When assessing the proportions of newly arrived girls, I increasingly notice an imbalance of one muscle group over another, namely, the dominance of the quadriceps muscle (quadriceps) in relation to the biceps muscle (femoral biceps). Therefore, in the training program we definitely include pelvic-dominant exercises, in which the muscles of the back of the thigh are actively involved.
Elimination of muscle imbalances is not only a matter of aesthetics, but also of health, because low muscle activity of one muscle group in relation to its antagonists (those muscles that perform the opposite function, for example: flexion and extension of the hip) can lead to disruption of the joints, change posture and other disorders that significantly increase the risk of injury in everyday life.
Today I would like to look at three exercises that are mainly performed to stimulate the muscles - the hip extensors and calf flexors. Please note that despite the fact that the exercises at first glance look and perform very differently, they are in many ways “duplicating”, loading the same muscle groups:
1. Deadlift on straight legs or "Romanian" draft
2. Slopes with a barbell on the shoulders, or as they are also called - “good morning”
3. Hyperextension
The main advantages of these exercises are that you will load not only the biceps, semitendinosus and semimembranosus muscles, but also the gluteus maximus, which is especially important for girls who, in terms of proportions, should achieve advancing growth of the buttocks (relative to leg volumes).
The second plus is that you will undoubtedly strengthen the muscles - the extensors of the spine, which in all three exercises play the role of stabilizers (fixing your back in the desired position) and allow us to train these muscles in a static mode, where flexion and extension of the spine are minimal. And so that you do not make mistakes, and work in the gym is competent and successful, learn to fix your back in a stationary state and keep it straight = maintain a neutral position of the back (control the touch of three points in the back of the head, thoracic and lumbar), as this will ensure the safety of your spine. Make the movement due to the work of the hip joint, and not flexion / extension of the back.
Since these exercises duplicate each other - it is unreasonable to use them simultaneously in one workout in a developmental-intensive mode, but if you prefer medium or low intensity volume training, and variety of exercises during a workout is a priority, then why not? But the differences and nuances of each of the exercises, which must be taken into account:
For example, in good mornings, due to the height of the neck, there is a high load on the lower back: both on the extensor muscles and on the intervertebral discs. But, the advantage will be that the burden is not in the hands
The barbell or dumbbells that you hold in your hands when performing the Romanian deadlift is not only an additional load on the muscles of the forearms, but also an active involvement of the trapezius muscles of the back in the load. Therefore, if you suddenly have “trapezoid” grown, even if you didn’t train them separately (and you don’t like it), then see if there is too much volume of this exercise in your program;
In hyperextension, as in traction, a shear load on the spine is not excluded at all (as is often considered for some reason, calling this exercise rehabilitation), but it is easier to follow the technique in it and it is technically simpler than the Romanian traction, and also not so strong loads the CNS. The disadvantage of hyperextension is that it is inconvenient to take more serious burdens in it compared to traction. Read more about this exercise
What exercises to make up a workoutArticle by Dmitry Smirnov, fitness editor of the Russian edition of "Mens Health".
A simple diagram shows which exercises are most important for training and health. It is desirable that exercises from each group are present in the training.
Horizontal presses and pulls.
- Vertical presses and pulls.
- Knee-dominant exercises.
- Pelvic-dominant exercises.
- VPN - exercises.
- Exercises for the core.
1. Horizontal presses.
These are any movements that include flexion of the shoulder and similar to the bench press.
The exercises themselves:
- pushups;
- dumbbell bench press;
- push-ups on the uneven bars;
- bench press;
- one dumbbell bench press;
- press on the block while standing with one hand forward.
2. Vertical presses.
Exercises that include shoulder abduction.
The exercises themselves:
- push-ups with a corner, legs on the bench;
- seated dumbbell press;
- high thrust with a barbell from the knees;
- push press;
- shvung one dumbbell while standing.
3. Horizontal traction.
Movements inverse to horizontal presses. Such exercises train the main area responsible for the normal posture of the thoracic spine and the stability of the shoulder joints. The main thing is to always concentrate on a distinct reduction of the shoulder blades!
The exercises themselves:
- pull-ups on the low bar;
- dumbbell row, lying on an incline bench;
- thrust of the block to the stomach with a narrow grip while sitting;
- rod thrust in the slope;
- Bent-over dumbbell row without support.
