The Claim

In young, untrained men, combining multi-joint and single-joint exercises for the triceps (regardless of order) results in greater overall triceps hypertrophy than either exercise alone, but this is due to complementary stimulation of different muscle heads rather than additive effects.

Source: Varying the Order of Combinations of Single- and Multi-Joint Exercises Differentially Affects Resistance Training Adaptations.

What the research says

Supports is higher

Support is ahead, but a single strong opposing study can change this.

Supports
47score
Challenges
0score

These are independent scores, not a percentage. Higher-grade studies count more, so a single strong opposing study can outweigh several weaker ones.

How it works
1 study reviewed
In plain English

If you're a guy who's new to lifting and you do both big compound moves and isolated triceps exercises, your triceps will grow more than if you only do one type — not because the exercises add up, but because they hit different parts of the muscle in different ways.

See the scientific wording

In young, untrained men, combining multi-joint and single-joint exercises for the triceps (regardless of order) results in greater overall triceps hypertrophy than either exercise alone, but this is due to complementary stimulation of different muscle heads rather than additive effects.

What the research says

1 study
  1. Study: Varying the Order of Combinations of Single- and Multi-Joint Exercises Differentially Affects Resistance Training Adaptations.

    When young men did both bench presses and triceps extensions together, their triceps grew more than when they did just one type—but not because the exercises added up. Instead, each exercise worked a different part of the triceps muscle, so together they covered all parts better.

Score breakdown, mechanism chain, raw evidence, ideal studies needed & 1 supporting studies

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