Dumbbell flyes - Isolation or Compound

[beckylee]

Hi there,

Can someone clear this up for me, I've been trying to follow a workout routine following the 4 day split that I read about on the site. As ive been doing it for a couple of months I try and roatate the exercises so that I can change things up a bit, so that means every few weeks I exchange a compound for a different compound and Isolation for a different Isolation, I get all the exercises from the exercise database.

Today I was reading this article here http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/jamesk4.htm
and it called Dumbbell Flyes an Isolation exercise, however in the exercise database it is listed as compound. Anyone want to clear this up for me?

Regards,
Becky

[eupharies]

Well technically every chest exercise is a compound due to the fact that whenever you do a chest exercise its stimulating each part of the chest to a different degree.
Flyes compared to incline / decline / normal stimulate less of the chest but still stimulate more than 1.

[Juggernaut33]

Regarding flyes, I usually tend to think of them as an isolation movement. I do them at the end of my chest days.

[skarotum]

Well technically every chest exercise is a compound due to the fact that whenever you do a chest exercise its stimulating each part of the chest to a different degree.
.

Uhhhhh, no.

Flys would be considered an isolation, but not for the reasons you state.

[ElderJefferson]

and it called Dumbbell Flyes an Isolation exercise, however in the exercise database it is listed as compound. Anyone want to clear this up for me?

Regards,
Becky

DB flys are definitely an isolation exercise. Also, if you have access to a cable machine (at a local gym), try cable crossovers in place of DB flys. They are far more beneficial.

[BG5150]

Well technically every chest exercise is a compound due to the fact that whenever you do a chest exercise its stimulating each part of the chest to a different degree.

A compound lift, by definition, is one that stresses more than one body part. For example, bench press stresses chest, tris and shoulders, the squat stresses quads, hams, glutes, etc.

An isolation lift, by definition, stresses only one body part. For example: curls stress the bicep, leg extensions the quads.

General rule of thumb: If you are moving more than one joint, it is a compound lift.

So, in my opinion, flyes are isolation since you are really only moving around the shoulder.

[beckylee]

I appreciate all of your input, thank you!

[thebm]

Well technically every chest exercise is a compound due to the fact that whenever you do a chest exercise its stimulating each part of the chest to a different degree.
Flyes compared to incline / decline / normal stimulate less of the chest but still stimulate more than 1.

wrong

A compound lift, by definition, is one that stresses more than one body part. For example, bench press stresses chest, tris and shoulders, the squat stresses quads, hams, glutes, etc.

An isolation lift, by definition, stresses only one body part. For example: curls stress the bicep, leg extensions the quads.

General rule of thumb: If you are moving more than one joint, it is a compound lift.

So, in my opinion, flyes are isolation since you are really only moving around the shoulder.

wrong




a compound exercise is defined as an exercises that involves the movement of more than 1 joint. you could also say that a compound is any exercise that works more than 1 muscle, since obviously it takes more than 1 muscle to move 2 or more joints at once, but that's not how it's actually defined. The technical definition is that it's an exercise which involves movement in more than 1 joint.

with flys, the shoulder is the only joint that should be moving, so it's an isolation

[chazzy1864]

Seems it was all cleared up above me.

Compound = More than one joint moving (if done properly)
Isolation = one joint moving (again..if done properly...I've seen guys move two joints on barbell curl; that is neither here nor there).


Flyes should only have movement at the shoulder, which makes it an isolation.

[eupharies]

I stand corrected