Exercises with weights. Prolonged gymnastics (Faleev A.V.) Long neck extensors training

If your forearms are lagging behind your biceps and triceps, it's time to put them first. Blast stubborn muscles with this arsenal of exercises and training techniques!

If you are a farmer, mechanic, baseball player or handyman who does heavy work with your hands physical work, you probably don't need to read this article. Just tense up powerful muscles forearms and click on another material. But if your profession doesn't require strong gripping, pulling, stretching, or bending of your wrists, then your forearms will likely need a lot of attention.

Strengthening your forearm muscles isn't just important from an aesthetic standpoint, although we have to admit that few things look cooler than muscular arms peeking out from under the sleeves of a T-shirt. Strong muscles The forearms will also help you increase your grip strength in numerous exercises for all parts of the body and in large compound movements like heavy exercise for the back and . And who doesn't want to get ahead with these exercises?

Developing strong forearms, however, is more difficult than writing a circuit of three exercises for 8-10 repetitions. Like calf muscles, arm muscles require integrated approach. Unless you have a genetic predisposition to strong forearms, you'll have to do your best.

Forearms under a microscope

The muscle groups of this anatomical region consist of the brachioradialis muscle, which is located in the upper third of the forearm near the elbow joint, a group of small muscles outer surface, which are known as extensors of the hand, and muscles of the inner surface, which are flexors of the hand.

In one way, these muscles are very similar to the muscles of the lower leg. Unlike large skeletal muscles(quadriceps, chest muscles and back surface thighs), they consist predominantly of slow-twitch muscle fibers.

In addition to the fact that these muscles are very small and therefore have limited growth potential, the predominance of slow-twitch fibers makes them even more intractable in terms of growth.

“The forearms and wrist muscles have high endurance, which means they have a predominance of type 1 and type 2a muscle fibers, and therefore require more attention,” says Olympic weightlifter and powerlifter Vince Kreipke.

Many argue that the grip required for numerous exercises such as rowing movements, deadlifts and shrugs provides sufficient stimulation to the forearm muscles. Vince Kreipke disagrees. In these exercises, you hold the barbell isometrically, your hands are in a neutral position throughout the entire movement, which means there is practically no real wrist movement.

"Remember that when you do isometric exercises“, the adaptation of the trained muscles is directly proportional to the angle in the joint with which the movements are made,” he says. “That’s why it’s important to perform any movement with full range of motion. Therefore, to get full-range training for your forearms and increase their size, it is important to train with a variety of movements, and not limit yourself to a simple grip.”

Forearm specific training is a recommended way to fully fatigue the various forearm muscles and ensure they are worked through their full range of motion. After completing any heavy upper body workout, you can perform specific exercises for your forearms.

If you're wondering why you should never train your forearms in front of your back or biceps, try it yourself and then try holding a heavy barbell. Chances are you won't be able to hold it for long enough. For this reason, you should train your forearms after your back or biceps.

Specific training for the forearm muscles - completely fatigue the forearm muscles and make sure they work through the entire range of motion

Only when you fully flex and fully extend the wrist joint do you force the small muscles of the forearm to actively work through the entire range of motion. To specifically work the flexors (the muscles of the inner, or palmar, surface), you should perform flexion at the wrist joint, and the opposite movement is useful for training the extensors (the muscles of the outer surface).

Kreipke says that fancy exercises for flexors and extensors are not necessary; simple wrist curls on the edge of a bench were effective back in Arnold's time. “All you have to do is make sure the wrist bends. Typically, I perform this movement on a bench or any other support point,” he says.

However, there is another large forearm muscle located close to elbow joint– brachioradialis, or brachioradialis muscle. Flexion and extension of the hand do not affect it. Although this muscle is also not involved in standard biceps curls, it can be worked with the help of movements neutral grip, like , and exercises with reverse grip, for example, reverse curls.

Strengthen your grip

Since we're trying to develop monster forearms here, it's appropriate to add some sophisticated training techniques.

