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PULLEY EXERCISE TO THE CHEST WITH HANDS TOGETHER

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October 30, 2023

PULLEY EXERCISE TO THE CHEST WITH HANDS TOGETHER

Today we republish a new exercise for back, in this case we present the exercise of Pulley to the chest with hands together, let’s see how it is done more some training tips.

This movement allows us to train the biceps and middle back to a large extent, and also collaborates, but to a much lesser extent, in exercising the shoulder muscles.

It is similar to the pull-ups with supine grip, but allows us to train with less weight, since we will not be raising our own body but the weights of the team.

What’s the con? Well, we need specialized gym equipment.

HOW TO MAKE THE PULLEY TO THE CHEST WITH HANDS TOGETHER?

Sit on the equipment with the pulley to be used already in place. Adjust the knee pads of the machine to fit your height. These pads will prevent your body from being affected by the resistance applied to the bar.
Take the bar with your palms towards your torso (a supination grip). Making sure that the hands are placed at the same width of the shoulders.
As they have both arms extended in front of them, performing the exercise will require them to bring their torso back by about 30 degrees or less, while creating a curvature in the lower back and pulling the chest out. This is the starting position.
As you exhale, pull the bar down until it touches your upper chest by holding your shoulders and arms down and back.
After a second in the contracted position and while inhaling, slowly bring the bar back to the starting position, leaving the arms fully extended and the bibs are fully stretched.
Repeat this movement for the prescribed number of repetitions.

TIPS FOR DOING THE PULLEY EXERCISE TO THE CHEST WITH HANDS TOGETHER

Let’s see some training tips to get the most out of this excellent exercise to develop the bibs.

Focus on contracting your back muscles once you reach the contraction position and don’t forget to keep your elbows close to your body. The upper torso should remain motionless as they lower the bar, only the arms should move.

The forearms should not do any work other than holding the bar.

Do not lean back at any time. Backing out makes exercise easier, but that’s cheating, you won’t get the expected results!

Control the weight at all times, do not drop it quickly.

To add extra intensity, pause for 2 seconds at the bottom of the movement by contracting the bibs.

We repeat again! Focus on squeezing your bibs to move the weight. Your forearms should only be responsible for maintaining weight. This is the basis of this back exercise.

POSTERIOR LIFTS WITH DUMBBELLS

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October 30, 2023

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The posterior lifts with dumbbells serves to complement the training and development of the shoulders, let’s see how it is done, plus some training tips.

This is an isolation exercise, ideal for directing the work to that part of the deltoid that often lags behind the rest of the fibers.

In fact, many bodybuilders tend to have the anterior deltoid more developed by doing other exercises that are more popular such as the Bar Sitting Press and Frontal Lifts for example.

That is why in Total Bodybuilding we recommend including this exercise in your shoulder training program, not only to avoid aesthetic imbalances but also mechanical ones such as the incorrect position of the shoulder.

Some doctors believe that back exercises are enough to reinforce this area, but this is unfortunately not usually the case.

The movement is like a flapping of wings and is always done using light loads, not heavy, but better see below how to do it correctly.

HOW TO PERFORM INCLINED ELEVATIONS AND THEIR VARIANTS?

Sit on a bench and just tilt your bust to your knees.
Place your elbows slightly bent and bring the weights up without taking momentum in a fluid and continuous movement.
In the highest position, the hands are turned, pointing the thumb upwards, as if using a glass. For the negative phase, keep the descent of the dumbbell as much as possible.
To avoid contractures in the neck, look at your feet constantly. Be careful to orient your elbows even without fully extending your arms.

POSTERIOR SHOULDER LIFT ON INCLINED BENCH

Choose relatively light weights and lean your stomach against a bench at an incline of 30 to 45°.
Tense your wrist and bend your elbows slightly. These should be upwards facing.
Perform the movement starting from this position.

Please note that it is not possible to cheat on this move. The bottom is in a safe position and is not involved in the exercise.

In this version it can be uncomfortable as the chest is crushed against the bench, and the position of the head can be annoying because of the height of the back of the bench.

