VIDEO
Side Plank Variation, Pushup Side Plank, Plank Variation
- Biceps
- Upper Back
- Lower Back
- Shoulders
- Gluteus
- Quads
- Thighs
- Calves
Level:Intermediate
Trainer:Angela Matthews
Equipment:No Equipment
Side Plank Variation, Pushup Side Plank, Plank Variation
- Biceps
- Upper Back
- Lower Back
- Shoulders
- Gluteus
- Quads
- Thighs
- Calves
Level:Intermediate
Trainer:Angela Matthews
Equipment:No Equipment
Lay face down on the mat. Your elbows should be in line with your shoulders and, your feet - shoulder-width apart. Now push your body up bearing the weight on your forearms and feet. Remember to keep your body straight.
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Blog
Many people mistakenly believe that developing shoulder muscles is not important. Well, obviously, it’s not true. So why is it important to work on the shoulder muscles and how to improve them is the topic of this article.
What Are Shoulder Muscles?
Shoulder muscles are basically the muscles that provide shoulder movement. These muscles are voluntary, meaning we control their work. The main functions of the shoulder muscles are the following:
Holding the shoulder joint and its bones in place
Allowing your shoulder joint to rotate
Providing the ability to move your arms forward, up, and down
Shoulder joint protection
As you can see, these muscles are extremely important for performing basic things such as lifting objects or holding something. In addition to that, these muscles are rather important for certain sports that require lots of jerky movements in the shoulder area. For example, dancers, basketball players, tennis players, swimmers, and others. All in all, shoulder muscles do a lot of work, which is why we have to develop them.
Why Do I Need to Work on My Shoulder Muscles?
We have already partly answered this question above, but we’ll give you a more detailed answer just to make things clear. First of all, strong shoulder muscles are a must for many athletes, dancers, and fitness enthusiasts who actively involve arms and shoulders in their activities. The thing is, these muscles are rather fragile, and jerky movements can lead to an injury. At the same time, if one works on these muscles regularly, they significantly lower the risks of possible injuries. But what about people who are not professional dancers or athletes? Well, even if you are not a pro athlete, you still need to go to the gym at least a few times a week to maintain your health, and simple workouts can also cause an injury if you have weak shoulder muscles. So as you might have already understood that working on the shoulder muscles is a must for everyone.
Exercises for Improving Shoulder Muscles
So what workouts can you do to improve your shoulders? Well, why don’t you consider the following ones:
Push-ups
Barbell overhead press
One-hand push-ups
Half-kneeling landmine press
Dumbbell shrugs
Arnold press
Sideways dumbbells
Push press
Barbell press
Wide-grip seated row
Final Thoughts
Stronger muscles minimize the risks of having severe injuries while working out or even doing your regular chores. So no matter if you are a pro athlete or dancer or just a regular person, you should consider working on your shoulder muscles.
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Lower back muscles easily get sore and injured as well as are rather challenging to train. At the same time, these muscles are essential for one’s back health. So what is the anatomy of lower back muscles, and how to develop them? This is exactly what we are going to talk about in this article.
Lower Back Muscles: Anatomy & Functions
The lower back muscle group consists of several muscles, which are multifidus muscles, erector spinae, spinalis, and latissimus dorsi. These muscles are essential for posture, moving, and even involved in the walking process. In fact, lower back muscles are super important for normal functioning, and those people who have suffered any lower back injuries know it. In addition to that, these muscles are actively involved in the special moves in certain sports like gymnastics as well as in various dance styles. So even though these muscles seem to be small and unimportant, yet they actually have lots of functions.
Why Is It Important to Develop Your Lower Back Muscles?
Many people believe that, in terms of the spine, you only need to work on the trapezius and upper back since these muscles are essential for the right posture. Certainly, it’s not exactly true. In fact, you have to work on your entire spine to harmoniously develop all the muscles of your back. Plus, the lower back easily gets injured, especially if you lift something heavy, but if you have strong and developed lower back muscles, you can reduce the risks of having such an injury. So no matter if you are an office worker or a professional athlete or dancer, you need to work on your lower back muscles.
