Are Isolation Exercises Useless?

[@ericbugenhagenOfficial]

Read the description to understand the point of this video

[@AxxLAfriku]

thanks bro man

[@poundpunch]

NO!

[@user-zb3lr3ke4f]

@@thomthomlifts he made a vid about them like 2 years go

[@Grizzle360]

I gotta say I've been really hitting the muscle-ups hard and realising the compound movement is superior to most other bodyweight exercises.

[@GoGoZebras]

You should read the Greg Nuchols post about the researcher Barbalho. The study you posted on your community uses his research for the source. www.strongerbyscience.com/barbalho/ One of the other commenters gracefool posted this in a reply to someone else below.

[@amoose8439]

I've been isolated for decades

[@mikeblxde4735]

Lmao rip

[@devvv4616]

well you still have the internet with you

[@atrioxfulminare2945]

Same

[@jonathansundh5626]

so was it useless or not?

[@basedabdu8653]

Ouch

[@thecoffehippie3566]

I have been doing only curls for 3 years and my legs are T H R O B B I N G

[@capswole81]

😂😂😂

[@NaturalHypertrophy]

If you had curled your leg like AthleanX advised you would have gotten double the gains

[@VH-ew7oq]

Natural Hypertrophy lifting weights will kill your gains... duh

[@julianplayzgames]

@@VH-ew7oq I once did a kamikaze on my gains

[@CL-ty6wp]

my 3rd leg is throbbing

[@mcfarvo]

So, it's not that I'm cheating with ego-lifting heavy weights, I'm just doing multi-joint, compound lifts backed by scientific research of Dr. Del Hagen

[@10oz10]

It’s kinda bananas how big Eric actually is

[@PendlayRoe]

Injectible garlic extract works wonders on him. That's how he's so big natty.

[@bbqseitan7106]

His phone looks like a mandarine Orange in his meats

[@rememberthis23]

yea it's nuts to look at his video with juji and tom a couple years ago he looks like he gained 50 lbs

[@hdrd8]

juice

[@pandahsykes602]

He’s as big as the decade that was the glorious 80s

[@NeuronActivation]

But Ericc, I like doing my daily 8 hour arm workouts.

[@2paki918]

*Rich Piano has entered the chat*

[@NeuronActivation]

@@2paki918 *SHOOP AHH*

[@Gloin79]

Unironically though if you like them do them

[@wchi8391]

Exotic Nugget Man I cracked up 😆

[@Luke6fk]

But eric!!,

[@mercutioescalus6782]

At the end of the day, isolation movements exist for a reason. They’re to isolate lagging body parts. Yeah compound movements will give you the most overall growth but if you’re not isolating your lagging parts, they will never catch up because you’re constantly compensating with your dominant muscle groups. If someone is shoulder dominant they need that isolation work for the chest because the bench isn’t cutting it

[@smbweideman626]

exactly i played baseball so i was shoulder dominate never could figure out why my chest just didnt grow put in some flys and cable crossovers and boom chest starts coming alive.

[@barns8200]

I agree with Erick on most things but not this

[@conorw4077]

Smb Weideman I agree with the original post. But that was almost certainly due to your execution of the exercise. Likely Benching without properly protracted scapula and using shoulders and triceps to compensate. If a properly performed bench press is not growing your chest, nothing else will.

[@garrettbaratheon567]

nickybarns i don’t think he would necessarily disagree with this statement

[@garrettbaratheon567]

Smb Weideman I’ve always struggled the most with chest development and my bench strength, heavy weighted dips have done the most for me

[@jpetrullo6890]

This is unrelated but some “fitness” studies are some of the most unscientific bs I’ve ever read

[@not2stupidguitar]

Did you actually read this one?

[@dooby1445]

@@not2stupidguitar Yea and it sucks and the dude who made it sucks

[@jpetrullo6890]

@@not2stupidguitar nope, wasn’t referring to this one just some other ones I’ve seen in the past, but not generalizing either

[@alcoyot]

The thing is, I listened to that for the first, 6-8 years of my training. I did all compounds. It left a lot of weakness. Then I added in the bodybuilding stuff, and for the first time, I really started to make gains on my whole body. It was like night and day. The study that I did was on myself, and that’s the one I pay attention to.