4. Vertical traction.
Movements inverse to vertical presses.
The exercises themselves:
- vertical pull of the block to the chest with a wide grip;
- simplified pull-ups;
- pull-ups with a wide grip to the chest;
- pull-ups with an average reverse grip;
- traction of the vertical block with one hand.
5. Knee Dominant Exercises:
The main movement in exercises of this type is the straightening of the leg at the knee, and the knee joint with the carotid joint. In it, the amplitude is always greater compared to the hip joint, which is also often involved in most movements of this type.
The exercises themselves:
- Bulgarian split squats;
- Zercher squats;
- front squats;
- squats with a low stick (bar);
- squats on one leg.
6. Pelvic-dominant exercises:
Unlike knee-dominant ones, they create a load on the back of the thigh. This type of exercise is MOST IMPORTANT for health. All strength, potency, longevity and even safety are contained in your own buttocks! A person leading a sedentary lifestyle typical of modern society often has very big problems with the strength of his rear. And if the buttocks and muscles of the back of the thigh are weak, problems with the back and knees are practically guaranteed. Instead, strong hip extensors can relieve stress on the vulnerable and often injured cruciate ligament of the knee and provide stability to the lumbar spine.
The exercises themselves:
- gluteal bridge with one leg;
- Romanian traction;
- the same on one leg;
- deadlift;
- the same on one leg.
7. VPN - exercises (rotating the shoulder outward):
When we do vertical and horizontal presses and pulls, we heavily load the pectoralis major, anterior deltoid and latissimus dorsi. If you do not balance such a load with VPN exercises, you can violate the natural geometry of the unfortunate shoulder joints - the muscles that have become much stronger, penetrating the shoulder, chronically turn the humerus inward. The result is the same as from squats, bringing the knees together, or deadlift, rounding the back - injuries and chronic pain. Anatomically, VPN exercises contain such a rare movement in training as shoulder supination, that's all. Their task is to BALANCE all that huge number of exercises that rotate the shoulder inward.
The exercises themselves:
- L-leads standing with a shock absorber;
- lifting dumbbells to the chest while sitting;
- lifting one dumbbell to the chest while standing;
- lifting the bar to the chest from the bench;
- snatch with a bar from the bench;
- snatch of one dumbbell from the floor.
8. Exercises that train the core.
Front bark:
- twisting on the fitball;
- front bar with elbows on the fitball, legs on the bench;
- rollouts on fitball.
Back of the bark:
- hyperextensions on the fitball;
- gluteal bridge on fitball;
The exercises listed below, I, as a practicing coach and active athlete, consider harmful. Unfortunately, their harm is not noticeable to everyone, not suddenly and not immediately. I don’t know how interesting such arguments are for you, but along with an increased risk of injury, these exercises simply steal time from us. I sincerely recommend that you spend your priceless
kunda of your own life spent in the gym, wisely and never resort to such nonsense!
1. Sisyphus squats.
These "squats" are quite in vain called squats. "Sissy squat" - "squat for weaklings" - a single-joint exercise, usually performed with its own weight, although there are kamikazes who also take a couple of barbell discs onto their chests. Have you ever heard that squats hurt your knees? So, if we are talking about Sisyphus squats - this is not a myth! Due to the very strong extension of the knees forward, the anterior cruciate ligament of the knee experiences such terrible overloads that the moment may come when the real Zeus with a scalpel in his hands will no longer help you. The funny thing is that these squats are used to "bulge" the quadriceps when viewed from the side. I don’t know why the Sisyphus lovers didn’t like the Bulgarian split squats, which do the same with the hip shape, but without the slightest traumatic load on the knees.
2. Leg press.
The leg press, although sometimes useful, is used in the practice of modern fitness for other purposes. The leg press machine came to us from sports, where with its help athletes were able to train the endurance of the thigh muscles without undue stress on the lower back. The example of Eric Hayden, the Olympic speed skating champion, who did several hundred repetitions of the leg press in his training, is very strong evidence of this. But in our time, the leg press is used to set very conditionally "strength" records. But in vain - when doing a leg press in a power style, your blood pressure can easily exceed 400 units. With such pressure, a stroke goes somewhere nearby. In addition, due to the very small amplitude and rigid fixing of the back, the “heavy” leg press greatly overloads the knees, hip joints and often the lower back. If you still decide to subject yourself to this test, at least press with one foot - you can reduce the negative effects on your health by at least half.
