VIDEO

Many athletes as well as sports enthusiasts focus on the workouts for the middle and lower back and ignore upper back exercises, which can lead to a number of negative consequences such as a slower rate of progression or even curvature of posture and muscle imbalance. Correctly selected load and good upper back exercises will help you effectively work out the desired area and, as a result, have a gorgeous body. So let’s talk about building upper back muscles. Anatomy and Function of the Muscles of the Upper Back Anatomically, the muscles of the upper back are represented by the two large areas, which are the trapezius and latissimus muscles. In addition to that, the back bundles of deltas are often referred to as the upper back, as they are involved in most exercises. But from the anatomical point of view, it is incorrect. The trapezius muscles are responsible for the movement of the shoulder blades. They are attached to the back of the head at the top and to the spine at the bottom. These muscles are extremely important for posture and keeping the back straight. The latissimus muscles occupy almost the entire back area and are located on both sides of the spine. Latissimus muscles resemble wings in shape. It is important to understand that the upper back refers only to the part of the lats, which is located under the trapezium. The main function of these muscles is to bring the shoulder to the body and pull the arm back. Peculiarities of Training Even if your upper back is slightly undeveloped, you should not try to build this area by increasing the volume of loads. Such training will rather lead to hypertonicity of the trapezium and problems with the cervical spine than to beneficial muscle strengthening. Try to use no more than 2-3 upper body exercises per workout or put the same load on each part of the back, this will help “tighten” the lagging top without muscle imbalance. It is also recommended to alternate power and repetition modes (in micro-cycles or cycles). This will help to create the most versatile load, as well as balance the ratio of fast and slow muscle fibers, which is genetically set for each person. Finally, while training in the gym, make sure your exercises are diverse as well as focus on different parts of the upper back. If you prefer to exercise at home, do various exercises with dumbbells. You might also want to try rubber band workouts. Workouts for Upper Back Last, but not least, let’s have a quick look at some useful exercises for the upper back: Reverse Fly Barbell High Rows T-Pulls Upright Row Y-Pulls Seated Row Renegade Row Final Thoughts Upper back muscles are very important for the right posture and general back health, which is why you should include some exercises for this muscle group in your workout routine. Find out lots of beneficial upper back exercises in our video tutorials.

The trapezius is an extremely important muscle group that helps us to have a nice posture. Obviously, training these muscles is essential for every athlete and sports enthusiast. In this article, we are going to talk about the anatomy of the trapezius as well as how to build these muscles. So without any further ado, let us begin. Anatomy of Trapezius Trapezius and neck muscles are a part of the upper back and they consist of two layers. These muscles resemble a trapezoid, which is a geometry shape they had their name from. This muscle group can be divided into several parts, which are: top medium bottom Trapezius muscle symmetrically spreads to the side from the upper part of the vertebral column, imparting upward to the cervical vertebrae and to the back. The muscle fibers of the middle part of the trapezius are attached to the outer edges of the collarbones and scapular bones, and the fibers of the lower part are attached to the shoulder blades. There are a lot of different functions of this muscle. In particular, the upper part of the trapezium is responsible for the rise of the shoulder as well as for the ability to raise arms. The lower part of ​​the trapezius muscle is responsible for lowering the shoulders and arms. Finally, the middle trapezoidal zone assists in shoulder blade movement. Peculiarities of Training Since the functions of the various parts of the trapezius muscle are different, you need to perform a variety of exercises to train each of them. The middle and lower trapezius work well when the muscles of the back are in tension, therefore, any kind of pull-ups in the incline and weight lifting will work. For the upper part of the trapezius, you want to do exercises with dumbbells. The most important thing here is to be consistent in your training and you will no doubt see the results. Exercises for Building Trapezius Muscles Finally, let us take a brief look at some of the exercises for building these muscles. So here they come: Shrug Shoulder blade squeeze Upright row Chin-up Push-up Rear delt cable raise Overhead farmer's walk Rope rear delt pull Y raise High pulley cable row Final Word Trapezius muscles are very important for right posture and your back health, which is why no matter if you're a professional athlete or an office worker, you have to work on these muscles. So why don’t you start right now?

