VIDEO
Barbell Shoulder Shrugs
- Core
- Trapezius
- Upper Back
- Shoulders
- Chest
Level:Intermediate
Trainer:Nick Taylor
Equipment:Barbell
Barbell Shoulder Shrugs
- Core
- Trapezius
- Upper Back
- Shoulders
- Chest
Level:Intermediate
Trainer:Nick Taylor
Equipment:Barbell
Stand tall, hold a barbell in an overhand grip with keeping your hands just outside your thighs. Lift your shoulders straight up, hold for one or two seconds in this elevated position, then lower them back to the start. Doing the exercise, make sure that you keep your shoulders back and your spine and elbows are straight.
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This time we suggest paying special attention to the chest muscles. It is this zone that many athletes want to pump, but it is not so easy to do and one classic chest press is not enough.
Chest muscles are one of the most complex and largest muscle groups.
Therefore, competent training must be a combination of basic and isolation exercises. Only in this way, it will be possible to load the muscles at different angles. Exercises with barbells are suitable for increasing muscle mass, and with dumbbells, on blocks and training machines - for improving the form and detailed elaboration. These exercises also activate the stabilizing muscles.
Imagine that the chest muscle is a rubber band that connects the shoulder, collarbone, and sternum. If you lift your arm to the side and then pull the elastic band, it will move your shoulder forward. You do this movement all the time in your normal life like when you close a door, push something away with force, or elbow your jaw.
Most pectoral muscle exercises repeat this movement. The only difference is that they also use a barbell, dumbbells, or crossover slings to create extra resistance.
The chest muscle has two heads: an upper head (clavicle) and a lower head. Their functions are slightly different, and this is important. In order to have a symmetrical chest, you need to pump both heads.
The fibers of the clavicular head are directed upward, so you need to move the shoulder forward from the bottom to the top for additional exercise.
Many people believe that the more they pump their chest, the faster their muscle mass will increase. In fact, this has a negative effect on muscle growth. The muscle gets bigger during rest when the tissues are recovering from an active workout. There are a few tips on how to properly pump your pecs and not overtrain:
Exercise no more than 2 times in 7 days. In between do physical exercises on other parts of the body;
Do not exercise for more than 45 minutes, as this may cause muscle size and strong growth to regress.
Exercises that help you to pump the chest muscles include:
push-ups.
bench presses.
triceps push-ups.
To pump your muscles evenly, alternate your exercises. The bench press is great, but you don't have to do it in every workout, because there are other good options.
Choose the weight so that the last reps in an attempt are difficult. If you find it easy and your muscles don't tire, they won't grow.
Avoid flying in the clouds during the workout: concentrate on the muscle work. It really helps you to pump it better.
Perform 3-5 sets of 8-12 reps. Do not use weights that are too heavy. Especially at the beginning if you do not have a good command of technique.
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The core is a series of muscles that start under the pectoral and extend to the pelvis. It also includes several groups in the back and other groups throughout the torso. A 'strong back' means a good physique and a healthy body. If you want to learn how to do this, learn to exercise at home or at the gym. Once you have achieved this strength, you can also learn to maintain it.
The midsection is the area of the body often referred to as the core and it involves everything in that area including the front, back and sides. It includes:
lower back.
the traverse abdominis (TVA);
erector spinae;
obliques;
If they are week it could cause lower back and waist pain. However, taking care of them can keep your posture healthy and make you stronger in other exercises like running and walking.
Training. One of the best core exercises is a plank. It provides minimal movement but maximal effort, demanding you to support your body on your hands and toes during holding your body in a straight line from your shoulders to your ankles. Also, you can rest on your knees If you need it or make it more difficult by extending your arms so you’re supported by your hands.
Bridge. Lie down on the floor. Put your arms straight down on the floor near your hips. Bend your knees. Lift your hips up and down.
Superman. Do a little push-up. Lie with your face down and stretch and arms forward and your legs backward.
V-Jumps. Sit on a bench or chair, lift your legs, tilt the core slightly forward so that your body forms a 45-degree angle. From this position jump up extending your hands above your head.
Pushup 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. Inhaling, lower your chest to the ground slowly. Straighten your arms to lift your core up, exhaling.
Inchworm Variation. Put your hands on the ground and your feet - on the elevated surface (a bench). Start walking your hands out, as far as you can keeping your legs straight throughout the movement. Make a pause. Walk your hands back up to the starting position.
Reverse Crunches Variation. Bend your legs at the knees and brace your abs to slowly raise your legs so that your knees are directly over your hips. Brace abs and hold the neutral spine position with a slight neutral curve in the lower back. Exhale as you contract the abs Your head should be kept straight and relaxed on the mat. Inhale and slowly return to the starting position.
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The shoulder muscles are divided into two groups. The anterior group consists of flexors: the coracohumeral, the brachialis, and the biceps brachii. The posterior group includes the extensors: the triceps brachii and ulnar.
The coracohumerals start from the coracoid process of the scapula fuses with the short head of the biceps brachii and pectoralis minor and attaches to the humerus at the level of the upper edge of the brachial.
The brachials start from the lower half of the anterior surface of the humerus and the intermuscular septa of the shoulder and attach to the tuberosity of the ulna and its coronal process.