[@mattseaton5832]

It was the exact opposite for me, and probably for most people who went the same route as me. When I first started I was clueless and doing a bro split because that's what everyone else was doing. There was slight progress then a hard stall with too much focus on isolation movements. Once I started doing compounds only strength and size went through the roof. But what you are saying is what isolation movements are for, to fill in any holes. Although it doesn't have to be isolation necessarily but something that targets a particular muscle as the limiting factor. But they should not be the base of your program.

[@blubbermammoth8426]

@@mattseaton5832 I’m in the same boat as the original commenter (I’m a power lifter and always was since day one.)

[@BUFFALO_cougar_slayer]

The whole point of the video is that what most people think are single-joint exercises are actually multi-joint exercises in disguise. Just because bodybuilders call certain exercises single-joint exercises doesn’t mean they’re right in their terminology

[@connorkendall6189]

"The Del Hagen pacer test is a multi-joint capacity test...."

[@treymurray4780]

Eric I’ve been isolating my right forearm for years, and I’m not stopping anytime soon

[@NaturalHypertrophy]

gotta get that pincer crab physique

[@joakimoseberg9402]

That Larry Wheels death grip for a juicy pump

[@NeuronActivation]

Training for arm wrestling i see.

[@Hauuy-el1vv]

for me, the isolation exercises are a tool for improving weak points in your compound movements

[@PNN_ParodyNewsNetwork]

Every time I'm in isolation I do exercises...

[@NaturalHypertrophy]

this dude is everywhere, can't even go to the kitchen, the dude is commenting.......

[@NaturalHypertrophy]

@Glutes Love it It's an inside joke between him and I, don't interfere glute man

[@Draven-mk5qe]

The clash of the titans of the comment sections

[@bbqseitan7106]

Belmont Mishima 2001 let them fight...

[@julianplayzgames]

@@NaturalHypertrophy NANANANANANNANANANNANANNANANANAN GLUTE MAN!!!! NANANANANANNANNANANNANANNANANANA GLLLUUUTTTEEE MAAANNNN🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇

[@markd6631]

I think we're all forgetting another one Ol' Ricky's golden tidbits here: Train Everyday with ZERO discipline. The bottom line is if you don't have a passion for how you train, you're not gonna train hard enough to make any serious gains.

[@RektRL]

Straight FACTS. If you don’t love your training, train another way

[@jamescockayne9794]

10:01 "Mama knows" The mindset is just a front. Sticky Ricky is actually just Mama's project to create the most succulent and juicy human possible within the realms of conventional science.

[@lukelewis4698]

My favorite isolation exercise is the M I N D S E T curl

[@NaturalHypertrophy]

Rick: 3:58 Old dude at the gym who does a machine circuit every day for 45 minutes: *angry geriatric noises*

[@jandv3539]

You're like the Justin Y. of youtube fitness

[@CarlosPerez-kc4rc]

@0070 Gibran Maulana Well, the machine is doing all the stabilization for you so you're missing out on some gainz

[@onlinealias622]

Lol the geriatric guy is probably best off using the machines because working out is basically rehab for him

[@PendlayRoe]

What's your take on the actual subject matter, natural muscle building expert?

[@Taniver]

jesus look how he dwarfs that phone

[@Kavriel]

I think the better way of thinking about it is : your body is made to be able to do everything (within a certain range of motion), so if you want to maximize your potential ... you gotta do everything. That's running, harcore cardio, heavy weights compound movement, and repetitive one joint type of movement. Concentric, Isometrics, Ecentrics (Isotonics ?). Another easy way to incorporate that is : Don't get stuck doing only one type of exercise.

[@palmerlane5291]

The Last 4 months all we’ve had access to is a connex box with barbells and kettlebells inside it. Myself and other guys here have only been doing multi joint exercises and all of us have seen great strength and size gains. This is the video I needed right now so I can hopefully convince the rest of the guys they don’t need the 100+ machines they cry about not having.

[@iielysiumx5811]

In my first couple years of training I fell into the trap of just doing a million isolation exercises. When I switched to concentrating on cleans, squats, pull-ups, push press etc. and my physique and strength blew up

[@highintensity415]

barbell curls loaded heavy enough in the 8-10 rep range are surprising a great core exercise. only curl I bother doing

[@joeln3415]

Ryan Humiston has entered the chat*

[@adhhxgxhhg]

Bugenhagen DESTROYED with "trt" and quarter reps

[@redphantom5197]

The contraction is the most important stop doing those heavy usless bench presses and deadlifts !

