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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.

Of course, everyone who is familiar with running knows the importance of strengthening the ligaments of the foot and ankles. Another thing is that sometimes it is hard to spend 5-10 minutes on training for ankle exercises: we dress, tie our laces - and run out into the street. That’s sad. After all, the good condition of the elastic ligaments reduces the risk of pain in the feet. And strong ankle muscles improve the power of the lower back and even the shoulders while running and just walking. Best Exercises for Strengthening Your Ankles Of course, there are plenty of good exercises that will help you work out your ankles, so without any further ado, let us have a look at those. Stretching towardsSit on the floor and straighten your legs in front of you. It is important to ensure that your thumb, little toe, and heel remain in the same direction as you pull the foot over. Only under this condition the muscles will be strengthened and stretched in a balanced way, which will prevent collapse on the outer or inner part of the foot while walking and running. When pulling the foot away from you, try to stretch your toes, as if you are making them longer and do not twist them under the foot. Repeat 15 times. RollingFrom a seated position with your feet in front of you, pull your feet as close to you as possible. Put your knees sideways, keeping your feet together. Keeping this position of the legs and resting with your hands on the floor, lean your body forward and raise your pelvis above the floor, trying to stay in position for a while. If you feel the potential in yourself, you can roll left and right, touching your feet with your palms. Ups and downs exerciseTraditionally, they are offered to be done on stairs, but slow doing on a flat surface will give an excellent result. Rise on your toes as high as possible, keep your heels in weight, and then bend your knees, pushing your heels forward. Place your heels on the floor, and only then straighten your legs. It is very important to make sure that your knees and ankles do not roll or fall. Dumbbell squatsSquats are good for developing your ankles and combined with dumbbells or a barbell (if you're already trained enough), this exercise becomes even more effective. Start with those dumbbells that you can lift 15 times without having to put them on the floor. For beginners, a weight of 2-3 kg is suitable. Bodybuilders need to lift more weight to build leg muscles. Perform squats as follows: stand straight, feet shoulder-width apart, arms with dumbbells at your sides and if you are doing an exercise with a barbell, hold it on your chest or behind your head. Sit down, bending your knees and lowering your buttocks to the floor. Keep your back straight and squat until your thighs are parallel to the floor. The knees should always remain directly over the feet; do not push your knees further than your toes. Push yourself back to the starting position. Do 2 sets of 10-15 squats. LungesKeep your torso straight and your shoulders back. Step forward and lower yourself until both your knees are at the 90-degree angle. Make sure that your knees do not protrude over your toes. Do two sets of 10 repetitions for each leg. Final Word Strengthening ankles is extremely important for both professional athletes and sports enthusiasts, so no matter if sport is your life or you work out just to keep in shape, you still need to work on your ankles.

When working out, most people pay more attention to their legs and waist and pretty often they forget about their arms. In fact, if you do not train your arm muscles, then over time, they will become the number one problem area. Luckily, you can easily avoid that by doing some simple exercises that will help you tighten your muscles, eliminate laxity, and improve relief. In addition, some arm exercises involve the spine muscles and eventually improve your posture. At the same time, before embarking on a specific set of exercises, you need to tune in to a good result. As a matter of fact, it is pointless to wait for an instant effect but you should know that daily workouts will certainly make your arms look beautiful and fit. So let’s talk about arm strengthening exercises. Warming Up First of all, it is very important to warm up before you start doing any exercises, otherwise, you can get an injury. To prepare the muscles of the arms, you can do the following exercises: Rotate the hands for 2-3 minutes Do a simple scissors exercise Stretch your arms above your head a few times Warm up your hands by making fists for a couple of minutes Basic Arm Exercises The main set of exercises is performed with dumbbells. You want to start with taking dumbbells in your hands and raising your arms to the sides. While doing this exercise, you have to make sure that you raise your arms to the shoulder level as well as that you do it smoothly and slowly. Do at least 12 repetitions during each workout and you will see how your shoulder line transforms. Let’s move on to the second exercise. Take your dumbbells and repeatedly bend your arms at the elbows. Repeat this exercise at least 12 times per training session. The third exercise in this set is mainly for strengthening your triceps. This is the main exercise, which is aimed at strengthening the muscles of the most problematic area of your arms and it is performed as follows. Start in a standing position and slightly bend forward, take your dumbbells, bend your arms at the elbows, and pull them back a little bit. Slowly straighten your arms in this position. If the exercise is done correctly, you can feel the tension in your forearm muscles. The exercise is also repeated 12 times. sh-ups for Triceps The next exercise is push-ups. It will not only strengthen the muscles of your arms but also tighten the pectoral muscles. It is performed from a prone position. Bend your elbows 90 degrees, lower your body to a distance of about 15 inches from the floor and stay in this position for a few seconds, then lower yourself to the floor completely and again stay in this position for 3-5 seconds. Lifting is done in the same way. The exercise is repeated 16 times in two sets. If you can't do so many exercises at once, you can do more sets, increasing the number of exercises over time. Correct Stretching Once you are done with a strengthening workout, it’s time to stretch your muscles a little bit. Raise your right arm, bend it at the elbow and throw it behind the back. Lightly press on the elbow with your left hand and hold this position for 5 seconds. Repeat the same steps for the left hand. This simple exercise will help you relax your muscles after training as well as avoid or reduce muscle soreness. Final Thoughts Beautiful and strong arms is not a dream, in fact, it’s something you can achieve in a couple of months. So leave all your fears and doubts behind and start working out right now.

