Women often ask me how they can target their problem spots with exercise. And it's typically those places where we tend to hold on to fat: the hips, legs and abs.
While you can't target weight loss, you can create a program that includes both compound and isolation exercises that help focus on working those areas.
A well-rounded program will include basic and compound movements, as well as isolation exercises.
Compound exercises — squats or bench presses, for example — employ a number of muscles, but isolation exercises focus your efforts on a particular muscle or muscle group. For example, dumbbell flys allow you to isolate your upper pectoral muscles and fully develop them. While a compound move like a squat combined with a shoulder press exercise incorporates the use of multiple joints and muscle groups.
If you are in a time pinch, compound exercises are the way to go. And because compound exercises require the work of several muscles at once, they stimulate the most responsive muscle growth. You'll get the most from your efforts by using free weights, dumbbells, and resistance bands which encourage effort from many supporting muscles during your set.
If you are including compound and isolation exercises in your session, begin with the compound exercises followed by isolation exercises.
A quick list of compound exercises that incorporate multiple muscle groups and joints are deadlifts, squats, bench presses, pulldowns, pull-ups, lunges, upright rows, standing dumbbell curls, and step-ups. For example, when you pair a deadlift with an bentover row, you've just created a compound exercise.
A quick list of isolation exercises includes: leg extensions, hamstring curls, dumbbell flys, side lateral raises, front raises, abductor/adductor exercises, shrugs, pushdowns, kickbacks, concentration curls, and seated calf raises.
By incorporating both isolation and compound exercises into your workout regimen, your body will develop overall strength, as well as visible results.
The biggest bonus of this type of exercise - especially for women on the go - the more muscle groups used, the more calories burned, making your workout more efficient and effective in the long run.
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