[@jordemort5359]

That guy has horrible training advice. It only works for him because he's not natty

[@sanathrajesh5580]

Dan Lee say what you will but his exercises have worked for me. It really does help to isolate and increase the time under tension for each muscle. Think about it this way as well. Your biceps/triceps aren’t going to grow solely from chin-ups/bench press. At some point or another, you’re going to need to isolate. It might come as a shock to you, but Eric’s philosophy isn’t a “one-size-fits-all” dogma. To each, their own

[@mattc4266]

Ryan humiston is fooling tons of noobs unfortunately

[@CATslayer88]

Eric you're thinking of the Steelers from the 70's with the Iron Curtain defensive line, Stan Efferding spoke about it in one of his rants advocating for emphasis on compound movements over isolation for athletes

[@joelnenadovich8141]

Go Pittsburgh

[@macmcheese2385]

Hey dad you should try backwards hill sprints for a lot of volume I did it and my quads where DESTROYED

[@jamesellison6154]

this is very true, they inflate the shit out of the quads

[@macmcheese2385]

Colin Robinson right?! I never knew how good this was for quads until I tried it

[@AcceleratingUniverse]

yeah no better idea for a dude with a messed up knee than sprinting up a hill backwards

[@macmcheese2385]

AcceleratingUniverse oh shit I didn’t remember

[@macmcheese2385]

AcceleratingUniverse but he should still try it with enough music he’ll have fucking steel knees

[@F-Tier_Physique]

As I read the study: Doing isolation after doing compounds did increase strength and size. They didnt have an isolation only group. 100% compounds are best bang for buck, but I dont think you need compounds for biceps, its a single joint anyways? I think the conclusion is that people have a limited recovery and you can reach it easily doing compounds, while doing more than you can recover from does nothing. Been doing Sheiko for like 4 months, do I think compounds give more strength: yes. Do I think isolation exercises are necessary? No. Would somone running a bodybuilder split using only legpress and leg extensions gain as much quad size as I have? yes, maybe even more.

[@Aeklypsis]

According to EMG studies, every kind of squat, including safety squat bar and low bar has more quad muscle fiber activation that any other known exercise, so unless the bodybuilder was using squats AND leg presses, they'd probably have the same or less growth than a powerlifter. You can look at most steroid tested powerlifters who basically only squat for quads and they have as big or bigger legs than natty bodybuilders, taking into account frequency of lifting as well. Now if you take chugging a ton of gear into account I have no idea what happens, there hasn't been any relative research.

[@gracefool]

The study is worthless, the researchers have no credibility: www.strongerbyscience.com/barbalho/

[@gracefool]

Also EMG studies have shown greater biceps activation in chinups than curls. That's my personal experience too.

[@zakkhan6054]

@@Aeklypsis yh 100% bro there's a big difference between squat legs and leg press legs

[@F-Tier_Physique]

@@Aeklypsis Id say that depends. While you might have better muscle activation squatting it is a exercise that is not purely limited by your quads. My squat for example is limited by my hamstrings. I always squat, but I do mostly grow glutes squatting regularly and quads when frontsquatting, but my ability to brace and maintain techniques at loads that would give me a hypertrophic stimulus is limited. Theres also the recovery factor as a squat uses your whole body, causing it to require more recovery. So if you wanted maximal muscle mass on your entire body you'd squat and if your quads are lacking and they arent targeted as much in your comp style squat you'd do leg extension. Thats why i'd rarely use emg activation for exercise selection. I'd also disregard most emg studies because of their low pop size.

[@thorthewolf8801]

The thing woth studies is that its hard to do right, there are so many variables. Recovery, nutrition, level of fitness, intensity, training weights, testosterone levels. Im sure I missed some things, but that just shows you that this isnt exact science. It cant be reliably repeated.

[@floki5605]

Amen, too many variables to consider/control for in any given fitness experiment/study to get a PRECISE answer. However, thats not to say we cant get good indicators as to what may be effective.

[@tychobrahe6379]

The people who do studies know this too and control for those factors as best they can. Also, studying multi- vs single-joint excercises' effect on strength and hypertrophy has been done many times with very similar findings so there doesn't seem to be a problem of replicating results.