3. Traction to the chin while standing.
When performing such thrusts, the humerus is turned inwards as much as possible, which inevitably leads to chronic injuries of the shoulder joint over time. Try to replace it with chest lifts or snatches as often as possible - you won't regret it!
4. French bench press (and especially sitting).
Do you want sore elbows by the age of 30-35? Then train your triceps more often and start with these exercises. If you don't want to - work on horizontal presses and be happy!
5. Hack machine.
Do you know what the "drawer effect" is? This is a traumatic syndrome of the knee joint, in which the patient's femur tends to crawl forward relative to the tibia bones of the lower leg, like a drawer. This is exactly the kind of stress you put on your knees when you train your hips with the Hack trainer. By the way, all of the above practically does not apply to barbell Hack squats, especially if you do them with your whole foot on the floor and do not put bars, discs and other accessories of killers of your own knees under your heels.
6. Concentrated bicep curls.
This is the most useless exercise you can do in the gym. No “peak” of the biceps, especially if you don’t have the biceps itself yet, it doesn’t develop.
7. Wiring with dumbbells lying down.
I know from my own experience that convincing a committed bodybuilder not to do the wiring is more difficult than forcing the ossified bachelor to wash the dishes right after eating. Any arguments, such as excessive load on the shoulder joint and the uselessness of single-joint exercises for developing strength, do not work on these guys. I really hope that you are not one of those stubborn people.
Ruslan Dudnik
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In we began to consider the topic of flat training, now let's move on to practice and analyze all the exercises in groups.
Group number 1.
Horizontal presses
Horizontal presses- these are any movements similar to push-ups in an emphasis while lying down or a dumbbell press while lying on your back.
- push-ups in an emphasis lying
- dumbbell bench press
- push-ups on bars, chairs
Group number 2.
Vertical presses
Vertical presses- these are movements in which the shoulder moves from a horizontal or lowered position upwards in the frontal plane.
- corner push-ups
- judo push-ups
- standing dumbbell press
Group number 3.
Horizontal rods
Horizontal rods- These are movements that are the opposite of horizontal presses. Very useful in that they train the middle part of the trapezius muscles.
This is the main area responsible for the normal posture of the thoracic spine and the stability of the shoulder joints. It is especially necessary to emphasize when performing such exercises on the reduction of the shoulder blades.
- Australian pull-ups
- dumbbell pull to the belt (all types)
Group number 4.
Vertical traction
Vertical traction- These are movements that are the opposite of vertical presses. The main movement in them is considered to be adduction of the shoulder, and pull-ups with a wide grip are considered the standard of vertical thrust.
- pull-ups with a wide grip from above until it touches the chest
- narrow grip underhand pull-ups
- pull-ups with a parallel (internal) grip
Group number 5.
Knee-dominant
Knee-dominant- these are movements similar to squats (with an emphasis on the work of the muscles that extend the lower leg, and the dominant movement in the knee joint).
- squats (all types)
- lunges (partially)
Group number 6.
Pelvic - dominant
Pelvic - dominant- these are movements that are anatomically a bit similar to squats (here there is also hip extension), but methodically completely opposite to them. It is easier to think of them as a kind of inclination - exercises that load the back of the thigh.
Pelvic-dominant exercises are one of the most important for health. A person who leads a sedentary lifestyle often has very big problems with the strength of his rear. And if the buttocks and muscles of the back of the thigh are weak, problems with the knees and back are practically guaranteed.
On the other hand, strong hip extensors are able to reduce the load on the most commonly injured anterior cruciate ligament of the knee and provide stability to the lumbar spine.
- gluteal bridge (all types)
- deadlift on 2 legs (all types)
- deadlift on one leg (all types)
Group number 7.
VPN - exercises
VPN - exercises(rotating the shoulder outward) - exercises necessary for the health of the shoulder joints.
- L-leads and adductions
- chest lift
- kettlebell snatch from the floor
- shoulder girdle movements down on uneven bars
- reduction of the shoulder blades on the horizontal bar
Group number 8.