To develop even more strong forearms Kreipke overcomplicates wrist curls in order to add grip-strengthening work to flexor training. “I like to use dumbbells and let them roll toward my fingertips during the extension phase. This allows me to strengthen my grip and work my forearm flexors.”

Another way to increase the demands on your forearm muscles and grip strength is to use a barbell or dumbbells with a thick bar. A standard barbell or dumbbell has a one-inch handle, but many lifters find that using a thicker bar forces their forearms to work harder, which provides an additional stimulus for increased muscle size and growth. strength indicators.

Thick handles stimulate the work of both the hand muscles and the muscles of the forearms to a greater extent.

However, you will find that when you start using a thick bar, your grip will quickly become a weak link because you will have less mechanical advantage. This limits the working weight you can use, but over time, training with a thick barbell will dramatically increase your grip strength when working with a standard bar!

Not every gym has thick barbells and dumbbells, but accessories like Fat Gripz can easily be wrapped around a regular barbell to more than double its thickness. Try using Fat Gripz in regular exercises and in specific exercises for the forearms - flexion and extension of the hand, palms up and palms down.

When training the muscles of the forearms, Kreipke recommends following three rules:

• Perform a high number of repetitions: 10–20, with an average of 15 per set.
• Rest less between sets: just enough time to reduce muscle burning, usually less than a minute.
• Train your forearms long and hard: 60-plus reps per workout.

“Isometrically tensing the forearm muscles during multiple rows—assuming you're not using straps—should produce enough high-intensity loading (using heavy weights and low reps),” says Kreipke.

As with other muscle groups high in slow-twitch muscle fibers, you can train your forearms more often

“I highly recommend giving your forearm muscles a lot of work if you want to target this muscle group,” he continues. “I also recommend actively using supersets of opposite movements—palm-up and palm-down curls—to increase the pump. One way or another, you need to force the muscles to increase in volume to adapt to high loads.”

As with other muscle groups that are high in slow-twitch muscle fibers, you can train your forearms more frequently—up to three times a week—as long as you don't overload them the night before a workout that requires a very strong grip.

Experiment with different combinations of sets, repetitions, and intensity techniques to see which technique works best for you. As with calf training, you can find many approaches to speed up progress that has been agonizingly slow. The effort and time spent will eventually do the trick, and gradual progress will become more noticeable.

With this knowledge in your pocket, try the simple routine below after a biceps or back workout to add some serious volume to your forearms.

Forearm training program

To move to the next level of difficulty, try combining two latest exercises. You can also use the last set of each exercise: reduce the weight by 25% after muscle failure and continue the exercise until the next failure. Don't be afraid to increase the volume of your training load, try other techniques - or even when working with one hand - to maximize the pumping of the forearm muscles.

What about the straps?

Kreipke says that if you haven't used straps before, your grip will improve along with your other strength gains, and you'll never have to use them. Especially if you pay enough attention to developing your forearms and grip strength.

However, some lifters understandably turn to straps on heavy back or upper trap days to better secure the weight in their hands. The straps eliminate the possibility of the bar falling, which can be caused by the following reasons:

• Sweaty hands
• Insufficiently grooved fingerboard surface
• Weak grip
• Fatigue of the muscles of the hand and forearm

The straps will definitely help you complete that extra rep or two that will spur you on muscle growth in the target muscle group. Of course, the flip side of the coin is lack of grip strength development, but with the plan we've developed, you can get the best of both worlds - training your grip and forearms separately and using straps when needed.

Now hit the gym and blast your forearm muscles!

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Impact technique

The first thing to do is eliminate the trigger points in the long extensor muscles of the neck. To do this we use a ball tennis. Let's start by massaging the area between the shoulder blade and the spine with a ball.

This should be done first near the wall, and then lying down. At the same time as your back extensors, you will also target your rhomboid and middle trapezius.

Massage the muscles with transverse movements, up and down movements. To begin with, it is better to use a softer one. tennis ball.

Then you can switch to a harder one. Process in turn the right and left side. You must work out all these areas in detail so that there are no painful areas left.

Most common places trigger points that need to be worked out, see Fig. 16.

It will take about a week for the pain in this entire area to completely disappear.