[@Xplora213]

These studies all have similar confounding factors. Studies that demonstrate an effect typically have been vetted by peer reviewers AND the readers. Bugez explains how the heavy lifts force you to get sloppy and creates a compound movement really nicely... But the entire point of science research is that you can expand a result to the population with relatively small numbers of participants because the confounds are not that important - if they are not systemic in the experiment (isolation group didn’t eat properly vs compound group who ate the garlic and the honey)

[@kileNoe]

Ergo lab is the best place for studies....

[@gracefool]

The study is worthless, the researchers have no credibility: www.strongerbyscience.com/barbalho/

[@fauxshowyo]

watching this in early 2021....really excited for when Bugez makes it to Juji's new gym and shits on all the weird ass isolation machines he bought lol

[@garthfairfield8043]

Great advice bugz you confirmed what I'm always thinking when I do isolation movements. Not gonna waste my time anymore going to load up my cheat curls

[@germanrud9904]

I trained for 10 years and made negligible progress on my arms. After focusing on isolations for the past year, I've made more progress in one year than in 10 when i ignored isolations. The main thing is that isolations help develop the mind to muscle connection with lagging muscle groups by forcing you to conciously focus on using them. A lot of people's issues lie not in the inability to move weight, but in the inability to conciously use their muscles in the intended way.

[@johnjay6370]

I use to do lat pull downs and I could hardly pull 250 down... i started to deadlift stopped lat pulls for a month and went back to lat pulls and i maxed out the lat pull machine and did 250 for a set of 10.. no need to do lat pulls if you deadlift...all you have to do is squats,deadlifts,bench,shoulder press.. you do that you will be strong,big and healthy..

[@moustaphabalde7581]

wait but like can we just talk about how he casually curls 40 lbs

[@boo1488]

?? Do you find this impressive

[@moustaphabalde7581]

@@boo1488 it was just mad effortless, like baseline almost, dude could prolly curl some insane weight if he wanted to

[@lmc3307]

That’s not heavy

[@freedomring4813]

Thank you, I'm 60 and curl 40 pound dumbbells.

[@moustaphabalde7581]

@@shred9475 im not saying that 40s are heavy im saying that 40s are really fucking easy for eric meaning that he could probably curl double that for sets edit: i watched his curling vids and the dude literally cheat curled more than people bench

[@Ewan_Mitchell]

Once again the algo recommends an absolute classic Stick vid. Makes me really reminisce and cherish the old Rats Nest days

[@ihazmethodz7806]

Use isolations as accessories to improve your compound movements. Apply progressive overload over time, even though it will take much longer on single joint/ isolation movements. Easy. Isolations are mandatory for achieving certain proportions.

[@iStacktheBacon]

the Bugez is one of the good ones. so many youtubers and pt's around the world giving people TRASH information.

[@taylortait1]

Yes I agree, but isolation for body building makes sense, because maybe they are sculpting and putting clay on their biceps but don't want any on their back. I think isolation has a time and place, mostly for hypertrophy, not total strength.

[@seanmagnusson2581]

@ILLUMINAUGHTY This. As natural lifters the way we train has to be quite different. In order to do really high volume, we have to peak and prepare our bodies for it over long training blocks, and we cannot sustain that kind of volume training effectively for long periods of time.

[@taylortait1]

@ILLUMINAUGHTY you keep saying natural but I read the study and the other half of the people were on gear, and even tho the sample was too small to be accurate, the enhanced lifters also did not benefit from the addition of isolation exercises.

[@PendlayRoe]

That is not how the body works. How your muscles "look" is purely genetics. If you are strong at flat bench yet have a small chest (limb dominant), no amount of chest flies will change that.

[@loosecannon6142]

@ILLUMINAUGHTY Isolation excercises are used to maximize the growth of a certain muscle. Its a biological fact, not something you can reall argue. If an exercise is not limited by a muscle group, then that exercise cannot trigger optimal growth of that muscle group.

[@Bleachdemon88]

“Our bodies are designed to lift… Corpses!! Like seven corpses” 😂 fucking hilarious

[@bhyll2489]

I personally never got much out of isolation excercises except for a pump sometimes. Been sticking to a few compound movements with all my effort when I go to the gym and it's been working better for me.

