Exercise in movement patterns not isolation

Whether you are doing strength or cardio training it is important to exercise in movement patterns not isolation.This means you should combine one or more exercises together or train with a specific movement for whatever activity or sport that you are training for. Isolation exercises are good for building strength but don’t really work on overall function.

The human body rarely works in isolation like when we stand or sit in the weight room and do a plain old bicep curl. In most things we do both our upper and lower body are involved at the same time, especially when training for sports. The human body moves in multiple planes with multiple joints at a time and it is a rarity where it only works using one muscle group at a time so you shouldn’t train like this.

Your goal should be to train with multi-joint exercises and movement patterns that mimic your sport/activity or everyday life. An example of this is a squat where you pick up a bar off of the ground in front of you, then lift the bar up and over your head and then bring it back down and put it back on the ground. This exercise involves many muscle groups and is appropriate for your daily activities and many sports. This will give you true functional strength rather than just big muscles!

About the Author: Alex K is an online Fitness Professional providing health and wellness to the world through his online workout program Cardio Blast. Members of www.Cardioblast.com receive new cardio workouts every week, full meal planning, fitness tracking and customized online workout programs.