Begin the impact by placing the ball near the wall, and starting from top to bottom from the area of ​​the first thoracic vertebra to the area where the shoulder blade ends (this is approximately the sixth, seventh thoracic vertebrae), you begin to push everything with it.

At first, you can do everything without movements, that is, you pressed, shifted your body weight back, feel the pressure of the ball, feel a little pain, then move it a little higher, to another area, then even higher.

And when you understand where it is more painful, where it is less painful, then where the pain is stronger, hold the ball.

Then you start doing various movements up and down, right and left. Press the entire area between the shoulder blade and the spine with a ball. You choose yourself at what angle and on what point to act.

After you stop feeling pain when massaging the muscles while standing, start doing it lying down in order to eliminate trigger points that are located deeper.

We carry out the same manipulations with the ball, but lying on it. Lying on the floor or, to begin with, on the bed, we begin to influence problem area between the spine and shoulder blade. It is better to first use a tennis ball, because it is softer, and gradually begin to process the entire area - from the area of ​​the sixth to the first thoracic vertebra.

If you feel severe pain from pressure from the ball, then lie on it without moving. The pain will gradually begin to decrease. This is how you treat the entire long extensor muscle of the neck.

The portion of the extensor cervicis longus in the cervical spine is very rarely injured. Much more often, trigger points are located in the thoracic spine, where these muscles attach to the vertebrae and ribs.

Long extensors massage the neck in the cervical spine area with your fingers. Cross your hands at the back of your head and with your thumbs you begin to press on different parts of the long extensor muscle of the neck, which is attached to the transverse and spinous processes of the cervical vertebrae.

After we have massaged all the long extensors of the neck, we begin to do various exercises. The most important thing in this exercise is to avoid straining and engaging the short neck extensors in the movement.

Before you start doing the exercises, you need to learn how to do the movement correctly, which will teach you to use the long extensors and leave the short ones relaxed.

Stand with your back to the wall, press your buttocks and shoulder blades against it. And now two very important movements. First, press your chin to your neck, as if pulling it back. Second, stretch your head up. And these two movements must be done simultaneously. And together with these two movements, touch the back of your head to the wall. It is at this moment that long neck extensions work without short ones (see Fig. 17).

The exercise must be performed for a month. It’s better to start with 2-3 sets of 3-5 repetitions, gradually increasing the number.

1. The first exercise is static. Pressure from the back of the head onto the hands.

We cross our hands at the back of the head and, holding them, begin to press on them with the back of the head. Having created pressure, we linger in this position for 3-4 seconds and relax. And so on several times. Here the extensors work simultaneously on the right and left sides.

To train them separately, you need to turn your head 45 degrees and hold your hands in the same way. Press back and hold this pressure for 3-4 seconds. Carry out such actions by first turning your head to the right, then to the left.

2. Second exercise - lying on your back. It is better to start training long extensors while lying down.

We place a pillow under your head and instead of your hands you will create pressure on the pillow. All steps are the same as for the first exercise (see Fig. 18).

They should only be performed if you have already well strengthened the long extensors of the neck.

After you have done these exercises for a month, or preferably several, begin to train the neck extensors when the head is tilted forward. First, bend forward slightly, then you can complicate the exercise by making this tilt more and more. In this exercise you train the muscle in a stretched state. This teaches her to work and not lose her tone when her head is tilted forward.

When does this happen? Very often the head finds itself in this position when we sit at the table and write, read, or hang out on VKontakte or YouTube for a long time. At the same time, the head imperceptibly tilts forward, and in this position, the long neck extensors quickly get tired, because the load on them increases many times, and the short neck extensors begin to overstrain.

You should move on to these exercises only when you can perform the previous exercises with ease. And it is recommended to do them only if the long extensors of the neck are already quite strong. In this exercise, you begin to train your muscles through movement.

Starting position: head tilted forward, chin pressed to the chest. Start pressing with the back of your head on your palms, overcoming the resistance of your hands. Make a movement to the position of the head that was the starting position for the exercises of the first group.

Then tilt your head forward again and repeat this movement again.