Core Exercises
Core exercises. The main task of the core is to transfer forces from one part of the body to another - from legs to arms and vice versa! The core is the center of our body.
- different types of planks
- twisting straight
- twisting diagonal
- regular hyperextension on fitball
- reverse hyperextension on fitball
Group number 9.
Forearms, shins and neck
Forearms, shins and neck are a separate issue.
I also want to focus your attention on the fact that ALL the exercises given in this post can be performed at home. They don't require fancy gym equipment.
Moreover, almost all exercises can have several more alternative versions, both in the direction of simplification and in the direction of complication.
Exercises with additional weight are shown so that sooner or later you will exhaust the possibilities of exercises with your weight and then the period of increasing the load will come, for which we need dumbbells and shock absorbers.
As I said above, when you add just one exercise from each group to your workout (and in the right proportion), you get a complete program. All muscles are loaded, all the basic movements available to a person are trained. In other words, this is the shortest way to achieve the figure you dream of.
True, you will acquire along the way, about the presence of which you will thank yourself more than once for deciding to do strength fitness in general.
In bodybuilding, the balance of planes from a physiological point of view has never been looked at, there is a different approach. In Russia, flat training is not known in most fitness clubs. In any case, it is more important that here it is a technique, you can take it and use it.
To be continued…
Sincerely, Ruslan Dudnik!
If you carefully study the anatomy of the muscles and especially the functions they perform, you can learn a lot of interesting and practically useful things.
In this article, we will delve into the muscles that control the shoulder joint. There is no doubt that the shoulder joints are extremely important in everyday life. In essence, this is a place from which hands grow, with all the ensuing consequences 🙂
In fitness classes, remembering the state of the shoulder joints is one of the signs of taking care of your health and a manifestation of the elementary culture of training.
What is supination and pronation?
To clearly understand what we are talking about here, you should understand these terms - supination and pronation. They are often found in books and articles on training.
Supination - this is a rotational movement of a limb or part of it outward. For example, if the supination of the hand, bent at the elbow at an angle of 90 degrees, occurs, then the hand from the position with the palm down turns to the position with the palm up. In the figure, this is indicated by the number 1.
And it is not so important how the arm is bent at the elbow. Rotation in the direction indicated by arrow 1 is always supination.
Pronation - this is the reverse of supination, a rotational movement that occurs inward. If you hold a handful of coins in the palm of your hand and then decide to pour them out, you need pronation.
The use of the terms pronation and supination in relation to the hand is more or less clear. They are especially fond of procrastinating on bodybuilding forums when it comes to training biceps and forearm muscles.
What about pronation and supination of the shoulder?
We hear about it much less often. And absolutely in vain.
In this picture, the athlete performs supination of the shoulder joints.
And on this pronation.
What is a VPN?
UTN stands for "shoulder outward rotation". That is supination of the shoulder.
VPN exercises are exercises that develop the muscles that rotate the shoulder outward (shoulder arch supports).
Why is this needed?
At the beginning of the article, I focused your attention on the study of muscles and their functions. We read about the muscles that control the shoulder joints:
Shoulder pronation: 1) subscapularis, 2) pectoralis major, 3) anterior deltoid, 4) latissimus dorsi, 5) teres major
Shoulder supination: 1) infraspinatus, 2) teres minor, 3) posterior deltoid
If you carefully consider the picture, much will become clear. A - front view, B - rear view.
Note! The pronators of the humerus are these two largest muscles in the body - the pectoralis major and the latissimus dorsi! And also the anterior deltoid. In training, everyone just does what they develop these muscles in all possible ways. What happens?
It turns out the following. From strength training, the muscles shorten and become noticeably stronger, increase in volume. Pay attention to how ridiculously the arms of massive bodybuilders diverge to the sides? One of the reasons for this is the penetrating effect of the swung pectoral and latissimus dorsi.
The shoulder joint gradually more and more comes into a state of slight, but still noticeable pronation. This is not a completely natural position, and the main load of the shoulder joint should be in a neutral position, and not in a supinated or pronated position.
If we constantly do nothing but pump up the pronators of the shoulders, we create all the prerequisites for distorting the normal geometry of our own shoulder joints. From here to the injury is not far. Especially when doing bench presses, rows, pull-ups. Once! And a sharp pain in my shoulder!
