Mixed
Single-joint resistance exercises provide superior hypertrophy for specific muscle groups (e.g., rectus femoris, hamstrings, calves, biceps, triceps) compared to multi-joint exercises alone, necessitating their inclusion for optimal muscle development.
If your goal is maximum muscle growth, do not rely solely on compound lifts like squats or bench presses. Add specific isolation exercises for muscles that are under-stimulated by compounds. For example, add leg extensions for the rectus femoris, leg curls for hamstrings, and curls/extensions for arms. This ensures every muscle gets adequate mechanical tension and metabolic stress for growth.
Accordingly, Ema et al. observed that twelve weeks of knee extension training produced greater rectus femoris hypertrophy (~22%) compared to the vasti muscles (≤10%)... These results indicated that while it was possible to achieve upper limb hypertrophy using multi-joint exercises, single-joint exercises may confer additional muscle hypertrophy.
Why this rating
The claim is supported by multiple longitudinal studies cited in the text (Ema, Kubo, Earp, Barbalho, Mannarino) showing statistically significant or clinically relevant differences in hypertrophy, though the paper itself is a review.
Source
Resistance training exercise selection: efficiency, safety and comfort analysis method
Ewertton de Souza Bezerra et al. · Brazilian Journal of Kinanthropometry and Human Performance · 2021
DOI 10.1590/1980-0037.2021v23e82849
More from this paper
- Biomechanical factors such as muscle length and joint angles during compound exercises can lead to suboptimal activation of specific muscles, necessitating targeted isolation exercises to address these gaps.Good
- Exercise selection must prioritize safety and comfort over maximal muscle activation to ensure long-term adherence and prevent injury, even if it means sacrificing some hypertrophic potential.Moderate
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