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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.

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.

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.

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.

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.