Corrective exercises are great, but they are not the ones that really move the needle to get us stronger and fitter.
A common mistake is doing too many “corrective exercises”. They don’t bring the same results and their efficacy is questionable. For example, the rotator cuff muscles are more activated during multi-joints exercises (bench press, rows, pull ups, shoulder press) than during specific “rotator cuff strengthening” exercises (PMID: 14971969 ).
Another example is the gluteus muscles, that we often try to stimulate with corrective exercises, seem to be activated just as much, if not more, during compound exercises, when compared to specific isolation exercises (PMID: 22034614).
Then someone could say: well, what if my joints hurt when I do the compound movements?
If you feel pain on any joint (knees, shoulders, spine) doing any exercise, you’re probably not performing it correctly. Something might be missing during your lift. You may not be activating the stabilizers muscles efficiently, not using a good bracing to stabilize the CORE, or you simply don't know the right mechanics yet.
Alternatively, the source of the issue may not be the type of exercise, but the excess of it. You might be doing more than your body can handle (excessive load/reps/sets/exercises). The classic overdoing, overloading, and overtraining.
Therefore, performing the right amount of traditional, multi-joint exercises with proper technique may be all the “corrective exercise” you need.
Isolation/activation exercises are excellent tools as movement preparation (before lifting), but that is it. They do not take more than 5-10min of the training session.
The bread and butter of training should always be the compound, multi joint, big range of motion, relatively high intensity movements. And I say relatively because “high intensity” is different for everyone, depending on their fitness level.
The training benefits (losing weight, getting stronger, building muscles) depend on the adaptations promoted, not only in the muscular but in all the systems. And for that, the traditional exercises are way more effective.
For real results, do real exercises. Willian Alba
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