New lifters get stronger at a movement by doing similar big exercises, even if they don’t do the exact movement, because their brain learns to move better.
Scientific Claim
In untrained individuals, compound resistance exercises improve strength in isolated movements more effectively than isolation exercises alone due to enhanced neuromuscular coordination and motor learning.
Original Statement
“Squats were more effective than leg extensions to build leg extension strength. This finding was also observed in a previous study on leg presses. However, both of these studies were in untrained individuals. It's possible that in untrained individuals the overall benefits for strength development of doing a compound exercise, which is better coordination and letting the brain and the motor cortex learn, teach it how to control your movements better is more effective than the specificity principle, because in trained lifters the specificity principle usually holds.”
Context Details
Domain
exercise
Population
human
Subject
untrained individuals
Action
improve strength in
Target
isolated movements via compound exercise-induced neuromuscular adaptation
Intervention Details
Evidence from Studies
Supporting (0)
Contradicting (1)
Comparison of Muscle Hypertrophy and Strength Adaptations Induced by Back Squat and Leg Extension Resistance Exercises.
The study found that doing squats didn’t make people stronger at leg extensions any better than just doing leg extensions themselves — so the claim that compound exercises are better for isolated moves isn’t supported.