One question many people ask when starting a training program is "what exercise can I do to isolate and train (the biceps, quads, abs or whatever area the person wants to tone)?"
Well the short and simple answer is NONE. The truth of the matter is that the body does not really work well in isolation. In fact, it is nearly impossible for the body function at all in muscle or joint isolation. Think of even the simple act of picking up a rock off the ground. You have to use several major muscle groups and bend and twist several joints in a coordinated chain of movements. The body naturally works in a complex cycle of multi joint and multi muscle movement where each muscle group works in synergy with the next one.
If the body works naturally in multi joint complex movement why would you want to try to isolate a certain body area? What usually happens when you try to isolate a certain muscle group by concentrating on a single area you create a uncoordinated, non-functional body that is more prone to injury. We are not a bunch of body parts stuck together on a torso like a Mr. Potato Head. The body is a gestalt-an extremely effecient, strong whole functioning organism that works in harmony.
For example, look at a typical machine exercise where you do leg extensions. This essentially isolates the quadriceps with a simple movement. The first problem with this exercise is that it doesn’t burn very many calories so it’s not going to be very helpful to rid your body of fat. Secondly, this type of machine exercise can cause knee joint instability and injury. Compare this to exercises like lunges, step-ups, squats and deadlifts. These exercises are
multi-joint complex movements that involve dozens of muscles in the body as a smoothly functioning unit. This helps create strong, stable joints that helps increase the body’s coordination and strength and burns way more calories than a
simple single joint exercise.
If you are looking to tone a certain area of your body step back and look at the bigger picture. Think in terms of "complex
movement" instead of "isolated movement". If you focus on the multi joint type exercises you will burn a lot more calories and you will increase your metabolism and stimulate the production of fat burning hormones like testosterone.
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