Analysis Version
v1
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assertion
Analysis v1
Supported

Even if one exercise uses more muscles than another, both can make the same muscle grow just as big if you train hard enough.

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Pro
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Against

Evidence from Studies

Supporting (1)

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Community contributions welcome

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Hip thrust and back squat training elicit similar gluteus muscle hypertrophy and transfer similarly to the deadlift

Randomized Controlled Trial
Human
2023

Even though squats work more muscles overall, they didn’t make your butt grow bigger than hip thrusts did—when both exercises were done the same number of times and with the same effort.

Contradicting (2)

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Community contributions welcome

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Cluster sets and traditional sets elicit similar muscular hypertrophy: a volume and effort-matched study in resistance-trained individuals

Randomized Controlled Trial
Human
2025 Jun

This study didn't compare big multi-joint exercises to single-joint exercises — it just compared two ways of doing the same exercises, so it doesn't tell us whether compound moves build more muscle than isolation moves.

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Volume-equated high- and low-repetition daily undulating programming strategies produce similar hypertrophy and strength adaptations.

Randomized Controlled Trial
Human
2016 Jul

This study found that lifting heavy and lifting lighter weights — both using big multi-joint exercises like squats and bench presses — built muscle just as well when the total work was the same. That means big exercises aren’t worse than single-muscle moves for growing muscle, which goes against the claim.

Similar Assertions

Total muscle mass recruited during a compound exercise does not determine the magnitude of hypertrophy in a target muscle when compared to an isolation exercise with matched training volume and effort.

45
0
86%

If you lift weights until you're almost too tired to do another rep, you'll likely build bigger muscles—but your strength gains won't be any better than if you stopped earlier, as long as you're doing the same total amount of work and lifting the same weight.

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0
74%

If you're new to lifting, doing three sets of an exercise might not build more muscle than just doing one set—as long as you push each set to the point where you can't lift anymore.

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47
73%

Total training volume, training intensity, and consistency are more significant determinants of muscle hypertrophy than the specific muscle length at which training occurs.

45
0
72%

Changing up your workout routine all the time—like switching exercises every week—won’t make your muscles grow bigger than sticking to the same routine, even if you do more total work in the varied version.

46
0
72%

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