Gym Weight
Gym weights: 2 reasons to train the lower body
When using gym weights to build their upper body many people dismiss the power of training their legs. However training ones legs is beneficial for at least two reasons.
Very rarely in normal life will an activity isolate movement of the upper body from the lower body or isolate single muscles. When playing sport, doing yard work, lifting and carrying groceries or small children, moving your living room furniture, putting up a tent or helping push start a car you engage your upper and lower body muscles simultaneously. During these activities you also employ your core muscles – your abdominals and lower back muscles – to coordinate and stablise your upper and lower body. So when using gym weights to improve ones health and fitness, it makes sense to perform exercises that simulate real life.
Two of the best compound exercises are squats and deadlifts. Many people dismiss these exercises because they believe they only work the legs. However, when done properly these two exercises simultaneously work all the leg muscles as well as the core muscles, trapezius and forearm muscles. Consequently they are very effective at increasing ones functional strength.
For those who are unfamiliar with the squat and deadlift the following descriptions might explain how they work the entire body.
With a squat, you rest a bar on your shoulders, behind your head and lock it into place with your hands. Your starting position is standing with your knees slightly bent – just enough that the knees are not locked. Keeping your feet flat on the floor you then bend the knees and hips until your thighs pass horizontal. While doing this you keep your back upright as possible – this will improve with flexibility. You also keep your back straight. From the bottom position push up to the standing position without locking your knees.
The deadlift can be done with straight or bent legs. The bent leg option will be explained here. In this case the bar starts resting on the floor. Your starting posture is similar to the squat in that your legs are bent at the knees and hips, your back is upright as possible and straight. You then grip the bar and lift. You finish in the standing position, once again knees not locked.
Sure these exercises may improve ones functional fitness but do they really help people who want larger chest, shoulder and arm muscles? The answer is yes.
The best chest exercise is the bench press. For shoulders its the overhead or shoulder press and for the back its the chin up. When performing the bench press, having a strong leg drive and stable core protecting your lower back will enable you to confidently lift more weight through your chest. While it is the shoulders that lift those gym weights above the head in the overhead press, it is the leg and core muscles that ensure the upper body is stable so that the shoulders can perform properly. During a chin up the back and arm muscles do the most work but it is necessary to engage the leg and core muscles to ensure proper technique and prevent unnecessary swinging. Furthermore, the grip strength required to hold your body during chin ups is the same strength that is being trained when holding the bar during deadlifts.
So, why include your lower body when training with gym weights? To gain functional strength and a bigger, stronger upper body.
About the Author
For more on the best techniques and products for building muscle and reducing weight visit efitnessweights.com
Ask The Experts – How To Lose Weight In Your Thighs: Michelle from Crunch Gym on ExerciseTV
|
|
Gymboss GB2010 BLACK SOFTCOAT $19.95 A quality interval timer that wil make any workout easier to plan and execute with more accuracy and consistency… |
|
|
Takeya Classic Glass Water Bottle with Silicone Sleeve $25.00 Gone are the days of the plastic or metal taste when drinking out of a water bottle. The new Takeya glass water bottles are portable, stylish, and are made of glass! Product Specifications: Takeya is committed to enriching people’s lives using modern design, a rich palette of colors, food-safe materials, unique functionality and high quality craftsmanship. Throughout their entire product line… |
|
|
Avon Curves Hot and Cold Combo Food Storage Combo Thermos Navy blue Keeps soup warm and salad cool. Portion-controlled container holds up to 12 fl. oz. of soup, 2 cups of salad and 2 tbsp of dressing. Includes 2 soup recipes, ice pack, utensils and carrying strap. Plastic. Imported. Food Contents not included…………………. |
|
|
Don’t Quit Music: Motown Workout (Exercise, Fitness, Workout, Aerobics, Running, Walking, Weight Lifting, Cardio, Weight Loss, Abs) $7.99 … |
|
|
Motivation to Move! Hypnosis Exercise Motivation $19.95 All products are BRAND NEW and factory sealed. Fast shipping and 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed…. |
|
|
100 Best Workout Hits! (Workout Music Ideal for Gym, Jogging, Running, Cardio, Cycle, Spinning, Weight loss and Fitness) $19.99 … |
|
|
Gunnar Peterson’s Core Secrets: Accelerated Core Training $12.00 Core Secrets Accelerated Core Training puts you on the fast track to a strong, lean, sexy body. Using Gunnar Peterson’s 1-2-3 Core technique. Gunnar delivers an intensive workout that will help work and challenge your entire body. Tighten your abs, firm your arms, stengthen your legs – all in a 45-minute session. Gunnar explains proper form and keeps you motivatd throughout the workout…. |
|
|
Jane Fonda’s Personal Trainer Series: Total Body Sculpting [VHS] $19.98 As one of the highest-profile American exercise mavens, Jane Fonda knows how to work it, and in Total Body Sculpting, she’s working all of it with weights. Setting muscle tone and strength as goals, Fonda has designed the segments of Total Body Sculpting as a pair of complementary 25-minute sequences. Together the two sections achieve maximum efficiency and full-body weight training. As a suppleme… |
|
|
Kathy Ireland: Total Fitness Workout [VHS] $9.95 This 75-minute workout helped Kathy Ireland lose 40 pounds after the birth of her baby. Ireland is joined by an outdoor class of exercisers of both genders and all fitness levels, including one woman who is doing her first workout ever. The first segment is 30 minutes of very simple, low-impact aerobics. The moves are easy and repetitious, which is good if you’re a beginner or you don’t like chore… |
|
|
P90X: Tony Horton’s 90-Day Extreme Home Fitness Workout DVD Program $139.80 P90X is a revolutionary system of 12 highly intense workouts, designed to transform your body. * Chest and Back Extra DVD for a quick overview of the complete P90X Extreme Home Fitness training system is includ… |