VIDEO

Hamstring muscle training is often neglected, but for most athletes, however, it is very important because strong hamstrings help avoid many injuries. They are a group of powerful muscles that extend from the pelvis to the knee at the back of the upper leg. Their two main roles are to extend the leg (pull it back) and bend the knee, movements we use both in mountain walking or running and in everyday life. We engage and overuse them more than we realize, which creates tension and can lead to acute or chronic injuries due to overuse. For example, when you run or hike up a mountain, it may seem like you are primarily using your quadriceps, but you are also straining your hams, especially if you are overzealous or taking a big step to navigating over rocks or roots. These muscles consist of three parts: the semi-tendon muscle, the biceps femoris muscle, and the semitendinosus muscle. Together they form a large group of muscles that work at the base of the thigh. Their main function is to bend the leg at the knee joint. Before performing any strength exercises, it is important to warm up and stretch the hamstring muscles well, because the muscles are often in a contracted condition. Training It is better, to begin with, a 5-10 minutes light workout. This can be cycling, running, etc. Such workouts are good for warming up before stretching, after which you can proceed to the main workout. Training cool muscles is not a good idea. Wise advice for beginner athletes who want to train with extra weight - use a lighter load and more reps at first to gradually develop muscle strength. There are many exercises that do not directly target your hamstrings, but where they help your hamstrings, such as pull-ups, lunges, and squats. However, to develop them well, it is also important to do some isolation exercises where you focus directly on your hams. To help you on your way, we decided to list the most important exercises below. Hamstrings Compression helps relieve pain and tightness. Stretching relieves stress and helps strengthen the ligaments in the back of the knee as well as the hamstrings. Quadriceps stretching with support. This exercise will strengthen your hams instead of your quadriceps. It also improves knee mobility. Leg lift with resting on arms. Lifting one leg is aimed at pumping the glutes, as well as strengthening the hamstrings. Wall Squats. Such squats will strengthen your knees and also reduce pain if any. The exercise works all the muscles that are connected to the knees. Lunges also engage your hamstrings, glutes, inner thigh muscles, and calves. The strength of these muscles determines the strength of your knees. The stronger they are, the more tension they will absorb, thus preventing injury and pain. Exercises with a roller are a perfect way to massage and relax your muscles.

Your lower back includes the 5 vertebral bones that are placed on top of each other with intervertebral discs. The bones are connected there using unique joints. The lumbar spine is matched with the thoracic region above and the thighs below. Individual anatomical structures include : Vertebrae. It protects important nerve tissues such as the spinal cord and cauda equina. Disks. The discs usually provide cushioning and cushioning to protect the vertebrae during spinal movements. Facet joints give a little stability and allow the spine to move in various directions. The facets of the upper lumbar vertebrae are almost the same as the facet joints of the chest and, as it was already written, the main aim is controlling the movement of the spine. The facets of the lumbar are more flexible and facilitate side-to-side movement. The large muscles and complex network of ligaments support serve to stabilize it and enhance your twisting and bending movements. The lumbar supports most of the body. A lot of people feel this kind of pain at some point sometimes. Sedentary muscle atrophy is common, especially if you work in an office and lead a relatively sedentary lifestyle. If you want to make your lower back stronger, start with a regular training program that consists of strength training, stretching, and aerobics or cardiovascular exercise. Training Child's pose. Get on all fours and stretch your arms out in front of you. Gently lower your buttocks to your heels. Lower your head to the floor and push your palms forward until your arms are fully extended. Stay in this position for 30 seconds. Lunges. Lunge with your right foot forward, rest on your hands. Please note that the right hand should be to the left of the leg. Step your right foot about the width of your right hand. Next, without moving your arms, swing your hips forward to stretch the front of the thighs, and hold in this position for 30 seconds. Do the same with the other leg. Seated crunches. Sit with your legs straight, then bend your knees and bring your left leg over your right, placing it on the outside of your right thigh. Pull your right foot closer to your right buttock. Next, bend your right arm at the elbow and put it behind your left knee, as if keeping yourself twisted. Hold this position for 30 seconds. and repeat the same for the other leg. Happy child. Lie on the floor, as you exhale, pull your knees to your stomach. As you inhale, grab the outer sides of your feet with your hands. Slightly spread the knees to the sides slightly wider than the body, pull the knees to the armpits. Make sure your shins are perpendicular to the floor. Hold this pose for 30 seconds. Twisting. Lie on the floor and bend your knees, take your legs to the side, for example to the right. In this case, the left leg should lie on the floor, and the right ankle should be above the left knee. Place your hands next to your head, with your right knee strive downward (to the floor). Stay in this position for 30 seconds. alternately for each side.

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.

The muscle on the back of your shoulder is called the triceps. Triceps originate from the scapula and humerus and attach to the ulna using the triceps tendon. The triceps muscle does the function of extension in the elbow and acts as an auxiliary in the implementation of other movements in the shoulder. During triceps contraction, the vector of movement is transmitted using the tendon. The mass fraction of the triceps is approximately 2/3 of the muscles of the shoulder, so its size plays a critical role in the formation of beautiful arms. By focusing on the biceps, and forgetting about the triceps muscle, athletes contribute to getting inharmoniously developed arms. You shouldn't train your triceps more often than 1-2 times a week. Do not forget that many exercises for the pectoral muscles load the triceps, so make up the training program so that the triceps and pectoral muscles are trained on different and distant days, thus some periodization of the load is achieved. But in some cases, the triceps can be trained on the same day as the pectorals, since all basic chest exercises involve the triceps and vice versa. This means that if you swing your chest, then the triceps already swing by themselves. To increase efficiency, do triceps workouts of different intensities: light-medium-hard, and so on. Rest for at least 1 week after a hard workout. In classic splits, the triceps are usually the most overloaded muscle, due to the very specifics of training in split programs. To increase the volume of the triceps muscle, do 8-15 repetitions. The total number of triceps sets (the sum of the sets of all triceps exercises) is 3-6. The basic exercises for pumping triceps are reverse push-ups on the bench and narrow grip barbell press. In addition, an important exercise is a pull of the upper block with a rope - one of the few that uses the lateral head in the work. Since the mechanics of movements are in many ways similar, it is recommended not to combine the presented exercises, but to alternate. Training. Reverse push-ups from the bench. Starting position - heels touch the floor, hands on the bench behind your back. Slowly lower your torso down, linger at the bottom point, then with an explosive force push your body weight up over the bench. The elbows are directed backward. To complicate things, use an extra load by putting the weight on your hips. Bench press with a narrow grip. It’s the exercise to work out the medial head of the triceps. Lie on a bench (keeping your feet firmly on the floor), grab a barbell or dumbbell with a narrow grip, then lift the weight up. During execution, the elbows should be pressed as close to the body as possible. Bent over triceps extension. It’s for pumping the long and lateral heads of the triceps. When pulling the arm back, make sure that the elbow does not change position (that is, do not swing the arm back and forth or left and right). Also, watch out for the arch of the back - to do this, keep the abs slightly tense. Top pulldown with rope. A key exercise for pumping the lateral head of the triceps. The movement should be in the lower plane - that is, do not raise your arms higher than chest level. When doing it, make sure that the elbows do not change position, and the body does not swing. Remember that when building the triceps, you need to correctly feel the amplitude of the exercises - achieving maximum involvement of the muscles without dangerous impact on the shoulder joint. For this, it is better to use an average working weight. Furthermore, watch your shoulders and head - in particular, don't round your shoulders or lean forward. When doing triceps exercises, the chest should be open, the press should be tense. Otherwise, the load is transferred to the shoulder joints.

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.