The biceps brachii has two heads starting on the scapula from the supra-articular tubercle (long head) and the coracoid process (short head). It attaches to the forearm to the tuberosity of the radius and the fascia of the forearm. It belongs to the bicarticular part. Concerning the shoulder joint, the biceps of the shoulder is the flexor of the shoulder, and the elbow is the flexor and instep support of the forearm.
The triceps brachii is located on the back of the shoulder, has three heads, and is a bicarticular. It participates in the movements of both the shoulder and the forearm, causing extension and adduction in the shoulder joint and extension in the elbow.
The ulnar starts from the lateral epicondyle of the humerus and radial collateral ligament and the fascia; it is attached to the upper part of the posterior surface and partly to the olecranon of the ulna in its upper quarter. The function of this is to extend the forearm.
The bundles of the deltoid muscle perform different functions, so it will not work to load them all with one exercise: you will have to include at least three movements in the training. All exercises are divided into three parts: for pumping the front, middle and back beams. Pick exercises from our list below and add them to your workouts. The weight is necessary so that the last repetitions in the approach are given not easily, but without compromising the technique. You can train your shoulder straps both at home and in the gym. But it is necessary to have a bar and a gantry. Weight must be chosen in such a way that in every set it was possible to raise the average 8-10 times. This is how you can increase the volume and mass. If the same goal is set - to increase the strength, to train in the face of more severe conditions. In this case, the number of repeats will be 5-8. The number of reps is 4-5.
Barbell bench press. Take the shell on your chest, bring your elbows forward, tighten your abs, buttocks, legs. Squeeze the bar up, lower it back and repeat. When the bar passes your face, do not lift your chin, but squeeze it in yourself: this way the bar will go along the optimal trajectory. If the projectile remains in front of the body at the top point, and not above it, the load on the lower back increases. Therefore, try to take the barbell behind your head.
Standing dumbbell press. Raise your arms with the selected weight to shoulder level, turn your palms forward with your fingers. Squeeze the dumbbells up and take them slightly behind your head, and then lower them to the starting position and repeat. Do three to five approaches 10-12 times.
Seated Bent-Over Dumbbell Routing. Sit on a bench, tilt your body with a straight back, as far as flexibility allows, hold the dumbbells in your lowered hands. Without changing the position of the body, spread your arms with the taken weight on the sides to shoulder level. Slowly lower the dumbbells to the starting position and repeat.
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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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Since ancient times, developed muscles have been one of the hallmarks of a harmoniously developed, athletic body. There is no such thing as 'abs' in anatomy. This is a conditional abdominal muscle. There are four of them:
rectus;
internal oblique;
external oblique and transversus.
The rectus abdominis muscle is the largest in area. It’s a popular fallacy that there is a 'lower' and 'upper' press, but the rectus muscle does not have such a division. The notorious 'six-pack' stands out because of the tendon bridges on the rectus abdominis muscle. The muscle bundles of the external abdominal muscle begin from the lower eight ribs and extend radially downward. The transverse muscle is located deeper than the other abdominal muscles. In this case, the tendon extension in the upper two-thirds passes behind the rectus muscle, and in the lower third - in front. Partly because of this, the lower abs are less workable than the upper ones. The abdominal muscles are referred to as the core muscles, the muscle complex responsible for stabilizing the spine, pelvis, and hips. Each of the abdominal muscles is responsible for its own functions. One of the most common fallacies in abdominal training is that the more reps we do in a set, the stronger and bigger the abs will be. In fact, the muscles of the abs are no different in terms of training from the biceps. To increase the biceps, you will do one hundred reps per set. However, you will reduce the number of sets and reps, but increase the load. By increasing the number of repetitions in the set, you will develop strength endurance, but the muscle will not get thicker from this. It is much more effective to increase the load, do sets with weights and reduce the number of repetitions in the set. Three factors affect the appearance of your abs: posture, body fat percentage, and muscle development.
Posture.If a person pumps muscles but slouches, and he has excess fat, then the abs will not be visible. If a person does not pump the abs, but he has a good posture and a small percentage of body fat, then his belly will look flatter. That is why it makes no sense to start with the question of how to properly pump the abs. You need to start by working on your posture. The good news is that your core muscles are also responsible for correct posture. And they are usually used in workouts with an emphasis on the abs.
Fat percentage.Measuring body composition on an analyzer scale will show the percentage of body fat, which explains why the abs are invisible. If the fat is more than 15-20%, then it’s hard to see your six-pack. At 15% or less, the abs begin to be seen. 8% is abs athletes have. But do not try to completely get rid of fat for beautiful abs. Fat is necessary for the proper functioning of the endocrine system and other processes in the body. To achieve tangible results, it is important to monitor the factors that affect the percentage of body fat like food, sleep, stress levels, and the amount of daily physical activity.
Muscle development.You mustn’t focus only on abs exercises, you need to develop the body complexly and do a variety of activities. Strength training will strengthen your muscles, burn calories and build endurance with interval training. Recovery activities help with posture, flexibility, and muscle balance. The optimal training program can be selected after fitness testing, which takes into account how a person moves, what restrictions he has.
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