VIDEO
Strongman Flex
- Trapezius
- Upper Back
- Shoulders
Level:Beginner
Trainer:Zoey Flores
Equipment:No Equipment
Strongman Flex
- Trapezius
- Upper Back
- Shoulders
Level:Beginner
Trainer:Zoey Flores
Equipment:No Equipment
Stand with the arms over your head with your elbows bent perpendicular to the ground. Slowly bring your shoulder blades together, flex your biceps, and hold. Repeat for the desired amount of repetitions.
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ARTICLES
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 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 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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