In this exercise, as in others, there should be no pain or discomfort. If they appear, then the exercise must be stopped immediately. Also, take your time to increase the number of repetitions during the exercise.

Always make sure that your chin does not tip back.

With this movement you train exactly that part of the extensors that attaches to the thoracic vertebrae and ribs. From this position, you can do exercises for both extensors at once, separately for the left, separately for the right extensor. Do 5-10 repetitions per exercise.

There are special block simulators for neck training, which you should move on to after you have done all these exercises. The disadvantage of these simulators is that the muscles begin to train only after repeating the same exercise a certain number of times, approximately at the 10th repetition, when the muscle is already tired.

If there is instability of any vertebrae, then all these exercises will have a traumatic effect on the intervertebral joints and discs. Therefore, it is recommended to first accustom the muscle to a static load and only then give it a dynamic load.

There is another exercise machine in the halls, with a “cap”. Most people perform the exercise incorrectly: instead of long neck extensors, they train short ones, excessively extending the head and raising the chin. Thereby exacerbating the overstrain of the short extensors.

The neck extensors are a large group of muscles located from the cervical to thoracic vertebrae. They should be trained in such a way that each of these muscles works fully.

Before you start training this muscle group, we put them in order, remove trigger points - about within a week. Then we begin to perform the first group of exercises in statics. Start doing this exercise lying down, because in this position your head will not fall back.

This exercise is very convenient to do while driving. Apply the same pressure with the back of your head that you did on your hands to the headrest of your chair. You also need to train the right and left long extensor muscles of the neck separately (see Fig. 19).

Before you start doing all these exercises, you need to determine if there is a difference in the volume of the long extensors. Often the muscle on one side can be several times smaller than on the other. And in this case, you will need to train the muscle on only one side. Until the muscle volume becomes the same.

With weakness of the long extensors, instability in the cervical spine can develop so strong that when tilting the head forward, not only spinal nerves, but also the spinal cord.

And at the same time, weakness will occur in the underlying muscles: the lower back, abdomen and even legs. In this case, instability of the cervical spine can provoke pain in the lower back and legs.

Thus, by gradually selecting exercises to suit the condition of your muscles, you can completely restore them.

Exercises for DRSH

1. Pressing the back of your head on the headrest of a car seat; lying on your back with the back of your head on the pillow.

2. The same pressure, turning your head to the left at 45 degrees and to the right.

In all exercises, pressure must be held for 2-3 seconds. 5 repetitions in each exercise.

This exercise is convenient to do in a car at a traffic light or in traffic jams.

The pressure must be applied backwards. Hold it for 2-3 seconds.

You need to press the back of your head strictly back, without throwing your head back. The chin is pressed to the neck.

Subclavius ​​muscle

Patients often ask what was primary, why it all started?

Let's look at one of the most common cases, which will show how violations that at first glance are completely independent of each other can be related to each other.

The subclavius ​​muscle is very easy to injure due to its small size (see Fig. 20), for example, you can simply fall on your shoulder. The main function of this muscle is to stabilize the collarbone. That is, it holds it in place when moving the arm and neck.

It would seem such a small muscle. But her weakness causes a lot of problems. It all starts with the neck. The first response to clavicle instability is the sternocleidomastoid muscle (SCM).

The movements in which it participates: when there is tension on one side, this is a turn of the head; when there is tension on both sides at once, it is a tilt of the head forward.

All these disorders will develop gradually and may not be noticeable at first. Then they will appear under load, the person will begin to notice that the accuracy of movements disappears, and muscle fatigue will develop faster than before. Clicking in the joints may appear and only then pain, already in an advanced process. Pain appears when compensation mechanisms have exhausted themselves.

Case from practice

In 2010, a patient came to me with complaints of limited movement in her left arm, nagging pain from the neck to the elbow, which appeared when turning and tilting the neck.

By that time I had already used the methods muscle testing, also some osteopathic techniques, but the main techniques were methods manual therapy– this is manipulation and mobilization of joints and effects on muscle trigger points.

