Doug Brignole / Isolation only ?

Hi,

I’ve recently listened to Doug Brignole on the Mark Bell’s podcast and bought his book. He basically says that all musles should be worked with isolation exercise to maximise growth.
The benefits should theoretically be that no strain is placed upon tendons and, following the best “biomechanical path”, for the muscle, it should be better for muscle growth, with little downside

He seemed to make a great point.

I had some questions :

Are you familiar with the views of Doug Brignole, and what do you think of his recommendations, from a health perspective ?

And also, what is the main health benefit of lifting weights ? I would say the increased muscle mass…
But there’s also the increased bone density, which would maybe requiere heavier weights and compound/barbell exercises to be stimulated isn’t it ?

Please pardon my english, I’m french and hope what I wrote made sense.

The “biomechanical path”, discussion of tendon strain, and insinuation that there would be a notable reduction in injury risk with isolation movements vs. compound movements is not supported by the current evidence with respect to pain, injury, and pathophysiology of tendinopathy.

Isolation work may be better than compound lifts for hypertrophy in some aspects, particularly with respect to how much fatigue is incurred for a given stimulus. That said, when isolation movements have been compared to compound movements for effects on muscle CSA, the results are mixed.

There are a myriad of health benefits to lifting weights, which we cover in-depth here and to a more accessible level here.

Increases in BMD require loading of the axial skeleton, which could be done with machines or free weights. I can’t think of an isolation movement that really does that significantly.

In short, I don’t find the argument for isolation movements only compelling. You might want to act Mr. Brignole to cite the data to support his arguments, as I am unfamiliar with data that does so.

-Jordan

Even if you could - why would you want to avoid any strain on tendons? Their entire purpose is to transmit force (i.e., via mechanical tension/“strain”) between muscle and bone, which is the basis of human movement. There is also no single “best biomechanical path”.

Ultimately, there is nothing about this that sounds like a great point.

I can’t claim any one “main” benefit of lifting weights. The primary benefit an individual experiences will vary based on their individual circumstances and underlying health conditions. This may include muscle mass, bone density, cardiometabolic health, visceral adipose tissue, neuromuscular coordination, anti-inflammatory effects, any number of other complex effects mediated by neurohormonal/myokine signaling, and likely more things that we don’t even know about.

Thank you very much for your answers. Food for thought.

I might have been a bit too enthusiastic with what Mr Brignole said.