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The trapezius muscle is a crucial straight broad muscle that is located in a superficial position, in the back part of the neck and the upper back. The trapezius muscle has the shape of a triangle, the base facing the spinal column, and the top - to the acromion of the scapula. These kinds of muscles on both sides of the back together are trapezoidal.
There are three parts of it:
Upper part: Once the spine is fixed and raises the scapula. With a fixed shoulder blade, it straightens the head and neck.
Middle part: When the spine is fixed and the head brings the scapula to the spine. With the contraction of all parts of the muscles, the adduction of the shoulder blades also occurs.
Low part: It downs the shoulder girdle when the spine and head are fixed.
The upper trapezius muscles are trained by raising and lowering the shoulders with weights in the hands (performing shrugs). The lower part is trained by bringing the shoulder blades of the back under load.
Training.
Band Seated Row. Sitting on the floor with your legs extended loop an elastic band around your soles and hold one end in your right hand. Squeezing your shoulder blades and making a twist to the right with your torso, pull the band toward your waist. Then repeat the action to the other side.
Planche. It is an advanced gymnastic exercise. You should have a high level of fitness preparation and strong hands. It is the skill in which your body should be parallel to the ground supported by hands and arms with your legs raised.
S-Leg Pushup. Put your hands and toes on the mat. Keep your arms straight, but don't lock your elbows. Align your feet making the straight line with your arms and core. Inhaling, bend your elbows and lower your chest to the mat slowly. Straighten your arms to lift your core up, exhaling, at the same time lifting one leg off the ground.
P-up Variation. Put your hands and toes on the mat. Keep your arms straight, but don't lock your elbows. Align your feet making the straight line with your arms and core. Inhaling, bend your elbows and lower your chest to the bench slowly. Straighten your arms to lift your core up, exhaling.
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The most important muscles in the upper back are the lats and trapezius.
Lats (Latissimus dorsi). Shaping muscles of the back, giving the figure a tapered appearance. Visually widen the shoulders and make the waist appear narrower. They are located on both sides of the spine, and their shape resembles a wing.
Trapezius muscles. These are the muscles that need to be trained if you want to correct the slouch. Responsible for the movement of the scapula. They have a triangular shape; in the upper part, they are attached to the back of the head, in the lower part - to the spine.
Be careful, ‘cos back exercises are some of the most traumatic. In the early stages, use light weights to strengthen the ligaments and muscles to protect the spine. After mastering the technique, gradually and very gently increase the weight.
The upper and horizontal rows are the exercises closest to the anatomical movement of the joints.
Training
Wide grip pull-ups. Pulling up is one of the main exercises for back muscle growth, performed with body weight. First, learn how to pull up correctly, and only then move on to training with dumbbells or a barbell. It is important that when performing the exercise, you should feel the work of the back muscles, not the biceps. Grab the horizontal bar with an upper grip, arms slightly wider than shoulder-width. When pulling up, try to pull the body up not with your hands, but with your back. Pause for a second at the top point, smoothly return to the starting position.
Upper block thrust. The exercise imitates pulling up, go to it only when you learn to pull up, and you can do it at least 8-10 times per set. Important: pulling the bar towards your chest, not your head - this will reduce the dangerous load on your shoulders, a signal of improper performance - to feel the work of the hands. If you can't feel your back, use less weight. increase the width of the grip every time - this has a positive effect on the 'growth' of the back.
Seated pulldown. A basic exercise that includes a large muscle mass, especially the pectorals and lats. One of the best for giving the back a visual width. With a straight bar (see photo), the trapezius muscles are also included in the work.
Make sure that the cable is parallel to the floor during the exercise, the torso does not change the slope, and the back is straight.
Shrugs. Almost the only exercise for isolated work on the trapezius muscles. There are many variations - with dumbbells, with a barbell, standing, sitting or lying down. The photo shows an option sitting on a bench with dumbbells.
When lifting the dumbbells up, you can lower your chin slightly, which will increase the load on the muscles. It is important not to rotate your shoulders or relax them at the bottom of the exercise - this is very dangerous for the joints.
One-arm dumbbell row. Place your knee and hand on the bench. Take the dumbbell with your other hand, pull it as close to your chest as possible, then slowly lower it down. Make sure that your back is parallel to the floor during the exercise, do not round it; do not drop your non-working shoulder.
Important:
As soon as the elbow is at shoulder level, connect the shoulder to the movement - pull it up with the elbow. This will maximize the contraction of your mid-back and upper lats.
If you are having trouble getting your elbow higher than your shoulder, use a lighter dumbbell.
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The anatomy of the human foot is complex. This is a part of the leg with many muscular compartments that perform functions such as balancing, maintaining stability, softening the impact of steps, creating solid support. Its structure allows us to see how evolution has adapted our body to an efficient way of movement - upright walking. Anatomically, it is similar to the hand.
The anatomical structure of the foot is quite complex, due to the need for a small support area to support the weight of the human body. There are two parts distinguished in the foot: a plantar surface (which is in direct contact with the ground) and an opposite - dorsiflexion.
All parts of this very complex mechanism work together to provide us with balance when we walk and exercise.
The lower part of the limb is built from bones of different sizes connected into a single structure. It allows the weight of the body to be supported when moving and is capable of bearing enormous loads.