[@loosecannon6142]

You probably did them wrong. "If an exercise is not limited by a muscle group, then that exercise cannot trigger optimal growth of that muscle group." you cant argue this fact. When was the last time your tricep tired out first on a bench press. When was the last time you tired out in your bicep when doing chin up, or pullups? And if that is the case, you are getting less lait involvement from the chin up, which is the biggest point of the excercise in the first place. Lazy people :chinups Optimal lat and bicep growth : Pullups+curls

[@overlord6815]

Hey, that was my question you read at the beginning lol. I feel special Also just want to point out that I was asking for clarification, I see your point and I pretty much agree.

[@Ozma1337]

Eric youre my favourite dadscience fitness channel

[@adriancox3267]

I feel like he is the Dr. Disrespect of lifting.

[@eltrain8694]

Yayayayayaya

[@sonleo369]

He is

[@potatodog7910]

No

[@InsectObserver]

Always back with insane knowledge to help me get big and lift as much as you one day.

[@Croissantrophy.meme.channel]

The "only" thing I do for my triceps are dips, skullcrushers and close grip bench press + a lot of other presses. And they grew like crazy doing that, no cables or machines needed.

[@NaturalHypertrophy]

If I have to choose between my curls and the stick... Sorry Rick but biceps love is the strongest mindset there is

[@BeaterCar]

Make a video response :)

[@PNN_ParodyNewsNetwork]

this dude is everywhere, can't even go to the kitchen, the dude is commenting.......

[@Jon-it7jg]

I figured a lot of the isolation work is done to be able to focus on specific muscles to focus on proportions and using isolation work for fatigue management.

[@east.3404]

This guy just spits absolute facts non stop i love it

[@gonzothegreat1317]

Dr. Ricki Del Hagen, phd in Swole, got me into odd lifts. I just love it. Thank you for that.

[@rawtooth4704]

I like the tidbits from Eric.. Explanation in detail....

[@Scorptice]

I didn't really believe it but I wanted to, so I went ahead and did what Rick described as Bulgarian Light for about a month. I just went to the gym, I warmed up the joints with some bands and then I worked up to the heaviest set of 2 I could on the bench and then I'd just leave. Next day I would do the same for deadlifts and then just alternate those days 6 days a week for a month. Took about 30minutes each day, shortest time I've ever been in the gym. My bench grew from 80 to 110kg and my deadlift from 110 to 160 kg (single rep pr). I know those are baby numbers for youtube standards but I couldn't believe it. I was stuck on those weights for literally years before that. I actually hit a PR every single time I went to the gym. It felt like magic to me and it still feels like that. Sometime I don't believe I'm able to move those weights all day until I go to the gym and actually do that. Obviously I didn't transform into hulk in the span of a month but my chest and back grew noticeably. Needless to say I'm much more inclined to do the things Eric suggests in his videos now hahahaha

[@ethansaltmere]

LOOK at this guy. He is proof of what he he preaches

[@loosecannon6142]

It doesnt work like that my friend. Its a complete insane way to argue. What works for one genetic freak or drug user, doesnt always work for 99% of the population.

[@calmexit6483]

@@loosecannon6142 he’s neither. Simply decades of training.

[@ryand589]

@@calmexit6483 really? A d1 wrestler isn't a generic outlier?

[@isol3mlyswearimuptonogood]

front rack barbel shrugs have been a new addition for me, feel great

[@arditgashi7445]

Thanks Rikky, I'll remember this one. I can't wait to do curls the next time I train my traps.

[@PendlayRoe]

Looking jacked and stacked today, coach.

[@shoresdc]

At 6:30 I think Eric is right. Victor Richards trained this way. He would pick just one compound exercise and do a ton of sets.

[@Wremir93]

I progressed a lot with barbell curls, switched to isolation curls and I regressed in strenght. 😂

[@justamustachewithoutaguy9370]

2:24 I could hear the generic gymbros furiously typing on their keyboards

[@neggit2063]

Ricky, just did Hack squats today for the first time, holy frig ,amazing pump I had been missing out ,thanks doc

[@vil3698]

This is gold, Ricky, GOLD

[@tonii4673]

For me compounds are everything. When I started training and did mostly isolations progress was slow af but as soon as I started doing compounds I blew up. I still have some lagging body parts but I think that is due to other muscle domminance and genetics. Also I rarely see people with big arms that cannot skullcrush some heavy ass weight for instance.

