Women heavy lifters- compound vs isolated lifting program?

kopmom

I was just curious on opinions from most women who are heavy lifting ......

Better results or same results from compound vs isolated lifting programs (For example Stronglifts vs LiveFit)

sarahstrezo

For me, personally...I want to get strong. So, I follow a strength building program. I guess it's about goals. I have zero interest in competing in figure competitions, but the idea of competing in a power lifting competition sounds awesome!
I love the idea that the heavy compound lifting I've been doing has made me stronger and makes certain everyday tasks easier (buying 10 - 40lb bags of salt for our water softener).

Liftnlove

I train more like LiveFit, though i don't use that program. I train primarily for aesthetics and muscle hypertrophy, not just strength. Strength is important to me too, but it's not my primary goal. My routines are based around compound lifts, but I do a lot of volume (16-24 sets per bodypart), i mostly stay in the moderate rep range (8-20), and I do a lot of isolation exercises in addition to compound lifts.

It depends on your goals, but ANY good lifting program should include compound lifts.

BackTatJIM

My Mom is currently doing a little bit of both, we lift together. She has been seeing great results with this split. * based around big compound lifts*
http://www.muscleandstrength.com/workouts/phul-workout

bumblebums

I usually do compound lifts, but occasionally I'll do isolated lifting. I find that alternating between different types of exercise keeps things interesting; I often get sore in unexpected places afterwards. This goes for both cardio and weights.

kopmom

Thanks for the feedback

contingencyplan

Compound lifts should always form the BASE of your program, no matter what you're doing. The reason being is because if you focus exclusively on isolation lifts you won't see FUNCTIONAL benefits from the added muscle you're gaining. You end up LOOKING strong but not BEING strong. And seriously, what's the point of that? You're going to look strong either way, why end up with a body that talks the talk but can't walk the walk? So the question you should be asking is not isolation vs. compound, but whether or not isolation accessory lifts (which LiveFit places a very strong emphasis on) are even necessary. And to that, I can tell you not to a beginner. The added benefit of supplementing your compound lifts with isolation lifts, and starting to work in splits, doesn't begin to show itself until you reach a more intermediate to advanced level. Until you reach that point, however, a program based entirely on compound lifts will be better 100% of the time regardless of your goals. This applies to both men and women. Not only that, but compound lifts yield benefits that apply also to core training and flexibility. Isolation does not.

SweetestLibby

primarily compound lifts. Right now I'm more concerned with overall fitness and strength rather than how my muscles look. Once I've formed a base/foundation I'll start to work in isolation.