INCLINED AND STANDING REAR LIFT

Tilt the bust to about 30-45°.
Make sure you don’t round your back.
Perform the same technique as if it were the bench exercise.
In this case they can rest the head on a surface of adequate height to avoid any overvoltage in the cervical area.
Be careful with this variant as the standing version can be tiring for the lower back.

Breathing

Inhale in the lower position and while bringing the dumbbells up, and exhale when returning to the starting position. Breathing is difficult, as the chest is compressed by the position.

Requested Muscles

The forward inclined lateral elevation mainly requests the posterior beam of the deltoid but also, indirectly, the lateral bundle, the trapezium and the rhomboid.

TIPS FOR PERFORMING SUBSEQUENT LIFTS

Let’s see some tips for the development of this great shoulder definition exercise.
In the elevation performed while lying face down and sitting it is possible to work more strictly. If we do the exercise standing, it is very important to keep the back straight.
They can also train with one arm at a time; that is, unilaterally, while the other arm can act as support on the bench or knee. This avoids cheating by the use of impulse aids.
It is not necessary to use dumbbells with a lot of weight and in fact I would not advise it at least until you have a good development and have gained some strength, remember that this is an isolation exercise that requires technique and rigor for a good execution.
Sets of 10 to 15 repetitions usually give good results.

PARALLEL FUNDS

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October 30, 2023

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The funds in parallel, also known as Dips of chest, are an excellent alternative to the press in declined bench, let’s see how it is done correctly plus some training tips.

As I was saying, this is a great exercise, but keep in mind that it requires some core strength and is therefore not recommended for beginners.

Performed the exercise with the body vertical and with the elbows close to the sides, the funds in parallel work mainly the triceps, but if the exercise is done leaning forward and with the elbows open it becomes a chest exercise.

Most gyms have parallel bars for Dips, they can even have access to the bars that form a V.

Try both if you have the opportunity, and see which one you are most comfortable with, especially in the shoulder joint.

HOW TO PERFORM DIPS OR BACKGROUNDS IN PARALLEL?

Standing between the bars. Hold on to the parallel bars with your arms outstretched and locked.
Lean forward, slightly bending your knees and crossing your legs (or keep them together if you prefer, it does not affect in this case).
Keep your elbows sideways as you lower your body, falling until your triceps are practically parallel to the ground.
With the bars well gripped begin to press upwards until the arms are fully extended again.

Muscles involved

The main muscles are the pectoralis major (bottom), triceps, deltoid (anterior), and pectoralis minor.
Secondary muscles requested include the serratus anterior, the coracobrachial, and the subscapular.

TIPS FOR PERFORMING CHEST DIPS

The further forward the chest is tilted during exercise, the more the lower fibers of the pectorals will be used. Conversely, the more vertical the trunk, the more the triceps brachii intervenes. If you can lift your ankles towards your buttocks, you will see that you will naturally lean more forward.

As they go down, the elbows should move back, away from the trunk.

This exercise is excellent for stretching the pectoralis major and for working on the flexibility of the shoulder girdle. However, this is not recommended for beginners as it requires a lot of initial strength.

Don’t get too low on the bars or you may hurt your shoulders. However, the lower you can safely go, the more the outer pectorals will benefit.

If you are a beginner, use a guided machine to familiarize yourself with the movement.

To develop more strength and also more size, athletes who use this movement can wear a weight belt, or hang a weight on their legs.

The position of the head is critical. Keep your head down close to your chest. This position optimizes the recruitment of the chest muscles and minimizes the involvement of the triceps.

CAUTION WARNING FOR THIS EXERCISE

This is a great exercise for the lower chest, but it is very demanding on the shoulders, even if done in a well-controlled way and without touching the bottom.

If you have had shoulder problems in the past, and it still bothers you, no matter how careful you are, forget about performing Dips.

However, although they may not be able to perform the exercise safely on the parallel bars, they may still be able to do the machine version, it only remains to try, but yes, at the slightest sensation of pain abandon this exercise.

MILITARY PRESS WITH BAR

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October 30, 2023

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With the military bar press we add a new exercise to the shoulder exercise guide. Let’s see how it is done correctly!

It does not need too much introduction since it is one of the most common exercises of any gym routine, however we will try to provide both experienced and beginners with all the relevant information to polish or learn the correct execution.

As we will see below, it allows us to perform different variants to focus the work on different muscle groups in addition to exercising the shoulders as the main group.