[@maxevans9688]

Swear the bugez has got even more jacked. Like in this year he’s got really fucking jacked

[@jreschke5]

So glad I found your channel

[@manlyphal959]

I like to do a set of curls in between heavy push sets. It give me time to recoup while pumping blood into my arm which seems to make them more sturdy for heavy incline or shoulder press barbell etc.

[@dzonipro97]

The thing is, if you use your muscles in a proper way than there is no need for isolation, I agree with that but most people do little to engage their all muscles. Most people can't engage all of their muscles properly or they intentionally do exercises to avoid using certain body parts (ie. you do bench in a specific way to target pecks mostly while ignoring shoulders and triceps). That's why I think using isolation as a safety measure is a great way to ensure you are hitting those smaller muscles as well. Just my two cents :)

[@AdonisWorshiper]

really like the analogy at the end of the video thanks for the golden tid bit my man rick the stick

[@teken8la]

i use isolation exeercises in order to achieve a better neuromuscular activation. i wasnt feeling a lot my chest in bench press. For months i did some chest cable flies BEFORE the bench press. Now, i when i do chest, i go straight to the bench press and the activation is so much better. They are definately useful to bring up/activate weak body parts

[@jldoubleu4993]

13:10 hits 3 of my favorite arm exercises. dips, close grip barbell and chin ups

[@mangles3947]

i agree with everything you say but i will always do pulldowns as i love that exercise

[@Biolo-G_KJ]

Not really an isolation movement though. You use more muscles. Isolation movement for your lats would be Lat Pullovers.

[@jdj2022]

0070 Gibran Maulana I really hope he’s kidding.

[@will-ht3mc]

A pulldown is not a S I N G L E J O I N T E X E R C I S E

[@yourbigbro9240]

@@jdj2022 hahaha, it's like saying pullup is an isolation exercise.

[@Wtfisahandle344]

Kj. If a pull down isn’t a lat pull down what’s a pull down!?

[@will-ht3mc]

I would like Jujimufu's take on this considering he's prepping for a bodybuilding show

[@babyjake6695]

He would say del hagen is talking for strength and size. Juji is trying to get his tricep bigger without stimulating his shoulders or as least as possible.as an example. But i get your point.

[@Ryan_2112]

Juji isn't natty, i think Bugez is referring to naturals that want to get stronger/bigger. Focusing on compounds is far more superior than focusing on single-joint movements for naturals, for guys that are not natural, there may be a positive side when doing single-joint movements, but i'm not sure.

[@SimbaADC]

Bugez we must know your thoughts on kettle bell swings!!!!

[@jamisondinkins7292]

Can you drop your full routine?

[@Achelebachele]

can you do a video on upright rows?

[@Ag-kt3je]

2016 bugez is back

[@Nasser9]

2:48 this iPhone 5 captured a lot of gems

[@Shazam-rp7id]

I do about 75-80% isolation movements at the gym. Most prioritizing mind-muscle connection, isolating the muscle not only in which exercise it is, but which muscle I’m focusing the weight onto. This applies much more to bodybuilding than wanting to get stronger AND bigger, it’s just for max muscle size growth.

[@Topsealguy]

Idiot you’re supposed to do mostly compounds

[@CL-ty6wp]

good for non functional fluffy muscle.

[@tangerinesarebetterthanora7060]

I find isolation exercises to be extremely boring and ineffective when it comes to building practical strength. That's the main reason I avoid them.

[@rennyclaf3810]

DO ANOTHER HEAVY SQUAD SHREDDING VAN HALEN IN HIS MEMORY BUGEZ

[@captainjaber5610]

Awesome video, while I like doing traditional compound exercises, isolation has its benefits, in my opinion, if supplemented with your compound exercises. If I am on my pull day, I will definitely incorporate barbell curls or bicep curls in my routine for that day; of course it won't be my main focus, I love doing my inverted rows, barbell rows, squats and deadlifts.

