is yes, sort of, depending on how effective the machine is at working your abdominals. For the most part you don’t need a machine to work your abs. Regular, bicycle and side crunches isolate each of the abdominal muscle groups, while a number of compound strength training moves, such as push-ups and deadlifts, utilize ab muscles to stabilize the body.

Quality not quantity
When targeting their abs many women go for the all-or-nothing approach, doing hundreds of sit-ups a week. They’re often so concerned with numbers that they don’t give much though to their form.

If you’re not focusing on engaging your abdominals each time you perform a crunch, of course you’ll be able to do a huge number of them. Once you start doing ab exercises right you’ll feel results with a fraction of the repetitions. If you’re devoting more than two or three strength training exercises to abs you’re probably doing too many.

Are ab exercises the key?
It’s not just ab exercises that’ll give you a six pack. In fact, ab exercises make up the smallest part of the formula. Many of us already have firm abdominal muscles, they’re just hidden beneath fat. To uncover your abs you need to consistently eat a well-balanced diet. If that diet consists of more calories than your body needs at its usual activity level, you’ll have to burn enough calories through aerobic exercise to lose fat. Add to that a consistent routine of total body strength training and you’ve got the “secret to flat abs”.

The abdominal muscles
• Rectus abdominis – These abdominis muscles are responsible for the “six-pack” look. Work them and lose the overlying fat and you’ll eventually see those telltale stomach bumps appear.
• Transverse abdominis – These muscles lie underneath the others and act as a sort of natural girdle for your midsection. Really focusing on pulling in the abs during crunches and even during other exercise can strengthen these muscles and trim your waist.
• Obliques – These muscles line the sides of your abdomen, often right below love handles and are responsible for torso twists. Side crunches, weighted side bends and medicine ball twists can really hit the obliques.

crystals women's fitness toning abs, women's fitness, workout routine

If you have any interest in fitness there’s almost no chance you’ve missed hearing about “long and lean” muscles. Every woman wants them and it seems none of us but dancers and non-skeltonized models have them. We’re often told the secret to long and lean muscles has nothing to do with our body makeup or genetics. The key, say various sources, is certain workouts like Pilates that will actually lengthen your muscles as they strengthen them. Other experts tell us the secret to long and lean muscles is lifting light weights and doing high numbers of repetitions, so the muscles we build aren’t too bulky.

So that must mean a routine consisting of Pilates and light weights is the answer? Not even close.

There is one main reason certain women appear to have long, lean muscles – they have less body fat than the rest of us. Take the same body and add or subtract 50 pounds. I guarantee you the lighter version will appear a lot longer and leaner. It’s more about what is overlying the muscle than the muscle itself. Any exercises that causes your body to shed fat will help you achieve the long, lean look.

Of course this is not always true you’re probably thinking. Just look at female bodybuilders. Well if you haven’t read our page on female muscle myths I won’t fault you for that belief. The truth is women need a lot of help to gain a significant amount of muscle. This can come in the form of a diet high in protein and muscle building supplements, coupled with frequent high volume strength training involving plenty of isolation exercises. Sometimes it also involves steroids. Without all that there’s no way the rest of us will ever come close.

The way your muscle will look has a lot more to do with genetics. Muscles can only be as long as the distance between their attachments. Your biceps femoris isn’t going to grow any longer than your upper arm, no matter how many reps you complete with a three pound dumbbell. Even worse, if you’re strictly using light weights the muscle not only won’t lengthen, it won’t grow in size or strength either.

A better plan of attack would be to fix your posture. If your shoulders are rounded forward and your back is hunched of course you’re going to look shorter. Work on strengthening the muscles that pull your shoulders back and improve posture (such as the rhomboids) and stretching the muscles that are tight and pulling you into that forward position (pectorals). And put down the baby weights. You should be pumping enough iron to hit momentary muscle fatigue after 8 – 15 repetitions (that means you’d have to cheat on your form to complete another one).

crystals muscle building, women's fitness muscle, women's fitness