Compound vs Isolation Exercises

One of the most common important ways of categorizing weight training workouts is how they train the body and the group of muscles that are being used when performing the workouts. This way we can categorize exercises into two groups. These are:

• Isolation exercises
• Compound exercises

Perhaps you have heard a lot of theories such as how isolation exercises suck or how compound exercises are the best. However, it is not a good idea to generalize this much. This is because the truth of the matter is that isolation vs compound exercise serves a wide range of purposes in different workout routines based on your goal as well as the body. This means that the only option through which you can know the best workouts for you is by getting to the specifics of each.

Compound workouts

The compound workouts are exercises that involve using more than one of the major groups of muscles each time. In a typical case, there is a single muscle that performs most of the work while the smaller groups of muscles are recruited in a secondary way. Some of the major compound workouts include:

• Flat, decline or incline press - This mostly workout the chest, shoulders and the triceps
• Dips - Workouts the chest as the primary muscle group and the shoulders and triceps as the secondary group of muscles
• Overhead shoulder press - These primarily work the shoulders and the triceps as the secondary muscle group.

Other exercises include dead-lifts, squats, pull-ups; chin up s and the lat pull down.

Isolation exercises

These are the workouts that affects only one key muscle group. In a typical case, the movement is done in a way where  there is avoidance of the use of the muscle groups and this leaves one group of muscles isolated and with the ability to do the work. These include bicep curls, triceps extensions, flat, decline or incline flies, calf raises, leg curls and much more.

4 Rules for Training Like A Pro- Athlete

Are you envious of the guys you watch on television during athletic competition seasons? All you need is to train your body just like those athletes. Performing like a professional athlete entails more than just working on a stationary bike or a treadmill. These simple cardio exercises aren’t sufficient. What is required is a better program that focuses on strength, aerobics, and power.

How To Improve Athletic Performance

1. Explosive training

Explosiveness is all about the tempo of weightlifting. When weight training, perform slow reps and ensure that you maximize muscle tension. This technique is safe and it promotes muscle growth. To be explosive, start by lifting little weight and then do it at the fastest possible speed. As you continue, increase the weight and do a number of repetitions. This method develops powerful muscles and you will be able to perform quick lifts. This is what we call explosiveness. 

2. Fast movements

HIIT-High Intensity Interval Training is a technique that works for athletes. It trains the body muscles to work hard without getting fatigued. HIIT improves your speed and keeps you ripped. Best exercises for athletes that create fast movements include hill sprinting, sled pushes, and treadmill sprinting. Try these exercises two times in a week in 15 to 20 minutes sessions.  

3. Core training

Core muscles are trained for actions. It is a common belief that the abs are made of proper nutrition; however, if you focus on how to improve athletic performance, it is a must that you pick exercises that will work on your core muscles, not just for aesthetic value but for more action.

4. Backside training

The best athletes have a strongly built backside. The back consists of hamstrings, glutes, lats and spine muscles. Strong back muscles showcase power and speed of an individual. It means that you are meticulous in your training.

Training for athleticism is not only all about Olympic preparations. Anybody can improve on their normal training by employing explosiveness, power, and efficiency. Athleticism is centered on power, acceleration, balance and agility.

How To Stay Motivated To Lose Weight

After setting your weight loss goals, the next challenge will be on how to stay motivated to lose weight. Even though weight loss can seem like a daunting task, there are some simple techniques that you can use to ensure that you remain motivated for a long period of time and have fun in the process.

Don’t use crash or fad diets

When you start a chili powder or maple syrup diet, it will be difficult to stick with it. It can also be quite difficult to remain committed to a diet that is all-protein or carb-free. When you engage in something that is not natural, it will end up failing in the longterm. In simple terms, there is no single quick-fix for weight loss.

Avoid setting food off-limits

If you decide that you are not going to touch pizza, the more you will crave for it. Therefore, rather than eliminating this type of food altogether, a good idea would be to limit the food. When you tell yourself that you cannot have a certain type of food, not only will it be terrible but you will consider it a punishment.

 

 

Find an alternative way of coping with emotions

Most people have unhealthy ways of coping with their emotions. When happy, they eat. When sad they eat. When they don’t have something good to do, they eat. Unfortunately, these are unhealthy ways of coping with your emotions. Consider when and why you eat rather than just what you eat. Is it that you eat without giving a damn when watching TV?

Seek support

When you have support, it is easier to achieve anything you want. Even where your family and friends do not care about your weight loss goals, they are likely to make the journey easier. You can even join a group such as weight watchers.

Have a food journal
    
People who are always writing down everything they eat are more likely to succeed in their weight loss goals than those who don’t.


You can follow Muscle Prodigy for more information on motivational tips for weight loss, that can keep you and your diet on the winning track of losing weight.

Key things to observe for chest strength training

Chest strength training is key not only to all men but also to women. Most of the males feel great when they have a stronger and protruding chest. It helps them to lift the weights and also, to engage in other exercises with ease. You do not have to think twice about this. However, if you are a rooky, there are various things you need to observe so that you do not do it wrongly. Look at the following keenly.

The time one takes for training

Time is a key factor in training. For instance, the length of time one takes determines whether he or she will achieve maximum benefit to the body muscles or not. The minimum length of time for one to exercise is 30 minutes. However, depending on the need and the type of exercise, one can go beyond this, for instance, to 40 minutes or even one hour. When doing chest weight training, one must not forget this.

Resting time

Good exercise normally allows resting. There are however, people who practice for more than two hours and ignore to have their muscles rest. This is highly discouraged by the health and training specialists as it can adversely affect the muscles. For instance, the increased accumulation of various wastes in the muscles and joints will not get a chance to be eliminated from the body and therefore, the muscles might over contract or relax due to inefficient supply of oxygen and nutrients. When formulating your ultimate chest workout, you should not forget about this. Give yourself at least a thirty minute’s break or so and you will be very okay.

Body nutrients

What you eat normally affects your ability to build the chest. This is one of the chest training tips that everyone must remember. Normally, people are encouraged to take a balanced diet. Those who like feeding on fatty foods or rather, large calories and avoid a balanced diet are encouraged to put a stop on that. They should adhere to the correct way of doing it as described here.

Together with your peers, get to work with muscle prodigy.