Each of us has many activities or projects that we are working on. Maybe with where we are employed, upcoming trips, or events we are going to. These may require minor changes in our daily routines. And when you’re exercising similar to that, when you’re working out major muscle groups they effect minor muscle groups at the same time.
For instance, such as today with training in the gym I chose to exercise my back, chest, and legs. Each of these are workouts I did are with major muscle groups that involve minor ones.
Like the picture is of a back pull down exercise I was doing. It works my latissimus dorsi. This involves my upper and lower back. Minor muscles are involved, such as my rhomboids between my shoulder blades, the posterior deltoids and biceps. And to keep this isolated in these major muscle groups you must keep your spine straight with your abdomen tucked in and rib cage lifted.
Then I exercised my chest doing dumbbell presses lying on a bench, pressing dumbells in each hand straight up. When I start the press, my elbows are bent and in line with my mid-chest, which is where the sternum is. Doing that isolates it on your pectoralis major. The minor muscles involved are your triceps and frontal shoulders, or deltoids. And after you push the dumbells up and begin to lower them, make sure you don’t allow your shoulders to relax first. This makes the pectorals muscles become less engaged up and the pressure then goes on the shoulder joint, which could cause pain. So I make sure I keep my shoulders raised up when I lower the dumbells. It’s like doing a push up. You cannot let your shoulders collapse first when you are lowering the push up. You will realize this as your neck will drops down. Really, work on
applying the tension only to your chest. That’s why they are called chest presses!
And how I worked my legs it was with Smith Machine squats. With the attached barbell on my shoulders, I bent my legs slowly and squatted down until my upper legs were parallel to the floor. Then I pressed up, straightening out the legs. About the back, make sure your spine stays straight. It then causes your abs to tuck in and your core all around with your lower back. The major muscles combined working are your quadriceps, hamstrings, and gluteus maximus. It is very beneficial for your body to do this. Your heart will work, your breathing, and it will make you sweat. It all determines on how much weight you put on the barbell. And where you place your feet, put them slightly in front of your body. That way when you squat, that should make your spine be parallel with your lower leg. The isolation will definitely be put on your legs then.
Exercising major muscle groups is like I said, very beneficial to your body’s fitness, but they must be done right or you won’t get the results you’re looking for. It is just like making the right plans for the event, vacation, and project, as so much is involved. You just want to make sure everything goes smoothly.
Until next time…