Workouts for the Lower Back Muscles
So how can you make your lower back muscles stronger and therefore lower your chances of getting a nasty injury? Well, here are some exercises you might want to try:
Rack pull
Harvesting apples
Bent over row
Side stretching
Barbell good morning
Belly roll
Back extension
Side plank
Superman
Glute hamstring raise
These simple exercises will no doubt help you make your lower back stronger and healthier, so do not hesitate and give them a try.
Final Thoughts
Developed lower back muscles are not only needed for professional athletes or dancers but also for those people who want to maintain their back health. So make sure to include at least a few lower back workouts into your exercise routine. Trust us, you won’t regret it.
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Relief of the biceps is one of the main goals of everybody who does sports and works on their body. At the same time, it’s pretty hard to develop these muscles because of a wide variety of reasons. In this article, we’ll talk about biceps and how to develop these muscles. So let us dive in.
What Is Biceps?
The biceps is the muscle of the upper arm that consists of two parts, which are the long head and the short head. The muscle is connected to the bone with the proximal biceps tendons in the shoulder joint and the distal biceps tendons in the elbow joint. To put it simply, the biceps is a big muscle that is situated in the upper arm from the shoulder to the forearm. The main function of the biceps is to extend and flex the arm at the elbow. It also helps rotate the forearm and hand. So basically, this muscle allows us to lift objects, hold heavy things, and do many other daily things.
Tips on How to Grow Biceps?
Certainly, everybody dreams of relief biceps muscles, but achieving this goal is not that easy. In fact, except for working out, you need to do a lot of other stuff to grow biceps muscles. So here are some tips and tricks on how to grow biceps fast and stress-free:
Eat more protein. For building any muscle, our body needs amino acids and the best way to get them is to eat more protein.
Exercise regularly. In order to succeed in any area, you need to practice regularly. The same goes for developing bicep muscles - you need to work out regularly.
Consider having your thyroid checked. If you eat protein and exercise but you still see no progress, you might want to visit a doctor and have your thyroid checked because there might be some hormonal issue.
Don’t be upset if you don’t see immediate results. Growing biceps takes quite a lot of time, so don’t be upset if after a few weeks of training you see no result. Just continue moving towards your goal, and soon, you’ll reach it.
Make sure you do the right workouts. Not all arm workouts are aimed at the biceps, so you have to ensure you do the right exercises. If you have any doubts, you can always consult your personal trainer or check out this information on the internet.
These simple tips will help you reach your goal faster, so make sure to use them.
Best Workouts Biceps
To wrap up, we would like to provide you with some basic biceps workouts. So without any further ado, here they come:
Barbell curl
Standing dumbbell curl
Cable curl
Zottman curl
Chin-up
Barbell bent-over row
Reverse-grip bent-over row
Underhand seated row
EZ-bar preacher curl
Twisting dumbbell curl
Cable hammer curl
Inverted row
Hammer curl
Meadows row
Concentration curl
Seated cable row
Incline dumbbell curl
Final Thoughts
Gorgeous relief biceps is a dream come true for many men and women. But why dream of it if you can make it real? Explore the biceps workouts in the video section and make your dream of having developed biceps come true.
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In the initial stages of training, while people focus on working the chest, arms, and back, the calf muscles are often neglected. As a result, exercises to strengthen the calves are delayed or rarely performed, resulting in a lack of progress. The calf muscles, like the deeper muscles of the back, get little rest during the day because they must support the weight of the body, help maintain balance, and stabilize the joints when walking. This means it is at a lower level of development and the approach to working with it should be different.
Thus, we decided to share some exercises for strengthening your calves. Let’s check them out.
Calf 45
Of all the exercises intended to develop the calf muscles, this exercise is one of the most challenging. It involves changing the angle of the legs, which involves not only the calves but also the soleus muscles. To perform this exercise, you will need the Gackenschmidt's Machine. Depending on the design, you will stand in front of it or not. Set an appropriate working weight. This is calculated as the arithmetic mean of the working weights from the previous two exercises. Then adjust the weights according to the load. Then lower the heel and stretch the calf as much as possible. Lift with the toes. Hold under extreme tension for 1-2 seconds.
