Muscle & StrengthSquats work more than your legs, and bicep curls work basically just your biceps. Here's why that distinction matters for programming.
Movements that work multiple muscle groups and joints simultaneously โ squats, deadlifts, bench press, pull-ups, overhead press. These build the most overall strength and burn more calories per session due to the larger amount of muscle recruited.
Movements targeting a single muscle and joint โ bicep curls, leg extensions, lateral raises. Useful for addressing specific weak points or adding extra volume to a muscle without additional fatigue on the whole body.
For time efficiency and overall strength development, compound lifts give the best return on invested effort โ a few compound movements can cover most of the muscle groups in a single session.
Bringing up a lagging muscle group, working around an injury that limits compound movements, or simply adding extra targeted volume once the compound work is done โ isolation exercises are a supplement, not a replacement.
Muscle & StrengthThe single most important principle in strength training, boiled down without the jargon.