Although it does not require too much gym equipment, we will use a bar and a flat bench with adjustable sword, this last factor is very important to perform the Pres with Bar safely.

It is imperative that we have good back support, especially if the work we do requires considerable weight.

Without more to say let’s see in detail each particularity for these variants: back-the-neck bar press and front bar press.

HOW TO PERFORM THE MILITARY PRESS WITH TRASNUCA BAR?

We sat on the bench, with the bar firmly grasped behind the back of the neck taken in pronacion.
Inspire and raise the bar vertically, without flexing the abdomen too much.
At the end of the movement, we exhale and proceed to descend the bar in a controlled way to the initial position.

These shoulder exercises request the deltoid in addition to the trapezius and triceps, in addition it can be done both sitting and standing with special equipment that allows a guided load

HOW TO PERFORM THE MILITARY PRESS WITH FRONT BAR?

This exercise can be done standing but paying great attention not to highlight too much the curvature of the back at lumbar level to avoid generating any overexertion on that area.

We sat on the bench, with our backs firmly and the bar at the height of the upper chest, taken in pronation.
Inspire and raise the bar vertically.
At the end of the movement, we exhale and proceed to descend the bar in a controlled way to the initial position.
This exercise for shoulders has, in particular, two more variants, in addition to the usual position that we have already explained.

TIPS FOR PERFORMING THE MILITARY PRESS WITH BAR

This exercise requires a powerful midsection and good lumbar muscles that will contract isometrically to stabilize the spine. This is the key to maintaining a good balance.
To help maintain balance, look ahead and hold your head up. If we change the position of the head, or we will change the requested muscles or in the worst case we could generate some type of injury. When using very heavy weight discs, this position puts too much strain on the spine can cause back problems.
Full extension of the arms or locking in the upper position is important for complete contraction of the deltoids and triceps.
Although the Press with Bar can be carried out standing or sitting, the first position is preferable if when sitting we do not have any support on our back. It is more difficult to maintain balance when sitting freely, but if you have a bench with support, you will get better benefits.
Follow the recommendations given above when breathing in order to stabilize the chest, protect the spine and create a support against which the muscles of the waist and shoulder will shrink. Maintaining stiffness of the abdominal area prevents flexion of the spine during travel and helps prevent injury.

LEG PRESS IN GYM MACHINE

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October 30, 2023

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The leg press exercise is very effective for strength training professionals who want to develop and increase the muscle definition of the anterior thighs. Let’s see how it is done correctly.

The leg press is a very effective exercise because it allows us to train with heavy loads in a very safe way.

And thanks to the fact that the press machine allows us to increase strength very effectively, it will take us much less time to move on to crucial exercises such as deadlifts and squats to name a few examples.

HOW IS THE LEG PRESS PERFORMED IN THE GYM?

Sit on the machine seat by placing your feet on the platform and with a separation approximately equal to that of the shoulders. They should feel that the pressure is distributed over the entire surface of the plants.
The hips and back must be well supported against the backrest, the platform is released thanks to the handles located around the seat and we proceed to fully extend the legs, but without locking them. This is the starting position.
Inhale a little more than usual and hold your breath while bending your knees to lower the platform (speed should be reduced to moderate) until you reach an angle of 80 to 90° with respect to the knees (angle measured between the back of the calves and the back of the thighs).
Push the load (platform) to the starting position and exhale after passing half the movement.
Inhale and repeat the movement according to the desired number of sets and repetitions.

Muscles requested

With this exercise for legs mainly requested: the vastus lateral, the vastus externa and the rectus femoris.

They cover substantially the entire length of the thigh. Most of the muscle mass of the vastus lateralis is located halfway up the outer thigh; Most of the vastus muscle mass (which is often compared to the shape of a teardrop), is located a little lower on the inner side of the thigh.

To a lesser extent the leg press involves muscles such as the glutes and hamstrings. The gluteus maximus, one of the largest muscles in the body, is located behind the hip (this is the part where one sits).

TIPS FOR PERFORMING THE LEG PRESS

Some tips to get the most out of the leg press

If you want to know what are the variants of placing the feet in one way or another in the leg press visit the following article: HOW TO PLACE THE FEET WHEN DOING LEG PRESS?

