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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 oblique muscles are several groups of abdominal muscles located on the sides of the core. The external oblique muscle lies on top and the internal oblique is underneath. Functional exercises for their training are inclinations, turns to the sides, and other rotating movements. However, in order to properly build lateral muscles, you need to remember that most oblique exercises involve the other abdominal muscles, in particular, the internal transverse muscles. That is why it is necessary to be able to consciously involve certain areas of abs. Best Exercises for Obliques 1. Side crunchesThe basic exercise for the oblique muscles of the abdomen is the lateral twisting of the lying. Starting position: lying on your side, an arm bent at the elbow supports the head. Slowly stretch your elbow towards your legs, making a movement to deliberate contraction of the oblique abdominal muscles. 2. Side crunches on the backThis exercise is useful for developing the neuromuscular connection between the abdominal muscles and the brain. Lying on your back, slowly stretch your left elbow towards your right knee. Do 12-15 repetitions for each side, trying to achieve a particular burning sensation. 3. Side crunches on the fitballThe benefit of this exercise lies in the wide range of motion achieved by slowly and controlled bending of the body on the ball. While lifting, feel the twisting of the side press, while lowering, feel the stretch. Keep your hands behind your neck and do not spread them apart. 4. Cross contactsFirst, lie on your back with both legs extended upward. Your hands should be placed on the back of the head, slightly raise your head and shoulder blades. After that, do the twist, reaching the leg with a straight opposite hand. Repeat the same steps for the other side. Do at least twenty repetitions. 5. Hips liftingLie on one side and make sure that you are lying straight. Your legs should lie on top of each other and your free hand is fixed on the belt. Your task is to raise the body so that at the peak amplitude the body line is fully straightened. At the top point, a small pause is made to emphasize the work of the oblique muscles. When lowering the torso, the thighs only lightly touch the floor, the muscles do not relax completely. Final Word Developed oblique muscles frame your abs and make them look simply stunning, so if you really want to have a gorgeous abdomen, you have to work on both your abs and obliques.

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?

Every athlete gets injured sooner or later, especially runners, and most injuries are in the ankle joint, inner and outer parts of the foot, etc. What can be the reason? Too much training, weights, and the distance you actually run. It can be too difficult for feet because all our lives we walk in footwear, most people live a “lazy lifestyle”, which is why ankles and feet do not properly develop. So if one day you just start to run many kilometers the muscles of the foot will be overloaded - this leads to various injuries and inflammations. Exercises for Strengthening Feet Obviously, in order to be able to do any exercises safely and without any consequences for your health, you have to train your feet. So let us take a brief look at some of the exercises for these muscles. Warm-upsSit down, concentrating on your toes. Raise your thumb up. At the same time, press the remaining 4 fingers to the floor. Hold this position for 5 seconds. Now press your thumb and lift the other 4 fingers up. Hold for 5 seconds. Repeat 10 times for each leg. A knotTake a rope of medium thickness, about a meter long. Place the rope on the floor and sit on a chair in front of the rope. Pinch both ends of the rope with your toes. Try tying a knot. Do the exercise for 5 minutes. Attention: this is quite a difficult exercise. Feet writingPut a piece of paper on the floor. Sit in a chair and place one foot on a piece of paper. Grasp the handle with your thumb and forefinger. Try to write any word, for example, 'Mom'. Do the exercise for at least 3-5 minutes. Attention: this exercise is quite difficult! Do this exercise for 3-4 minutes. RollingSit in a chair. Keep your back straight. Place a tennis ball under your foot. Roll the ball back and forth. Don't forget your back. Do not relax and keep it even. Do this exercise for 2-3 minutes. Repeat with the opposite leg. TowelSit in a chair and place a towel under your leg. Grab the towel with your toes. The heels should be flat on the floor. Bend and unbend your fingers as you slowly pull the towel towards you. Change legs and repeat the exercise. Do 2 sets of 10 reps. You can do more If you want. Toes upYou can do this exercise anywhere, even in the office while you work at your desk. Sit with your feet flat on the floor. Raise your toes so that your foot arches. Slowly lower your toes while maintaining arch, so you can feel the tension in the arch of your foot. Hold this position for 5 seconds and then relax your feet. Do 5 reps for each leg. Wrapping Up Strong feet will enable you to safely do plenty of exercises, so do not underestimate feet workouts and do them at least a couple of times a week.

Core muscles are the abs, diaphragm, and pelvic floor muscles and it’s needless to say that these muscles are extremely important. In this article, we will figure out how to correctly train your core as well as discuss the benefits of these muscles for the back and joints. What Core Muscles Are? The muscles of the core are divided into two groups: central and peripheral. The central muscles of the cortex resemble a sac, in which the abdominal cavity and internal organs are located. These muscles are divided into several parts: Front - rectus abdominis or abs and other muscles Lateral parts - oblique muscles of the abdomen and the muscles around it Back - the muscle that straightens the spine and the muscles around it Upper wall - diaphragm Lower wall - pelvic floor muscles At the same time, the peripheral muscle group includes the latissimus dorsi muscle, the pectoralis muscle, the trapezius, the muscles of the shoulder girdle, and buttocks. As you can see, the core includes many muscle groups, which is why you cannot strengthen it by simply doing crunches. Exercises for Developing Core Muscles As we have already mentioned above, in order to train your core, you have to select the exercises that involve many different muscle groups, so let us take a brief look at these workouts together: High plank Hollowman Crunches Superman Leg lifts from lying position Bridge V-sit V-ups Plank knee crosses Plank shoulder taps Elbow plank twists There is a huge variety of exercises for strengthening your core so do not underestimate them and try them next time you work out. Final Thoughts Core is an extremely important group of muscles that influence your posture, balance, as well as the ability to do other exercises. So if you want to have a strong and healthy body, you have to start with strengthening your core.