[@tommysuhlami6241]

"Ive done some studying, seems isolation is useless!" Continues to state how curls are multi joint movement... Lol love u bugez

[@tommysuhlami6241]

@farorin it doesnt matter. Using your hips to curl does nothing for them and shoulder usage is minimal. Its not a multi joint movement lmao its a ego thing 100%. U would be better off doing heavy farmers followed by rows. You would be stretching and flexing far more and getting a real workout as compared to.... Curls. Lmfao. Question, are muscles connected and tend to work as one? If you answer yes, your right! Only time to do isolation is medium to slightly heavy weight, AFTER a medium to heavy compound. Typically heavy-heavy would be bad. Id say medium compound-heavy isolation. A heavy curl would be 25 to 45 pounds. Thats the limit. If your stressing a fucking bicep curl with 50s 60s then your insane af, i gotta say. Isolation is for solid rep ranges and medium-heavy weight, and honestly, are only to HELP u activate the biceps in COMPOUNDS better.

[@zephyr4813]

Well, anecdotally, my arms blew up after focusing on isolated tricep/bicep exercises with complete focus on mind muscle connection. Also, the people I know(other than Bugenhagen) who talk shit about isolation exercises have really shit physiques and small arms.

[@travellingmerchant2915]

Alex Leonidas preaches isolation. The example bugez gave for chinups and concentration is really bad imo. Chinups will not maximize the growth of your biceps

[@dogdude259]

@@travellingmerchant2915 i mean look at brian alsruhe am he does his pullups and chin ups for his harms and of course farner csrries

[@regorict]

Same, my arms were lagging hard until last summer where I did many sets of bicep/tricep work after compounds, and then they blew up by 1.5 inches. Now possibly my best body part.

[@PendlayRoe]

If you increased volume for you arms of course they grew. The mind muscle connection did nothing, you merely used good form in a full range of motion. Now did you do compounds like barbell curls and skull crusher like Eric suggested in the video?

[@PendlayRoe]

@@travellingmerchant2915 Did you not watch the whole video? He praised the standing barbell curl because it's a multi-joint exercise compare to concentration curls.

[@ms3ben]

Good discussion Progressing strength and reps with db curls and tricep pressdowns have absolutely added measurable mass in my arms compared to years of only compound movements. That’s me though. I do agree isolated movements like kickbacks, concentration curls have little added value in strength and size.

[@deficitstifflegzercherdeadlift]

Thiccy Ricky, I’m curious if you take caffeine breaks to reset your tolerance, and if so, what’s that process like?

[@Jumpboy5100]

Pussies take caffeine breaks, men move to meth when caffeine stops hitting

[@hughthomson8086]

Was this study only referring to strength, or size + strength?

[@watsonkushmaster3067]

both

[@GearZNet]

Bof

[@chuckteeples530]

Excluding discussions about science and whether the study should be trusted, personally i just dont have the energy for isolations or machines after doing compounds. For example, on my bench day I hit heavy bench first, then close grip bench for more volume. After that i do barbell rows 4x8. If im using appropriate weight on all of those movements and going hard, i dont really have the time or energy to bust out more sets of isolations. Would rather use that time to go home and eat more lmao. Just a personal anecdote to add to the discussion.

[@RasputinGamingPC]

Hey Ric what you eating for dinner?

[@kobey4834]

Ass

[@euanreece]

Cat food

[@tjcogger1974]

Garlic

[@NeuronActivation]

@@kobey4834 But he doesn't do sumo.

[@CarlosPerez-kc4rc]

Garlic, onion, honey, and ginger smoothie

[@kachucho872]

Dear Eric: i don't have a rack but i do have a barbell,a dumbbell and some 300+ weight in discs. Besides of the Zercher squat(wich has been my bread and butter for legs since the lockdown) what other leg movement would you recommend me to do?

[@travellingmerchant2915]

How do you bench?

[@kachucho872]

@@travellingmerchant2915 dumbbell bench.

[@travellingmerchant2915]

@@kachucho872 try floor press it's sick. U can use it as an overloading movement. Or if u reach your chest on the floor u can use it as a sub for bench. Hip thrust it to bench position.

[@kachucho872]

@@travellingmerchant2915 thanks for the tip! But how do i hip thrust it? Do i lift my butt from the floor?

[@travellingmerchant2915]

@@kachucho872 yeah with the barbell on your hip thrust your ass up to get the barbell over your chest while holding it. If you can slide under the barbell with a 45 plate on it you should be good.