To help prevent back injuries, don’t let your knees be too close to your chest during the descent phase.

The closer to the chest the knees are, the more likely they are to overexert the lower back, which will increase the pressure on the discs and the likelihood of injury.

Breathing plays an important role not only in the level of safety, but also in the effectiveness of exercise. By holding your breath during the initial phase of concentric range, more force is created and the torso is stabilized to allow for more effective leg action.

Exhaling after passing the difficult part helps relieve some pressure and prepares for the next repetition.

If possible, they can place their feet higher or lower on the platform to look for different sensations. It depends on your flexibility and how much knees and stress on your back you can withstand.

Many legs press equipment can adjust the inclination of the seat, but having too low an inclination can drag us out of the seat when the platform is pressed with our legs. Achieving the correct position on the press machine is very important in order to be able to perform the exercise correctly and reduce the risk of injury.

Do not fully extend (lock) the knees at the end of the extension. This can lead to hyperextension and injury.

Compared to the open bar squat, the thigh allows us to use more weight and, in some cases, more than double what we can perform in the squat position. It is sought that the additional weight of a greater intensity, but always taking care with the weights used.

LEG CURL

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October 30, 2023

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Leg curl is the basic and safest exercise for developing hamstrings. Let’s see how we should do it plus some training tips.

The leg curl is usually very popular as it allows you to isolate this important muscle group effectively.

These are the muscles located in the back of the legs. The hamstrings work the same way the biceps of the arms do. The leg flexion exercise would be the equivalent of the arm curl to train the biceps.

Proper focus and proper execution are essential to ensure good results without injury on these muscles that are not usually considered as showy as the quadriceps muscles, but are essential for the complete development of the thigh.

HOW IS THE LEG CURL PERFORMED?

Lie on the bench face down, with your hips directly on the edge of the bench.
Arrange your legs so that the resistance pad is over the Achilles tendon just above the top of the shoe (above the ankles).
The knee joint should be adjacent to the turning point of the machine.
Grab the support bars of the bench to withstand the resistance and perform the Knee Flexion.
Consider exhaling, contracting your hamstrings, and pulling your heels up until the bar comes into contact with your lower glutes (maximum range of motion) or until your knee joint reaches 90 degrees of flexion.
Hold the position for one second at the top of the movement.
Finally inhale while lowering the load in a controlled movement to the starting position.

TRAINING TIPS FOR PERFORMING THE LEG CURL

Let’s look at some training tips to use this excellent leg exercise that is excellent not only for developing the legs but also for toning the buttocks.

Keep your hips in contact with the bench at all times.

Keep your feet and ankles at a 90-degree angle.

The pad should rest on the back of the ankles. It should not roll up to the calves and should not rest on the heels.

Contract your legs all the way to the buttocks and hold for one second at the end of the movement. Always making sure not to raise your hip on the bench. If they can’t keep their hips down, they’re probably using too much weight.

Make sure you don’t “push” the weight at the beginning of the movement. The correct way is to perform the movement with the correct weight, the one that allows us a constant and gradual movement up and down.

LATERAL LEG ABDUCTION

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October 30, 2023

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A new leg exercise that refocuses the work of glutes and abductors, it is the “lateral abduction of legs”, let’s analyze how it is done step by step.

Lateral leg abduction is an ideal exercise for women looking to tone their legs; For example, for housewives, who for different reasons cannot go to a gym.

It is simple, economical and does not require large facilities or equipment, at most to focus more effort we can work with loads such as ankle weights or even elastics. Moreover, if we complement it with buttock kicks, we will obtain even greater benefits.

It is even highly recommended to start a rehabilitation program. To do this exercise, all you need to do is lie on a flat surface and focus your mental energy on the muscles that need to be activated.

HOW TO PERFORM LATERAL LEG ABDUCTION?

Lying on our side and with the head erect and back straight, we perform a lateral elevation of the leg with the knee always extended, up to about 70° opening.
To finish we return the leg to the starting point and re-execute the movement for a new repetition.
This exercise works the glutes medium and small, depending on whether we perform a large or small amplitude of the legs.

