Experiencing a swivel, or swerve, caused by a muscular imbalance in the hips, is a common issue that can affect the rhythm of your squats and risk injury. The root of the problem is normally tight hip flexors (mainly the iliopsoas muscles), adductors, abductors, a weak gluteus muscle, or a combination of several of the above. Therefore it is also wise to incorporate stretches that target those muscles along with single leg exercises, such as Bulgarian squats, lunges, box step ups, etc.
In this video, I will give you a cool training hack that can be used during squats to help correct the problem, but before getting to this point I recommend going through a few weeks of glute activation to make sure that you are able to squat with proper form using full range of motion.
There are quite a few biomechanical issues that could prevent a person from squatting ass-to-the-grass. In some cases, the anatomy of the bones in a person’s legs (femur and tibia) can play a major role, but even those people should be able to squat low enough to get their legs just below a 90° angle, at least. If you are not getting lower than 90° while squatting you will not be using your glutes at all. In other words, you’re cheating yourself!
Assuming that you are among the most common groups of gym goers, and that your femur and tibia bones are around about the same length, you will have to use some crafty techniques in order to bring your posterior muscles back out of their slumber if they have been hibernating. Dominant quadriceps can stop you from targeting and accessing these muscle fibres.
Decline hip thrusters are great for glute activation. As explained in the vid, this exercise is a straight forward way to hit glutes while excluding quads. This move also works for people who have to overextend their lower backs in order to get all the way down, or fall victim to a combination of both.
Is your chest routine getting boring, or have you hit a plateau? Then try this move on your next chest day ❗️ The Swimmers Chest Press replicates the movement of the butterfly stroke, used in swimming. So, if you’re a swimmer and you’re wondering if you could ALSO benefit from this exercise then the answer is YES. 👊🏾
Most of us are not athletes. We are just everyday people leading everyday lives, trying to structure productive gym sessions in with our careers, family, social lives, etc. In order to maximise your time and results in the gym you should be following a split routine, so that you are able to break down each muscle group by itself, one by one, once per week, while still allowing enough time for muscle repair and recovery. Whether you are training to increase strength, size, or endurance, the split routine structure works best for all.
With that being said, today’s focus is on hypertrophy – increasing muscle mass – so your sets should be between 6 and 12 repetitions, which should be the foundation of your routine, but there are some pretty badass techniques that you can throw into the mix that will help break down even more muscle fibres. Thus adding more mass to your physique as well. These techniques are best used in moderation as to avoid adaptation, which can cause a plateau in growth.
Drop Sets
Repping out to muscle failure (until the muscle is no longer able to exert enough force to complete another repetition) and then immediately dropping the weight slightly in order to rep out again, up to three times in quick succession.
Pre-Exhaust
Perform your first set to muscle failure in order to exhaust the muscles, so that you will have to use lighter weights than you would normally use for the remainder of your session.
Negative Reps
Use a weight near your 1RM and only perform the negative part of the movement. A good way to make sense of this is by using the bench press as an example. Have an experienced gym buddy stand over you to assist as a spotter. Lift the bar from the rack and lower it down to your chest using a slow, controlled movement. Then allow the spotter to lift the weight for you. Repeat for 5-6 reps.
Forced Reps
Use a weight so heavy, so that you can only complete the negative/eccentric part of the movement, using a spotter to help you lift it, and repeat.
Forced repetitions are similar to negative reps, because you are supposed to complete the negative part of the movement solo. The only difference is that you and the spotter lift the weight together, but the spotter helps just enough for you to complete the repetition. Sometimes something as mediocre as a gentle tap on the bar is all that’s needed.
Super Slow Reps
Slow down your tempo to 5 seconds on both the concentric and eccentric parts of the movement. This will keep the muscles under tension for longer, adding a completely new dynamic to your workout.
Super Sets
Perform two or more exercises back to back without rest. This is a great way to increase the intensity of your workouts. Jumping from one exercise to the next will help increase your cardiovascular fitness and burn body fat. And there are so many angles to approach super sets.
One way is to super set is by choosing exercises that use opposing muscles, such as a chest and back . Another is by super setting assisting muscles, like legs and back, or chest and triceps. You could super set exercises for the same muscles. The possibilities are endless!
Pound for pound, pull ups and chin ups are the best when it comes to back exercises. However pulling your own bodyweight requires a lot of strength, so what can be done in order to obtain this ability? And furthermore, which technique works best?
For those that are not yet strong enough to do pull, or chin ups, it is best to start with pull downs, using a lat pull down machine. It works just like a pull/chin up, except you are pulling the weight towards you instead of pulling your bodyweight up. Be sure to increase the resistance in increments over time as you get stronger.
Furthermore let’s talk about the differences between each movement and their benefits.
Difference in Grip
In order to do pull ups you will need to take a wide grip, outside of shoulder width, with your hands in a pronated (palms forward) position. Chin ups should be shoulder width, or closer, with hand supinated (palms up).
Difference in Movement
Pulls require adduction of the arm, as it comes from a raised position down to your sides, whereas chins require flexion of the arm, bringing it down and back under the shoulder.
Different Muscles
Both exercises work lats, biceps and rear deltoids, but differ in the level of involvement for each. Because of the wider grip and pronated grip your biceps will be less involved with pull ups. Pulling with a wider grip will mostly engage upper lats since your hands are outside of shoulder width. On the other hand, you can use chip ups to involve biceps and lower lats more.
Conclusion
You will find that you are able to perform chin ups before you are strong enough to do pull ups and this is due to the added involvement of the biceps and rear deltoids. Typically, pulls will add more width to your latissimus muscles while chins will increase the density. If you are looking to build a solid back all-around then a variation of both exercises is the way to go!
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