This pain, which made it impossible to turn my head, lasted for about a year, gradually intensifying. At the time of treatment, it was almost constant.

The first thing I discovered during diagnosis was instability of the clavicle and the resulting weakness of the sternocleidomastoid muscle. There was also compression of the fifth root cervical nerve, caused by subluxation of the fifth and sixth vertebrae.

The first thing I did was engage the subclavius ​​muscle, eliminating trigger points in it, in order to stabilize the clavicle (see figure 21).

Then I found triggers in the long extensor muscles of the neck and eliminated them too. Due to their prolonged weakness and the simultaneous weakness of the rhomboid and middle trapezius, functional blocks were formed in the upper and mid-thoracic spine. There I performed manipulations on the intervertebral joints to restore their mobility.

I turned on and strengthened the long extensors before I did the main manipulation on the joint between the fifth and sixth cervical vertebrae, in order to free the nerve root.

If I had done the manipulation without affecting the muscles, the effect would have lasted no more than two to three hours. To restore mobility in the joints in which fixations had been removed, I prescribed exercises for the patient to exercise previously unused muscles.

After the first procedure, the pain decreased by 70%, and range of motion was almost completely restored. Subsequently, during the treatment, the pain completely disappeared in the neck and arm, and movements were completely restored.

The muscle is prone to weakness, usually after a fall on its side, a blow to the shoulder, or after injuries to the collarbone itself.

The muscle is very important because it fixes the collarbone, and when it is weak, it begins to dangle.

This affects the sternocleidomastoid muscle: it simply cannot perform its function. And also all the muscles that are attached to the collarbone stop working (the clavicular portion of the pectoralis major muscle and deltoid).

Signs of subclavius ​​muscle weakness:

1. Shoulder pain.

2. Numbness in the hand and fingers.

3. Neck pain when turning.

4. Different amount of neck rotation to the sides.

Before you start exercising a muscle, massage it for 1-2 minutes. You will find several painful areas in it, which you will work on each time before the exercise.

Standing in the doorway, press the palm of your hand on the door frame from above with your straight hand towards your ear. During this movement, make sure to follow the correct trajectory: the movement of your hand should be towards your ear. Place your other hand on the muscle area under the collarbone to feel how it tenses. Hold palm pressure and muscle tension for 3–4 seconds (see Fig. 22, Fig. 23).

Repeat 5–10 times.

Do 3 approaches.

Trapezius muscle

The trapezius muscle (TM) consists of 3 parts: the upper, middle and lower trapezius (see Fig. 24).

The middle and lower trapezius tend to be weak, while the upper trapezius tends to become shortened. Often the lower trapezius becomes so weak that it almost completely atrophies. The middle trapezius muscle performs the same function as the rhomboid muscle: it fixes the scapula. Its antagonist is the pectoralis minor muscle.

With moderate weakness trapezius muscle, which most often occurs together with the rhomboid, the scapula shifts forward. This causes shortening of the pectoralis minor muscle, which causes hyperkyphosis and stooping.

When the lower portion of the trapezius muscle weakens, its antagonist begins to shorten - this is the upper portion of the same muscle. The same thing happens with weakness of the latissimus muscle.

There is another reason for the shortening of the upper trapezius muscle, which is not known to many people, but is very common. Between the clavicle and the acromion process of the scapula there is one small joint - the acromiocleidoclavicular joint (or articulation) (see Fig. 25).

This joint must be firmly secured by muscles and well stabilized. The movement in it should not exceed the physiological volume. If instability of the acromioclavicular joint occurs, the upper trapezius muscle responds by tightening in an attempt to support the loose joint. But to do this, she needs to be in constant tension.

What can cause instability of the acromioclavicular joint? The most common reasons: instability of the clavicle (how to eliminate it is described in the chapter on the subclavius ​​muscle), weakness of the anterior or posterior portion of the deltoid muscle, or injury to the joint itself.

In order to stabilize the joint and create conditions for its overstretched ligaments to return to the desired length, it is necessary to restore tone and then make the anterior and posterior portions of the deltoid muscle sufficiently strong.