TIPS TO PERFORM THE EXERCISE CORRECTLY

Holding about two seconds the elevated leg concentrates even more the strength work on the legs.
If you recently started training, perform lateral abduction without resistance, that is, without any type of weight or elastic that forces you to make a greater effort.
As they get stronger, resistance can be added, and as we said before this can be achieved with ankle weights or training elastics.
If you are only going to use body weight as resistance, do two or three sets of 20 to 30 repetitions, but, if you use weight, complete two or three sets only 10 to 20 repetitions.
If you are going to adopt it for a home routine, this exercise should be done every other day at most to allow muscle recovery.

LATERAL FLEXION IN FIXED BAR

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October 30, 2023

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The “Fixed Bar Lateral Flexion” is an exercise to tone and develop abs that has the advantage of allowing a stretching effect at the same time as we train with it. Let’s see how to do it correctly plus some training tips.

Fixed bar lateral flexion allows us to work large and small oblique muscles safely, as long as we do it with the proper technique.

However, this is a high-level exercise, so people who are just starting to train should avoid it and focus on other exercises that are simpler and easier to perform correctly.

HOW TO PERFORM SIDE PUSH-UPS

With palms down, hold on to the horizontal bar. It is important that the bar is fixed high enough so that the legs are suspended in the air without touching the ground.
Keep your arms straight, lock your feet together, and lift your legs by turning your hips to the side. Then contract the affected muscles, keeping your legs in the lateral plane all the time and lifting them as high as possible.
Return to the starting position, mark a time and change sides. To accompany the movement, breathe a little more than usual and hold the air while vigorously lifting your legs and pelvis.
Exhale when lowering your legs.
In some cases, you can push with the shoulder muscles (without bending the arms) to contract the dorsals. Doing this will help them get high enough not to involve the pelvis and legs.
The key to proper execution is hamstring flexibility. For this, they should be able to flex their hips with their back arched to the horizontal position.

Tips for performing lateral push-ups on a fixed bar and maximizing the development of oblique abs

When this exercise is done correctly, it is relatively difficult to carry it out. The first reason is that many people have difficulty staying suspended throughout the movement.
The second is that often the muscles requested are weak, since they are usually worked in the vertical plane (from bottom to top) or in the sagittal plane (front, rear) but very rarely in the lateral plane.
Let’s see then some tips to achieve maximum development and toning of oblique abdominals.
The normal oscillation range of this exercise is not very large, the maximum for most individuals is between 30 and 45°. But this can vary depending on strength and flexibility. If they reach a magnitude greater than 45 ° correct the movement.
Perhaps they pull with their arms generating a lateral inclination that can help overcome the initial inertia and that this allows them to climb higher, which as you can imagine goes against the technique to be performed and eliminates the focus on the appropriate muscles.
Do not swing from side to side. Oscillation makes exercise easier (especially for the legs), but as we said before it eliminates most of the work on the abdominal muscles.
Due to the weight of the legs and pelvis, additional strength is usually unnecessary. If this exercise becomes easy, add light loads, preferably on the ankles and feet.

LATERAL ELEVATION WITH DUMBBELLS

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October 30, 2023

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We present one of the best-known shoulder exercises of all, the lateral lift with dumbbells. Let’s see how it is done correctly.

The only thing we must take into account is not to work with too much weight, that is, not to overload the muscle.

The best results are obtained with series of many repetitions, between about 10 and 25. And taking into account to vary the angle of start of the movement, a factor that many people do not perform either in general due to ignorance.

It is also useful to work without too much rest time between series and until you get a burning sensation on the muscle (keep in mind that burning is not synonymous with pain).

For a greater intensity of work what we can also do is keep the arms suspended horizontally a fraction of time before returning to the original position.

SIDE LIFT WITH STANDING DUMBBELLS

We stand with a separation of legs of width of shoulders, the back well straight, the arms parallel to the body and a dumbbell in each.
We inspire and raise each dumbbell together, until positioning the arms horizontally, taking into account to keep the elbows slightly flexed in order to avoid overexertion on the muscles of the forearm.
At the end of the movement, we exhale and proceed to bring the arms in a controlled way to the initial position.

As I said before changing the starting position of the arms we can work the whole set of deltoids, there are 3 variants:

With the Dumbbells in front of the legs, in the Front Shoulder Lift.
With the Dumbbells behind, on the back, in the Inclined Elevation with Dumbbells.

