Strength Beginners Isolation Exercise Benefits and Drawbacks By Paul Rogers Paul Rogers is a personal trainer with experience in a wide range of sports, including track, triathlon, marathon, hockey, tennis, and baseball. Learn about our editorial process Paul Rogers Reviewed by Reviewed by Tara Laferrara, CPT on November 28, 2019 Tara Laferrara is a certified NASM personal trainer, yoga teacher, and fitness coach. She also created her own online training program, the TL Method. Learn about our Review Board Tara Laferrara, CPT on November 28, 2019 Print stevecoleimages/E+/Getty Images Isolation exercises in weight training are exercises that involve only one joint and a limited number of muscle groups. This is in contrast with compound exercises that work two or more joints and more muscles. The biceps curl is an isolation exercise that flexes the elbow joint and targets the front upper arm muscles. In general, curls, raises, flys, and extensions are isolation exercises. Uses Isolation exercises allow you to focus on just one area. You can work on proper technique and load the muscle with an exact amount of weight and reps to work it to exhaustion. Gym workouts using commercial weight machines result in performing isolation exercises. It is common for a gym to have a row of exercise machines, each set up for an isolation exercise of a specific muscle group. The seat height and other adjustable settings need to be noted so the exercise is performed correctly and targets the intended muscle. A gym-goer may do a circuit training session going from machine to machine, performing one isolation exercise after another. Multi-gym machines used at home or at health clubs may also perform isolation exercises. Advanced bodybuilders may use isolation exercises to target muscles that aren't being worked well enough in their usual workouts. A person who has developed a muscle imbalance by overdeveloping one muscle group might use isolation exercises to build the opposing muscle group. Physical Therapy: Isolation exercises are often prescribed for physical therapy and rehabilitation. The therapist determines which muscles need to be strengthened after an injury, before and after joint surgery, or rehabilitation after deconditioning. How to Use Common Isolation Exercises Drawbacks A drawback of doing isolation exercises is that you need to ensure that you work the antagonist muscle for each targeted muscle. Otherwise, an imbalance can develop as one muscle group is well-developed while the opposite can't match its strength and keep body and motion aligned. A person who loves doing bicep curls and doesn't work the triceps may find themselves out of balance. In reality, no muscle moves completely isolated from the rest of the system. Synergistic muscles will also lend some assistance, stabilization or neutralization of the movement of a muscle or joint. This is especially true if the exerciser isn't using the perfect form or hasn't set an exercise machine to their individual settings. If an isolation exercise is performed with too high (heavy) of weight or too many repetitions, it may result in pain or injury. Common Isolation Exercises Chest Fly: Done with an exercise machine or dumbbells. Works the chest musclesDumbbell Side Raise: Works the deltoids (shoulder muscles)Wrist Curl: Targets the forearmsFlat Bench Press: Works the chest — pectoralis majorBicep Curls: Works the biceps. Can be performed with dumbbells, cables or exercise machinesTricep Press-Down: Cable machine. Works the tricepsTricep Extensions: Works the tricepsTricep Kickback: Works the tricepsQuadriceps Leg Extensions: Usually performed with a machine. Works the quadricepsHamstring Leg Curls: Usually performed with a seated curl machine. Works the hamstrings Calf Raises: Works the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles of the calfBack Extension: Works the lower back muscles Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Get exercise tips to make your workouts less work and more fun. Sign Up You're in! Thank you, {{form.email}}, for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. What are your concerns? Other Inaccurate Hard to Understand Submit Article Sources Verywell Fit uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Paoli A, Gentil P, Moro T, Marcolin G, Bianco A. Resistance Training with Single vs. Multi-joint Exercises at Equal Total Load Volume: Effects on Body Composition, Cardiorespiratory Fitness, and Muscle Strength. Front Physiol. 2017;8:1105. doi:10.3389/fphys.2017.01105 Barbalho M, Coswig VS, Raiol R, et al. Does the addition of single joint exercises to a resistance training program improve changes in performance and anthropometric measures in untrained men?. Eur J Transl Myol. 2018;28(4):7827. doi:10.4081/ejtm.2018.7827 Saeterbakken AH, Chaudhari A, van den Tillaar R, Andersen V. The effects of performing integrated compared to isolated core exercises. PLoS One. 2019;14(2):e0212216. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0212216 Gentil, P., Fisher, J. & Steele, J. A Review of the Acute Effects and Long-Term Adaptations of Single- and Multi-Joint Exercises during Resistance Training. Sports Med 47, 843–855 (2017). doi:10.1007/s40279-016-0627-5