Dumbbell Calf Raises
This exercise is designed for all levels of athletes and is considered a basic exercise to build calf muscles. Start with standing on a wooden block. You can do this in Smith by placing a step platform under your feet and placing a barbell on your shoulders. Hold your body in a straight position. If you need extra weight, you should take dumbbells or kettlebells. Next, lower your heels under the bar and stretch your ankles as much as possible. Stand up on your toes in a powerful impulsive movement. Hold this position for 1-2 seconds and pull your calves up. Slowly lower yourself back to the starting position.
Squat Calf Raises
This exercise is great for lazy workouts and will be a great option for beginners. Sit on the seat of the training machine. Place your toes on the support step. Bringing your heels down to the floor as far as possible, lower the lever with the soft stop to your knee and lock it.
Leg Press
Lie down on a leg press machine. Find a platform where your legs are straight. Fix the speed. You only need to do two movements. Removing the platform from your foot, squeeze it with your toes. Return your toes to their original position.
It is important to know that posture has a much greater impact on the development of the shin and calf muscles than movement. Flat feet, if not taken into account and compensated for, can also prevent the shaping of the calves. To improve the calves without exercising, the selection of the proper footwear and a corrected gait is necessary.
Well-trained calves will help you perform certain exercises better as well as make your legs look great. So take another look at these exercises and be sure to try them next time.
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The quadriceps is a large and strong muscle that acts as the primary extensor of the knee joint. Because the knee joint carries most of the body's weight, the quadriceps is the main muscle of the lower thigh. Weakness of this muscle, in fact, would simply make it impossible for people to maintain an upright posture. Quads are made up of the four coronary muscles: the straight, inner, outer, and middle muscles. In spite of this, during various exercises, the load falls completely on this muscle. Sure, strengthening your quads is important, so let's give a quick look at a few of the best exercises for them.
Barbell and Dumbbell Lunging
You can do lunges in many different ways. You can do this either with a barbell, or dumbbells, while walking around the gym, or from a stand-up position. Let's consider a variation where the athlete stands in a position using a barbell or dumbbell. This position is similar to the squat position with a barbell on your back. Take a step forward with your right foot. The lunge should make the thigh of the working leg to be parallel to the ground at the low point. Simultaneously, the knee of the left leg almost touches the floor, also forming a 90-degree angle. Back to the previous position. Change legs - take a step forward with your left leg.
Leg Press
The leg press takes as much of the work out of your back and hips as possible. At the same time, it allows you to train with a much heavier weight than a deep squat. In order to place the load on your quads, your feet should be shoulder-width apart while doing the leg press.
Just follow the right workout technique. Press your back and head firmly against the bench, with your legs almost completely straight and resting on the frame and your hands firmly gripping the handles. Bending the knees, form a straight angle between the thighs and calves. Lower the legs back to the previous position.
Single-Leg Squat
Make single-leg squats if you can't go to the gym to train with training machines. It is a perfect way to get your quads workout done. Because it allows you to load your legs without using extra weight. Start in a standing position, extending one leg slightly forward. While squatting down, extend the leg forward and straighten it. Get back to the previous position. Repeat at least 10 times for each leg.
Kick Squat
Standing with feet shoulder-width apart and toes slightly to the side, place your hands at your waist or cradle them in front of your chest. Focus on the center of your feet. Squat down horizontally at the hips, remembering to keep your back straight. Stand up shifting your weight to one side. Lift your knee to a horizontal position and make a kick with your foot. The kick should be done in one movement.
Squats With Fitness Ball
Position your feet a little wider than shoulder-width apart with your toes out to the sides at a 45-degree angle. Grasp the fitness ball, keeping a tense and natural bend at the waist, straight shoulders, and neck. Holding the exercise ball, raise your arms up to shoulder height. As you inhale, begin to bend your knees to your sides, making sure they don't stick out past your toes. Your hips should go down first. Your weight is on your heels. Bring your back slightly forward as you squat down and extend your arms to lift the exercise ball over your head. Perform 30-50 repetitions.
Final Thoughts
Every person dreams of having beautiful legs, and luckily, getting great quads isn't that hard if you know what to do. So why don't you try these exercises?
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