Compound & Isolated Movements

  • CC77
    Compound & Isolated Movements
    on: 2016-04-20 20:46:17
    Good day. I am 38 and feel I have gotten very close to my genetic potential naturally. Currently I’m 5'10", 191 lbs, and 8% BF; I cut to 185/187 at 5/6%. Other than possibly the few pounds of muscle I may be able to acquire over the next couple years or more, it seems that my days of tolerable gains may be behind me, but I'm not quite at the muscularity level I desire at this point and feel it may be time to try my first cycle to assess how that improves progress. I wanted to gain naturally for as long as I could stand, and I think I have reached that point. Over the course of my training history, I have used compound exercises for 85-90% of everything I do in the gym. I have heard that while on cycle, one may incorporate more isolated movements into their training and be able to gain just as much if not more muscle while making things safer overall. My question is, does this seem like a routine thing for people on gear to do, add more isolation work, and if so, what would a good estimate of the overall percentage of training done using isolated movements be, or is it really dependent on the individual? My goal is to gain another 10 to 15 lbs then decide from there if I’m satisfied, but at the same time I want to increase my longevity in the sport and not take too many risks that will lead to me not being able to train effectively when I am much older. Thank you in advance for any assistance you can provide.
  • IFBB Undercover
    Re: Compound & Isolated Movements
    on: 2016-05-18 03:23:51

    Everyone is individual. We all respond differently to different types of trainging. I think that figuring out how to make your training as intense as possible is the key. if you can do this with HIT, using few sets, and not get hurt, then more power to you. If you can't handle getting to EXTREME intensity with few sets, then sure, maybe you need more sets. I like to make sure I get some all out high intensity sets in. Sets where I am giving 100%. When I say 100%, I'm talking about an insensity I have crafted over years and years. Its taken that long to lrean what I am really capible of. Look at Dorian. mike mentzer. Look at the leg work Platz did. It can take a lifetime to really craft that intensity. But I also work just as hard in the higher rep range. Build the fast and slow twitch fibers. Build them all. 

    Yes you can handle more volume on gear, but the point Im making here, is that adding volume can be a mistake. People blindly add sets that might only be limiting recovery. Make sure that you destroy the muscle as effectively as possible, then get out of the gym and grow.