Often, in parallel with this, shortening of the middle portion of the deltoid muscle develops. Which, together with a tense trapezius, limits the movement of the fascia, tightens it, and this causes headaches in the temples and parietal region.

Weakness in the lower portion of the muscle;

Weakness in the latissimus muscle;

Instability of the acromioclavicular joint.

How to eliminate shortening and relieve tension in the upper trapezius muscle?

First of all, for this it is necessary to strengthen the antagonists of the upper trapezius: the lower trapezius and the latissimus muscle.

Let's start with the lower trapezius.

First, you need to eliminate all trigger points at the attachment points in the thoracic spine and spine of the scapula. Weakness of the lower and middle trapezius muscles is often associated with scapular instability. The main stabilizer of the scapula is the anterior serratus muscle. So, to restore normal function of the trapezius muscle, good work of the serratus anterior muscle will be required.

After working out the trigger points, we begin to train the trapezius muscle.

If you limit yourself to just massaging the muscle and eliminating the triggers, you will find that they appear again after some time. This happens because the muscle managed to lose volume and atrophy during the time it was not working. And its volume and strength are not enough to fulfill its function. And every time the load is greater than usual, the muscle is injured and it is turned off from movement.

Often, after you have made the lower trapezius stronger, the upper part of it will automatically relax and you won’t even have to do exercises to relax and stretch it.

Before you start training a muscle, you need to eliminate trigger points in it.

Take a tennis ball. We will use it to massage the muscle. To begin with, you will do the exercise near the wall. We fix the ball in the area of ​​the lower trapezius, transfer the body weight to the ball and begin to massage the area at different angles, up and down, to the sides. At first you will feel pain and discomfort in certain areas of the muscle, but gradually the muscle will begin to recover and you will feel the pain begin to go away.

The same exercise can be done while lying down, but only after you stop feeling the pain from the ball massage while standing. Lie down and place a ball under your back. To begin with, just lie down and wait for the pain to subside. Then you can start making small movements in one direction or the other. Change the position and place the ball higher. You need to apply pressure until the pain in the lower and middle trapezius disappears. But this will not happen in one day. To completely eliminate everything pain points, you may need about a month.

After massaging the muscle, you begin to train the lower trapezius muscle.

Exercise No. 1

We cross our arms at the back of our heads (see Fig. 26). In this position, spread your elbows to the sides. So that the shoulder blades touch. And in this position, where they are as close as possible, bend slightly at the bottom thoracic region, feeling tension in the area of ​​the lower portion of the trapezius muscle. Perform 2 sets of 10 repetitions each.

Do the exercise slowly so that the muscle tenses as much as possible during movement. Try not to raise your shoulders while performing the exercise. You should feel tension in your lower trapezius.

Exercise No. 2

Lie on your stomach, stretch your arms forward and spread them slightly to the sides, at about 45 degrees (see Fig. 27). Thumbs raise your hands up. The head touches the floor with the forehead. Raise your arms and hold them in this position, giving a static load to your muscle. 2-3 sets of 20 seconds. Rest 30 seconds between them.

Exercise No. 3

In this exercise, the muscle begins to work after it is stretched.

Lie down on the edge of the bed or sofa, hanging your arm down. Turn your head towards your hand. The angle of the arm, as in the previous exercise, is 45 degrees relative to the body (it is very important to observe this). You begin to raise your arm up, maintaining this angle (see Fig. 28).

When you raise your arm to a position parallel to the floor, the posterior deltoid muscle works, the trapezius begins to load as the arm rises higher and the scapula moves. This exercise is very difficult to do at first if you do it correctly.

Gradually, after the first week of doing the exercise, when you can easily do 3 sets of 10-15 repetitions, start doing this exercise with weights.

To begin, take a weight of no more than 0.5 kg in your hand (dumbbell, water bottle, etc.). Gradually, when you stop feeling the load, you can increase the weight of the burden, gradually bringing it up to 5 kg. Raise your hand to the point where you begin to feel tension in the lower trapezius. Number of repetitions from 5 to 12 times per arm, 3 sets.