While working out most people pay lots of attention to their legs, arms, and abs and quite often they forget about the muscles of their spine, in particular, the lower back. Today, we are going to talk about the health of your lower back as well as how to strengthen these muscles. Anatomy of Lower Back Muscles The deep muscles of the back are some of the smallest but strongest muscles that support the spine. Most people mistakenly believe that small is insignificant, but when it comes to these muscles, this is completely wrong. The deep muscles of the back represent a set of muscles that attach to the spine. These muscles are composed of many thick, sinewy bundles that fill the grooves on either side of the spinous processes of the vertebrae and extend from the sacrum to the second cervical vertebra. These muscles spread over 2-4 vertebrae and stabilize the joints at all segmental levels, which allows each vertebra to work more efficiently and reduces the risk of degeneration of the articular structures. The origin of the deep muscles of the back is the posterior surface of the sacrum, the posterior iliac spines, the mastoid processes of the lumbar vertebrae, and the transverse processes of the thoracic vertebrae. These muscles are attached to the spinous processes of the vertebrae 2-4 segments above the beginning of the muscle. Exercises for the Lower Back Muscles In order to keep your lower back strong and healthy, you need to do some simple exercises for this muscle group. So let us take a brief look at those. Harvesting Apples Starting in the mountain pose. Raise your hands up and begin to stretch your left hand even higher as if you are trying to reach an apple from a branch above your head. Bend your right knee, pull up your right thigh. Inhale and try to feel the tension in the left square muscle of the lower back. Exhale and relax. Repeat this on the other side. Do 10 repetitions on each side. Side Stretching Sit on the floor, resting on your knees, with your hands resting on the floor just below your shoulders. Bring your knees and inner thighs together. Move your hips to the left until you feel comfortable, the left hip is on the bottom, the right is on the top. In this position, look over your right shoulder. Inhale and stretch out along the left lower back and thigh. Exhale, return to the starting position and do the same on the right side. Alternate sides, each time going through the starting position. After doing a few repetitions on each side, you can do the child's pose and rest a little. Belly Roll Place a pillow or bolster against your left thigh, then swing your torso towards the pillow. Continuing to stretch in the spine, place your hands on the sides of the pillow and bend over until you touch the pillow with your ribs and chest. Turn your head to the side that is most comfortable for you. Bend your hips and knees until you find a position with a pleasant, light pull on your right side, allowing your right hip to stretch in the opposite direction from your lower ribs. Relax in this position for a few minutes. Then take a few deep breaths and change sides. Final Word Developed lower back muscles will help you maintain your back health, which is why you definitely want to work on these muscles. So why don’t you do some of the exercises we mentioned in this article right now?

