[tongzilla]

Another info packed post from Matt.
The whole idea of a well designed free weights program is that you develop transferable functional strength and power. Just because a squat or power clean doesn't resemble a golf stroke, it doesn't mean it won't add power to it. In fact, it's quite the contrary.

The reason why doing isolation work produce suboptimal results is the same reason why barbells work so well. The human body functions as a complete system -- it works that way and it likes to be trained that way. The 'Training Specificity' camp believes that you must acquire strength in a very similar way in which the strength will be used. However, it is the nervous system that controls the muscles, i.e. 'neuromuscular'. There is no such thing as neuromuscular specificity, and exercise programs must respect this principle the same way they respect the Law of Gravity.

Barbell and dumbell programs when properly performed are essentially the functional expression of human skeletal and muscular anatomy under a load. Balance between all the muscles used in the movement is inherent in the exercise because all the muscles involved contribute their anatomically determined share of the work. Free weights allow weight to be moved in exactly the way the body is designed to move it, since every aspect of the movement is determined by the body.

Unfortunately, most people don't know how to do barbell training correctly. And most people who claim to know how don't .