Muscle Building Isolation vs. Integration – Part 1

How to Build Muscle | Isolation vs. Integration – Part 1

In today’s post, I want to show you the difference between isolation and integration in training. While it is true you can never truly isolate a muscle group, there are some tips and tricks you can use to improve the “INTENTION” of what you’re doing.

You’ll see in the first video where Ferruggia used a technique of sliding back on a bench, changing the angle of the pull for his shoulder, in order to try and minimize the contribution of the mid and upper back musculature. In this way, he could try and isolate his lat and try to get his lat to facilitate a very powerful and more focused muscular contraction – moving the shoulder from flexion to extension.

In the second variation you’ll see Colin perform a prone dumbbell row variation that also introduces a thoracic flexion and extension. This integrated variation tries to engage not only the lats but also the entire mid to upper back while simultaneously improving thoracic flexion and extension. In my experience, complementing both of these techniques together will give you a comprehensive strength training profile while keeping your shoulders healthy and keeping your lats long and strong!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by James Smith (@smittydiesel) on Nov 27, 2019 at 5:32pm PST

For more joint-friendly, pain-free workouts, check out Ageless Athlete 2.0