Supine Hamstring Curls is a beginners exercise that will help build strength in hamstrings. I recommend using them in circuits or super sets with squats or dead lifts.
Main Muscles: Hamstrings
Key Points:
– Keep your back straight, core tight and hips off of the floor
– Begin with your Achilles on the ball and knees locked
– Pull your heels towards your buttocks and extend your legs back out
If you are unable to keep your back arched and chest up when bending over you should not reach for the floor. For some people (especially beginners) getting the leg bent into a 90 degree angle is enough.
Main Muscles: gluteus maximus, hamstrings, quadriceps
Key Points:
– Keep your chest high, back straight & core tight
– Give yourself plenty of space between the bench and your lead leg
– Keep your foot flat and push through the heel of the lead leg
– Squat until the knee on your lead leg is less than 90°
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. 👊🏾
The benefit of rowing with a resistance band rather than barbells or dumbbells that demand a steady level of resistance throughout the repetition, is the change in stimuli, which is caused by an increase in resistance as the band stretches further.
Main Muscles: Latissimus Dorsi, Biceps, Rear Deltoids
Key Points: – Keep your back straight, ass out and core tight – You should be bent over approximately 15° – Row towards your waist – Use a slow, controlled movement when extending your arms – Use full range of motion
Resistance bands give us the opportunity to train anywhere and this video will teach you how to dead lift in a place as inconvenient as… I dunno… your hotel room?…
Main Muscles: Hamstrings, Gluteus Maximus, Latissimus Dorsi
Key Points: – Keep your back straight, ass out and chest high – The band should be under the arches of your feet – Drive your feet through the floor and thrust your hips forward when exploding upwards – Use a slow, controlled movement on the descent – Use full range of motion
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