Many people believe that biceps is extremely difficult to train. Moreover, they say that this muscle simply does not grow and those people who do manage to develop biceps are simply genetically gifted. Talking about genetics, it’s true, some people really can grow muscles faster. But the thought that the biceps is hard to train is a myth. So let's talk about biceps and figure out how to train them correctly together. What Is Biceps? From the point of view of biomechanics, when we bend our arms, the biceps muscle of the shoulder completely tenses. That means that there is no specific movement to tighten the inner or outer part of the biceps. And there are no special exercises to create gorgeous biceps like the legendary Arnold Schwarzenegger had. As a matter of fact, the shape of your arm is a genetically determined factor, which is why you either have a relief biceps or don’t. So all you can do is just put up with it. In any case, well-developed arms look great regardless of their genetically determined shape. The most important thing here is that it is not difficult to develop them if you do it wisely, both from the point of view of physiology and the training process. How to Grow Muscles? Before moving on to the exercises, let's take a look at the main factors of muscle growth. This is necessary for a clear understanding of the appropriateness of the exercises, which we will consider below. To put it simply, muscle development requires building materials (amino acids), energy (glucose), hormones (that your body synthesizes as a response to training stress), as well as muscle tension, which initiates growth. Moreover, sufficient muscle tension is perhaps the most important factor, without which there will be no progress. Accordingly, for the effective development of muscles, including the biceps, it is necessary to create conditions of tangible muscle tension without unnecessary stress on the ligaments and tendons. This is achieved by proper exercise techniques and an understanding of biomechanics. In the case of the biceps muscle of the shoulder, the width of the barbell grip does not matter simply because any flexion of the arm makes your biceps tense. Thus, your grip should be comfortable to maximize muscle tension with minimal stress on your hands and elbows. This is much more effective than trying to train the outer and inner biceps heads separately by varying the width of the grip. Once you feel no or little muscle tension while doing exercises with a barbell, you can increase the weight but you must be extremely careful with that not to overload your joints and ligaments. Exercises for Developing Gorgeous Biceps Finally, let’s take a look at some biceps workouts, so here they come: Barbell Curl Cable Curl Chin-Up Reverse-Grip Bent-Over Row EZ-Bar Preacher Curl Cable Hammer Curl Hammer Curl Concentration Curl Incline Dumbbell Curl Wrapping Up Well-developed biceps make your arms look simply stunning and, luckily, you can easily achieve this goal by doing certain exercises. Therefore, if you dream of gorgeous biceps, start training now.

Everyone wants to have beautiful hips. Unfortunately, it's not that easy to keep it in a nice shape. We have some exercises that will definitely help you work your hips out. Best Workouts for Hips Beautiful hips require some effort, so let’s take a look at some exercises for hips. CrossingsThis deep inner thigh stretch will improve your hips and give you a boost of energy. Spread your legs wide with your feet facing outward. Bend your knees and lower yourself into a squat. Put your hands on your hips just above the knees, deepening the squat and stretching even more. Jump up and place your right foot in front of your left one, while landing, you should straighten and cross your legs. Return to the starting position and repeat the exercise with the other leg. Repeat the exercise, alternating legs, as many times as you can, for at least 40 seconds. Knee squatsSquats with knees together are much better than regular squats for strengthening the inner thighs, quads, and hamstring. And in order not to waste your time, you can work on your hands at the same time. Stand up straight with your feet together. Take dumbbells, bend your elbows and touch the shoulders with the dumbbells. Do a squat with your knees bent and your hips back as if you were about to sit in a chair. Keep your legs together during the entire exercise. The weight should be on your heels. Now stretch your arms up. Return to the starting position without putting your weight on your toes. Do 10 reps. Elbow plank with raising legsAdd leg raises to your regular elbow plank to improve the hips. Lie on your side, bend your right arm at the elbow and lean on it. Extend your legs so that your body becomes one straight line. Try to rest only on the outer edge of your right foot. Place your left hand on your thigh. Feel your spine stretch and your abs tighten, then lift your left leg just above your hip. Slowly lower it back down. Do not bend at the waist or lean on your shoulder, keep your weight on your elbow. Do about 15 reps for both sides. Swings with bent legsThis is one of the most popular exercises for strengthening the buttocks and hips. It is suitable for everyone, does not require additional equipment, and does not involve the spine. With the help of swings, the back, front, outer and inner thighs are worked out - combo. Start in plank, palms - under the shoulders, knees - under the pelvis, keep the position of the back. On the exhale, we swing our leg, pushing the heel up; we perform 20 repetitions on each leg and four sets total. Side lungesIf you are doing this exercise for the first time, you will not need dumbbells - first master the movements of the legs. Take a dumbbell in your right hand, lunge to the left, lowering your right hand to your right leg. Lower your hips as low as possible, resting on your heels. The toes are facing forward, the angle of the bent leg is 90 degrees. Pushing off with your left foot, go into a courtesy pose: the left leg goes back, and the right one goes forward. Raise your arm with the weight up. Both legs face forward. Keep your hips and legs taut. Repeat without returning to the starting position, but immediately moving from a squat to a side lunge. Do three sets of 10 reps, then switch sides. Final Word Beautiful hips are a reality if you know what to do, so why don’t you give these exercises a try and see everything yourself?