TIPS FOR PERFORMING LATERAL LIFTING WITH DUMBBELLS

When you perform the lateral lifting with dumbbells you must use a load adapted to your level, they should not be too heavy or too light, the exercise should be done comfortably, but with some difficulty.

Keep in mind, as I said before, that if this exercise is executed correctly, attention will be focused on the work of the external deltoids. But by elevating behind the back, we can also train the posterior deltoid. Use the right weight here so as not to overload the muscle.

Never turn your palms forward or up. The tension will focus too much on the anterior deltoid.

If the legs are too close together, the balance will not be good and the corrections will be made at the level of the spine, which can damage the area and lead to pain or injury.

Do not perform the exercise being too upright, if so, you will be forced to lean back when raising the dumbbells, which is bad for the back and to maintain balance.

SIDE LIFT WITH BENCH DUMBBELLS

Lateral elevation with bench dumbbells is another good insulation exercise for the middle deltoid. This variant of the lateral dumbbell lift may be a little more difficult to perform for beginners, but it is an interesting variation if you are looking to take your shoulder workouts further.

Hold a dumbbell with your right hand and lie on its left side on an inclined bench that is set at about 40-60 degrees.
Hold the dumbbell with your right arm and palm facing your thigh.
Without flexing your elbow (or extending it completely), raise your arm until it is in line with your shoulder. At this point you can turn your palm outward to favor the intervention of accessory muscles.
Now lower the load while maintaining strict control of movement.
Perform the repetitions established in your routine and then change arms.
If you do not have an inclined bench, you can also perform this type of lateral lift lying on a bench or on the floor, but the main advantage of using an inclined bench is that you can benefit from constant resistance throughout the range of motion because this position eliminates the “neutral spot” at the top of a conventional standing lift.
The inclined position basically allows you to strictly isolate the movement to the middle deltoid. Therefore, exercise is more difficult this way than when you are standing.
Of course! Never forget that the goal here is not to lift huge dumbbells, but to maintain the correct technique.

INTER-TRAINING BANK FUNDS

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October 30, 2023

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A classic of classics, today we will show you how to make funds between training benches to develop your triceps to the fullest.

This is an exercise for arms of the most complete and we do not need any special device to perform it, not even bars or dumbbells, we simply work with our own weight to obtain a triceps training of the most effective.

In short? It is a basic exercise to incorporate into any training routine, it offers us a lot of simplicity at the time of its execution, making it one of the pillars of strength training at home even.

Although yes, it has some points to object, but before going into details let’s see how it is done correctly and then below, in the advice section I will explain a little more about this point.

HOW TO MAKE FUNDS BETWEEN TWO BANKS?

On the edge of one of the benches we support the hands and on the edge of the other the feet making the body stay on the void.
We inspire and descend slowly in a controlled way by flexing the elbows.
We extend our elbows again to ascend and exhale at the end of the movement.
This exercise works the triceps, pectorals and anterior deltoids; As I said at the beginning, it is very complete. Let’s now look at some training tips.

FUNDRAISING TRAINING TIPS

Being a very versatile exercise can be used by different types of bodybuilders, from the newly initiated to the most advanced, let’s see how with this series of situations and tips:
Did you recently start training or are you overweight? No problem, remove the bench where they support the feet and place these directly on the ground, this will allow us to make a lower load on the triceps.
Have you been training for a long time and want to take exercise to a new level? It is also no problem you can support weight discs on your legs and thus raise the load that the triceps performs.
Keep your neck in a neutral position. You can look up with your eyes, but it is important that you do not tilt your head back to avoid overloading the area.
Be careful not to go too low or descend too fast, avoid sudden movements that may affect the correct execution of funds.
The dipping or bottom between banks has only one point against and is that leaving the hands behind the back overloads the shoulders too much, since when lowering these lean forward, so it is important not to perform the exercise with a lot of weight, even if you think you can achieve it.
A good solution to this point is to support the hands between two banks (one on each side) being able to place the body between these and lower with more care and protection for the shoulders, aims to generate a strength base that allows you to continue advancing with each workout, do not make great jumps of effort between training and training.