[@Im_Frenzy]

So, mainly what i got from this is that isolation exercises such as the concentration curls and strict tricep pushdowns are mainly used to help rehab the muscle or atleast help the muscle if its lagging behind while use multi-joint exercises such as the squat, bench press, etc to build overall strength. I may be missing more from this and i apologize for missing info but overall this helps alot. Thank you

[@sultanaljaberi9377]

Let's say today's is arm day, you will benefit more from doing let's say first 3x6 weighted chin ups then 3x10 barbell curls instead of doing 3x10 preacher curl and a 3x10 [insert any bicep machine] overall for bicep development and workload the first 2 are better

[@San-oe1xv]

They're not. Even powerlifters do isolation work, and if you're lifting for physique it's a must do

[@thorthewolf8801]

Weightlifters dont... Although its a more technical sport where you need more practice, but the point still stands.

[@jhniify]

I agree its a must do if you want to target more a muscle

[@maxgamesst1]

Watch the video before you comment

[@jhniify]

@@thorthewolf8801 thats the point, i think hes right on a weightlifting perspective or a powerlifter POV but definetly you gotta do isolation if you want some kind of bodybuilding

[@PlantagenetKing]

Sounds like you commented before the ad was over

[@bambuco2]

The entire point of isolation exercises is to get your smaller and weaker muscles bigger and stronger which lowers your chance of injury when doing big compound movements. Think about it, the most common injury doing deadlifts is biceps rupture, how do you avoid it? Doing nice controlled isolation exercises for your biceps. Maybe if you are looking at overall body size growth doing only heavy multi-joint exercises is the way to go, but if you want to stay healthy and avoid injury you need to do isolation exercises for you smaller/weaker muscles.

[@coachbobkapustka4803]

8:10 finally eric confesses where the NEIGHBORS WENT!!!!!!!!!!!

[@garysellars8914]

But Eric 'Athlean x' says upright rows are bad. So that means i shouldn't do laterals and i shouldn't do upright rows either! How will i target the side delts?!!! OMG!

[@halit6407]

IMO ıt would be very stressful to the joints ıfyou work that way especially elbows that is why sometimes ı just grab a lighter dumbell.If ı would have stronger joints why would ı waste my time with 9 sets of barbell curls.I would definitely do some more OHP.

[@collinheideman9162]

Every time he says "right", you need to add an extra set to your next workout 💪

[@HzrdHaze]

This was golden. Thanks king 💪

[@boostleakboys4387]

Was it worth getting fat in order to push more weight than you were pushing when lean?

[@m.g.5207]

he is not fat

[@thorthewolf8801]

He is lean now, just not ripped. If you think this is fat you have some serious problems

[@krys421]

Thor The Wolf if you think he is lean YOU have some serious problems

[@overlord6815]

@@krys421 What people consider lean is subjective, so no he doesn't have problems.

[@krys421]

Overlord leanness is not subjective, you are shredded if you’re under 10%, lean around 10-12% and any higher than that isn’t lean.

[@jacksimpson54]

At the gym I go to there are 2 specific barbell benches and 2 leg extension machines... (there are squat racks you can bench in but still)

[@云飞陆]

Bench/deadlift/front squat/back squat/OHP/bent over rows/landmines and lats pulls-pull ups. if you want volume type shit, use dumbbells for the above or use bands for the pull ups

[@warchimp9821]

It makes more sense now when you show what you actually mean. But I still keep doing leg extensions after squats and triceps pushdowns after bench just cause I like how they feel😁💪

[@chrisleonard8435]

Corpses... Several corpses... Best spit balling ever lmao

[@Ryan-zj4kp]

Where do I find a workout program like that? I would definitley enjoy this style of training more

[@coltabbott1688]

Look I 100% respect you and your lifts. I enjoy watching your content and agreeing with you information. But what needs to be said is a muscle won’t grow unless you work it. But I mean that as a general statement. Really what I mean is yes, compound movements can and will workout the not as direct muscles because that is what makes it a compound movement. But for maximum growth and for faster growth you as well would need to work each muscle isolated. I do compounds as well as isolated individual muscle group exercises. This does take me 2-3 hours everyday. But I am increasing muscle mass in all aspects of muscle. Can you agree on this or am I missing something? Once again I say this with respect towards you and your ways of training.