What to do?
1. Include exercises in your workouts that develop shoulder arch supports. This is what VPN exercises are. They develop mainly the muscles lying on the back of the shoulder blades - supraspinatus, infraspinatus, small round.
I will tell and demonstrate them in one of the upcoming articles.
2. Practice stretching the most powerful pronators of the shoulders - the muscles of the chest and the latissimus dorsi. I will also write a separate post about them.
The implementation of these points in training will take 5-7 minutes. But what a health benefit!
When building your sets of exercises, keep all of the above in mind. And when you use other people's programs, at least superficially analyze them for the purpose of this article.
Ruslan Dudnik
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Exercises for, and we sorted out earlier.
Now let's see how best to load the back of the thigh and buttocks.
Pelvic - dominant- these are movements that are anatomically a bit similar to squats (here there is also hip extension), but methodically completely opposite to them.
Pelvic-dominant exercises are one of the most important for our health.
A person who leads a sedentary lifestyle often has very big problems with the strength of his rear.
And if the buttocks and muscles of the back of the thigh are weak, problems with the knees and back are practically guaranteed.
On the other hand, strong hip extensors are able to reduce the load on the most commonly injured internal cruciate ligament of the knee and provide stability to the lumbar spine.
Now consider the pelvic-dominant exercises that load the back of the thigh and buttocks.
Pelvic Dominant Exercises
A great exercise is the glute bridge. Several varieties of this exercise have already been created, but we will focus on the most common ones.
- Glute bridge on 2 legs- with this exercise, you can begin to train the back surface of our legs. The exercise just seems easy. In addition to large muscles - the biceps of the thigh, buttocks - this exercise includes many small muscles of the pelvis and torso, which has a very beneficial effect on the health of the joints and pelvic organs, allows you to keep the physiological curves of the spine, thereby saving it from injury.
- Glute bridge on 2 legs with weights- will increase the load. It is more convenient, of course, to do with a disk from a barbell, since it is inconvenient for girls to do this exercise with dumbbells due to the location of the pelvic organs. We tried, that's why I write about the disk from the bar. Or you can try first putting a pillow on the pelvis, and then a dumbbell on top.
- Glute bridge on 1 leg- An excellent version of a one-legged exercise that specifically loads the buttocks and the back of the thigh of the supporting leg.
Scorpio or Reverse Hyper- a unique exercise for healing and toning the muscles surrounding the spine, for the muscles of the pelvis and back of the thighs. In the gym, you can perform on a hyperextension simulator, at home on a fitball. I do it just on the table.
- Deadlift with dumbbells
- Deadlift on straight legs with dumbbells
- Deadlift on one straight leg with dumbbells
- King thrust
Deadlift with dumbbells- a rather serious complex exercise, during which the most muscles are tensed - legs, back, arms, abs, core, neck. Agree that the movement that occurs during the deadlift is very common in our lives, as we often lift something or someone from the floor - a heavy bag or a child. Despite the fact that you need to perform all exercises with perfect technique, such a mention is especially true for the deadlift!
Technical points:
- the width of the rack in the deadlift should be natural; try to do a few high jumps and after 3-4 freeze upon landing - such a stance is likely to be the most physiological and anatomical for both deadlifts (and squats);
- in the starting position, the bar of the barbell or dumbbell should lightly touch the lower leg, otherwise it will be too far in front and you will pull with your back, which can lead to problems with the lumbar spine;
- the grip should be slightly wider than the position of the hips - this will ensure a comfortable position of the hands and the optimal trajectory of movement;
- the first part of the movement from the bottom point and approximately to the level of the knees you perform almost entirely with the power of the legs - imagine that the floor is a platform that needs to be pushed out, and you will get the correct movement;
- the next stage of movement occurs due to the extension of the back, while the pelvis moves forward. Here it is important to keep the back naturally straight and the shoulder blades flattened;
- in the upper position, do not “turn off” your knees - you should not straighten them completely;
- the reverse phase of the movement should completely repeat the upward movement - first bend the pelvis and move it back a little, and from the level of the knees begin to bend the legs more actively and lower the projectile due to their strength