The quadriceps is a large and strong muscle that plays the role of the main extensor of the knee joint. Since the knee joint carries the bulk of body weight, the quadriceps is the main muscle of the lower part of the thigh. In fact, if this muscle was weak, people simply would not be able to keep an upright posture. The quadriceps muscle consists of the following parts: straight, internal, external, and middle. Despite this, the load during a variety of exercises falls entirely on this muscle. Workouts for Quads Of course, it is very important to strengthen your quadriceps, so let us take a brief look at some of the best exercises for these muscles. Barbell and dumbbell lungesLunges can be done in different ways - with a barbell, dumbbells, walking around the hall, or from a standing position. Consider options in which the athlete stands in one place, using either a barbell or dumbbells. It is similar to the position when squatting with a barbell on the back. Step forward with your right foot. The lunge should be such that the thigh of the working leg at the lowest point is parallel to the floor. At the same time, the knee of the left leg almost touches the floor and also forms a right angle. Return to the previous position. Swap legs - lunge with your left leg forward. Leg pressThe leg press eliminates the work of the back and buttocks as much as possible. At the same time, the simulator makes it possible to work with a much higher weight than in squats. In order for the load to fall on the quadriceps, you need to press when setting your feet shoulder-width apart. The execution technique is the following: the back and head are tightly pressed against the back of the simulator, the legs are almost completely straightened and rest against the frame, the hands firmly hold the handles. Bend your knees to form a right angle between your hips and lower legs. Return the legs to the previous position. One leg squatsCan't go to the gym? Squat on one leg. This is a great exercise for the quadriceps, with which you can load your legs without using additional weights. Start in a standing position, slightly extend one leg forward. Squat down, extending the leg forward and straightening it. Return to the previous position. Do at least 10 repetitions for each leg. Kick SquatStand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your toes slightly turned to the sides. Place your hands on your belt or hold them near your chest. The emphasis should be on the middle of the foot. Sit down in a horizontal position of your hips, do not forget to keep your back straight. Stand up and shift your weight to one side. Raise your knee to a horizontal position and kick. The kick should go in one motion. Fitball squatsPlace your feet slightly wider than your shoulders, turn your toes to the sides at 45 degrees. Take the fitball, keep tension and natural deflection in your lower back, your shoulders should be straight as well as your neck. Take a fitball and raise your arms to shoulder level. Along with inhaling, start to bend your knees to the sides, making sure they do not protrude over your toes. At the same time, your buttocks should go down first. The center of gravity lies on your heels. While squatting down, slightly get your back forward, with outstretched arms and raise the fitball above your head. Do 30-50 repetitions. Final Thoughts Everyone dreams of beautiful legs and, luckily, getting gorgeous quads is not that difficult at all if you know what you are doing. So why don’t you give these exercises a try?

The calf muscles are often neglected in the early training stages when people concentrate on working out the chest, arms, and back. As a result, exercises for building calves are postponed or performed extremely rarely, which leads to a lack of progress. The muscles of the lower legs, as well as the deep muscles of the back, practically do not rest during the day, as they have to bear the weight of the body, help maintain balance, and stabilize the joints when walking. This means that it is focused on a low level of development and the way of working with it should be different.Here are some exercises for calves. Calves 45Among all the exercises this one is aimed at developing the calf muscles, it is also one of the most difficult ones. It's all about changing the angle of the legs, which allows you to use not only the calves but also the soleus. To perform this exercise, you need Gakkenshmidt's Machine. Depending on the design, you will be facing it or not. Set a suitable operating weight. It is calculated as the arithmetic average between the working weights in the two previous exercises. Next, select the weights according to the loads. Then you need to lower the heels, trying to stretch the calf as much as possible. Perform a toe lift. Lock in the position of extreme tension for 1-2 seconds. Calf raises with dumbbellsThis exercise is designed for athletes of any level and is considered the main one for working out the calf muscles. Stand on a wooden block. You can perform a movement in Smith, getting a step platform under your feet, and put the barbell on your shoulders. Fix the body in a straight position. If additional weight is required, dumbbells or weights should be taken. Next, you need to lower your heels below the level of the bar, trying to stretch the ankle as much as possible. Rise on your toes with a powerful impulse movement. Stay in this position for 1-2 seconds and tighten the calves. Slowly lower and get back to the starting position. Seated calf raisesThis exercise is great for lazy training and will be a perfect option for beginners. Sit on the machine seat. Place the toes of the feet on the support step. Lower your heels to the floor as much as possible. Lower the lever with soft stops on your knees and lock. Leg pressLie on a leg press machine. This uncommonly effective device for working out the legs can be used for training the calf muscles. Look for the platform where the legs would be straight. Fix the speed. You only need to do two actions. Remove the platform from the stops and squeeze it out with your toes. Return the socks to their original position. It is important to know that the effect of posture on the development of the lower leg and calf muscles is much stronger than the effect of training. Flat feet, if not taken into account and not compensated, also interfere with bringing the shape of the lower leg. To improve your calves without exercising machines, you can simply choose the right shoes and adjust your gait. Wrapping Up Developed calves not only help you perform certain exercises better but also make your legs look simply gorgeous. Therefore, take another look at these exercises and make sure to at least give them a try while working out next time.