EMG Studies - very interesting post

[Gareth83]

Have you ever wondered why the guy down the gym who focuses on the major compound movement seems to have a more athletic overall appearance than the guys who just focus on the isolation exercises??

This is an intersting post which Tom kindly sent me. It basically shows how effective certain exercises are for stimulating muscle:

Quote

IEMG max motor-unit activation

Exercise/% EMG Muscle Stimulation

Pectoralis major:
Decline dumbbell bench press - 93
Decline bench press (Olympic bar) - 89
Push-ups between benches - 88
Flat dumbbell bench press - 87
Flat bench press (Olympic bar) - 85
Flat dumbbell flys - 84

Pectoralis minor:
Incline dumbbell bench press - 91
Incline bench press (Olympic bar) - 85
Incline dumbbell flys - 83
Incline bench press (Smith machine) - 81

Medial deltoids:
Incline dumbbell side laterals - 66
Standing dumbbell side laterals - 63
Seated dumbbell side laterals - 62
Cable side laterals - 47

Posterior deltoids:
Standing dumbbell bent laterals - 85
Seated dumbbell bent laterals - 83
Standing cable bent laterals - 77

Anterior deltoids:
Seated front dumbbell press - 79
Standing front dumbbell raises - 73
Seated front barbell press - 61

Biceps:
Biceps preacher curls (Olympic bar) - 90
Incline seated dumbbell curls (alternate) - 88
Standing biceps curls (Olympic bar/narrow grip) - 86
Standing dumbbell curls (alternate) - 84
Concentration dumbbell curls - 80
Standing biceps curls (Olympic bar/wide grip) - 63
Standing E-Z biceps curls (wide grip) - 61

Triceps:
Decline triceps extensions (Olympic bar) - 92
Triceps pressdowns (angled bar) - 90
Triceps dip between benches - 87
One-arm cable triceps extensions (reverse grip) - 85
Overhead rope triceps extensions - 84
Seated one-arm dumbbell triceps extensions (neutral grip) - 82
Close-grip bench press (Olympic bar) - 72

Latissimus dorsi:
Bent-over barbell rows - 93
One-arm dumbbell rows - 91
T-bar rows - 89
Lat pulldowns to the front - 86
Seated pulley rows - 83

Quadriceps:
Squats (parallel depth, shoulder-width stance) - 88
Seated leg extensions (toes straight) - 86
Hack Squats (90 degree angle, shoulder-width stance) - 78
Leg press (110 degree angle) - 76
Smith machine squats (90 degree angle, shoulder-width stance) - 60

Hamstrings:
Seated leg curls - 88
Standing leg curls - 79
Lying leg curls - 70
Stiff Legged Deadlifts - 63

Calves:
Donkey calf raises - 80
Standing one-leg calf raises - 79
Standing two-leg calf raises - 68
Seated calf raises - 61

This is one of the reasons I only focus on:

Olympic Bar or DB Decline Bench Press

Deadlifts

Squats

Olympic Bar or DB Military Press

Barbell Rows

I also switch between the 3x8-10 and 4x4-6 each workout to achieve both strength gains and hypertrophy.

I'm striving to achieve an athletic figure as opposed to a "Bodybuilding" type figure. Admittedly you may need to do some of the other exercises if you want to hit every muscle but I'll just stick to the compound movements and improve week in week out.

Hope this is of interest. Cheers Tom

Take a look at my journal "Compound Driven" below if you like

[hank_marvin]

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This is one of the reasons I only focus on:

Olympic Bar or DB Decline Bench Press

Deadlifts

Squats

Olympic Bar or DB Military Press

Barbell Rows

If you did just these though then you'd have very poor traps, biceps, triceps and abs.
I know I did it for years after being convinced that I'd get enough stimulation of the above muscles through just performing the exercises you mention.
Just add shrugs, barbell curls, close grip bench press and crunches.

[Gareth83]

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If you did just these though then you'd have very poor traps, biceps, triceps and abs.

Are you being serious??

I've haven't done a bicep curl, a shrug, a tricep pushdown, or a situp for ages, and believe me I've got biger arms and also alot stronger than the dudes down my gym who focus on the same isolation exercises week in week out.

There's no point in working on biceps if your triceps aren't up to scratch. If you do compound movements you will grow proportionally in all areas and become a great deal stronger and look more athletic/functionable

[hank_marvin]

Quote

Are you being serious??

I've haven't done a bicep curl, a shrug, a tricep pushdown, or a situp for ages, and believe me I've got biger arms and also alot stronger than the dudes down my gym who focus on the same isolation exercises week in week out.

There's no point in working on biceps if your triceps aren't up to scratch. If you do compound movements you will grow proportionally in all areas and become a great deal stronger and look more athletic/functionable

All I can say is it didn't work for me. I ended up with the opposite shape you say you're after, I had a massive thick trunk and spindly arms.
I added the exercises I mentioned and brought up the lagging body parts and have made great progress from then onwards.

No offence intended but it just didn't work for me.

[alexl]

I would tend to agree.
I think the idea of eliminating isolation exercises is a mistake for anyone wanting to build a 'pretty' physique; it simply didn't work for me.
Compound-only routines are very vogue on this site but IMO they're lacking.
Compounds as staples? Yes
Compounds for mass? Yes
Compounds for strength? Yes
Compounds exclusively? No

[Tom]

this study has nothing to do with compound/isolation exercises.

it simply shows which exercise for each muscle group causes the maximum stimulation.

[ah24]

The study may not focus on compounds over isolation..But the thread does.

'Have you ever wondered why the guy down the gym who focuses on the major compound movement seems to have a more athletic overall appearance than the guys who just focus on the isolation exercises??'

Were the opening sentances, this is suggesting compounds over isolation

[hailtotheking]

I dont do ANY direct bicep, tricep, or traps work any more, mainly cos i find isolation work boring and not as much fun as compounds, and just hit them with rows, presses, and olymipc lifts / deadlifts, and all of these muscles have come on nicely, esp my traps which have grown amazing well since i stopped doing shrugs and started doing oly lift variants and deadlifts.

Interesting how bent over rows stim'ed the lats more than one arm rows.

Gareth / Tom, could you please PM me this article. Thanks.

[Gareth83]

Quote

The study may not focus on compounds over isolation..But the thread does.

'Have you ever wondered why the guy down the gym who focuses on the major compound movement seems to have a more athletic overall appearance than the guys who just focus on the isolation exercises??'

Were the opening sentances, this is suggesting compounds over isolation

Okay, maybe I have worded the opening few sentences wrongly

What I should be saying, is that if you just pick the top exercise from each body part then this should be ample. These do tend to be compound exercises.

But as HTK says, after dropping certain exercises (isolation type) and doing olympic lifts etc. you will grow anyway.

Maybe certain exercises may give a temporary "pump" and what you perceive is working wonders may not well be the same as growth in the longer run.

@HTK all of what Tom sent me is what I quoted in the first post.

[Tom]

HTK - Tudor Bompa and Lorenzo Cornacchia conducted the experiment in 1995 i believe.