The bones of the fingers include fourteen phalanges and their connecting articulations. Each finger is formed of three phalanges, except for the thumb, which contains two. They are connected with the parts of the skeleton forming the metatarsus through the articular cartilage. The function of the toes is to distribute the weight of the body equally and to improve balance.
The foot includes sesamoid bones. These are small formations of rounded shape, their number is individual. And there are people who do not have these bones. Their option is to increase the curvature of the transverse arch.
The muscles on the dorsal side are responsible for extending the toes and foot.
The plantar side muscles are responsible for their flexion.
They play an important role in the formation of the correct arch and take on a huge load when moving and jumping.
Everyone needs to take care of their feet, not just people who like to run. Problems can arise from a sedentary lifestyle, excessive weight, or constant work 'on your feet'. The most common problem is flat feet. It can be not only congenital but also acquired at any age. Because of changes in the arch of the foot loses cushioning, while walking, shock load is transferred to other joints, causing problems in the knees and lower back.
You can avoid ankle pathologies and injuries if you do special exercises. We have collected the best, in our opinion, sets of exercises to strengthen the foot, its muscles, ligaments, and joints. You do not have to do everything just choose exercises that you like, make your own complexes. Training your feet even 1-2 times a week will help prevent injuries, become more athletic and run faster.
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The hips are some of the strongest muscles in the human body. They keep the torso upright, control the hip and knee joints, and are engaged during various activities and even at rest. Their proper functioning is extremely important, and anyone should know how they function.
The muscles located on the hip are involved in both hip and knee movements, providing different positions of the hip in space depending on the proximal or distal support. Topographically, the hipі are divided into three groups. The anterior group includes the flexors: the quadriceps and the tailor muscle. The medial group consists of the hip drive muscles: the comb, the long, short, big adductor, and the thin muscle. The posterior group includes the hip extensors: biceps femoris, semitendinosus, and semi-perineal.
The lateral outer and inner thigh muscles are considered antagonistic pairs: while one group is working, the other group relaxes. The abductors, including the middle gluteal, small gluteal, thigh broad fascia tensor, pear, and tail muscles are responsible for your leg movements from the middle of your body.
Essentially, whenever you take a step to the side or turn your foot on the bed, you are activating the abductors. The inner thigh muscles, particularly the large adductor, small adductor, short adductor, and long adductor muscles perform the opposite task, working whenever you move your leg toward the center of your body.
Strong and injury-resistant athletes have well-trained hip muscles. This is very important when it comes to fast sports with a lot of lateral movements, such as tennis or basketball, but also when you want to work out without pain. If your goal is to strengthen your hip muscles, which is really important, but you don't have your favorite leg workout, we will share some great exercises with you.
Wide Squats. Every leg workout should include different variations of squats. This exercise targets the lower body, including the inner and outer thighs. But to really engage your thigh muscles, you should do deep squats with your legs turned outward.
Sumo Deadlift. The Sumo deadlift is based on a similar leg position as in the wide squat. However, it is the external rotation of the thigh muscles that results in increased involvement of the inner and outer thighs.
Side Leg Raises. A 2005 study published in the Journal of Orthopedic and Sports Physical Therapy found that side leg raises without weights are just as effective as other weighted exercises.
Side Leg Pull-Ups. The pull-up exercise can be done anywhere because you don't need anything but a comfortable mat. This is a great exercise that you can add to your daily home workout routine.
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One of the most important running muscles is the quadriceps - the large muscle at the front of the thigh. It has been scientifically proven that regular strength training improves workout performance and reduces the risk of injury, as well as strengthens your back, and leg muscles, making your running more productive.
The quads, also known as the quadriceps muscle, is a group of muscles located at the front of the leg above the knee. It is one of the largest and strongest muscles in your body that consists of four heads: fastus medialis (medial wide), vastus intermedius (intermediate wide), vastus lateralis (lateral), and rectus femoris (straight thigh muscle). Almost every action performed by the legs involves two or more heads of the quadriceps. The quadriceps muscle plays an important role at the beginning of the movement (quick start) and during ascent and descent in elevated positions - which is why you may experience painful sensations in this area of the leg after an intense uphill workout.
According to researchers at the University of Delaware, strong quadriceps act as cushioning and can protect the knees and the entire musculature of the hip from common running injuries. Often many runners are injured because they have weak and underdeveloped quadriceps, so it is especially important to strengthen them.
By training and strengthening the quads, you can get the following benefits when running:
Increased speed. Strong quadriceps help you tackle steep hills and climbs more easily and make pushing off the ground more powerful, resulting in increased speed.
Reduced injuries. According to research, poorly developed quadriceps are often associated with many running injuries. For example, a common injury such as the 'runner`s knee' results from weakness in these muscles, which are unable to stabilize the knee joint during the movement.
Increased endurance. Strengthening the quadriceps muscle will make your running more effortless and efficient, which contributes to increased running volume and endurance.
Training
The quadriceps occupy 70% of the muscle mass of the leg, so it is their development that is fundamental in leg training. The main exercise for developing the quadriceps is the squat. But, for beginners, at the first stages of training, it is better to start with leg curls sitting in an exercise machine, leg press, and hyperextensions to strengthen the lower back, to avoid injuries, in order to prepare the base for the heavy squats. It is a good idea to include squats in your training plan after about six months of training.
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