By popular demand, we have collected all the idiotic exercises that are dangerous to perform in the gym, and Sergey described exactly why it is dangerous to perform them.

Remember! The belt will only help the back with unchanged physiological curves of the spine (neutral position is maintained). In most cases, the belt creates a false sense of security, and is generally not acceptable for beginners.

"Rolling" in Smith

In the gym, you can often see how, when doing squats in a Smith machine, it is recommended to place your feet far forward from the guides of the machine. This method removes the load from the target muscles (hip and knee extensors) and transfers it to the joints and ligaments. The most dangerous option is when the legs are not only carried far forward, but also placed together, this overloads not only the back, but also the hip and knee joints. The injury will occur at the “weak link in the chain.” The amount of pain here is not related to the severity of the injury. For example, a herniated disc may be asymptomatic and manifest itself as muscle failure in the legs.

Any exercises in the Smith machine without taking into account the range of motion
The Smith machine limits the degrees of freedom of movement and allows the weight to move only along a straight path. Smith machine exercises can only be safely performed if the range of motion is close to a straight line. This means that only partial presses are allowed (the range of motion is not full). It is also necessary to take into account the location of the guides and not rely on the structure (see above). Correct execution requires the coincidence of the direction of the force vector and the guides of the simulator. For example, with vertical guides, you can also squat with a barbell without losing balance.

Bulgarian split squat

A good way to ruin scissor squats. You are overloading the hip flexors in your back leg. The consequences of these actions, provided that a neutral position is maintained in the joints of the leg: tearing of the hip flexor muscles due to reflex support on the leg during execution, possible pain in the lower back from an overloaded lumbar muscle.

Walking in lunges with weights

Lunges are not an easy exercise on their own, adding movement reduces the load on the target muscles, increases stress on the joints and makes it overly difficult to control the movement. As a result: the target muscles are underloaded (the main mover will be the quadriceps femoris muscle), the joints are overloaded, high fatigue due to complex coordination. The illusion of “efficiency” with a high risk of injury.

Head Pull

Exercise is chronically injurious shoulder joints. There is no advantage to loading any muscles over chest pulls.

Overhead presses frontal plane presses

Just like the previous exercise, it chronically injures the shoulder joints. As a rule, it is performed with a deflection in the lower back, which overloads the facet joints and intervertebral discs. It has no advantages over the barbell chest press or dumbbell press in the scapular plane.

Traction narrow grip to the chin

Chronically overloads the shoulder joints. A safe and effective alternative is traction wide grip to the chest, in which the shoulder is abducted no more than 80 degrees.

Limitations on forward knee movement in squats

“Protecting” the knees, this technique injures the lower back. Of course, there is no need to allow excessive and premature movement of the knees, but it should not be limited in order to redistribute the load on the “necessary” muscles.

Too narrow or too wide foot placement

As mentioned above, too narrow (narrower than the width of the pelvis) or too wide (>2 shoulder widths, another name for “sumo”) positioning of the legs in simulators, and especially the stance in squats, is an overload of the joints (legs and lower back) and insufficient load target muscles.

Snatch, clean and jerk, clean and other weightlifting exercises

The musculoskeletal system of most adults does not allow these exercises to be performed without injury. Rare exceptions only confirm the rule: I didn’t study weightlifting from a young age – no need to start. Even with light weights, adults with moderate to low flexibility should not perform these exercises.

Deadlift from the floor
In most cases, it overloads and chronically injures the lower back. Squats are preferable for the leg muscles, and for the back and hamstring muscles - deadlift from the level of the knees with a slight bending of them without significantly lowering the pelvis down (squatting).

Body raises with fixed legs/on a Roman chair

The exercise has little effect on the abdominal muscles, loads the hip flexors and provokes lower back pain.
For well-trained people, trunk curls can be included in the workout if there is sufficient control of the neutral position of the spine and large loads on the hip extensors.

Pistol squats, straight leg raises

They overload the lower back and cause aggravation of the condition in people with herniated intervertebral discs in lumbar region spine.

Bent-overs and straight-legged deadlifts

Legs straightened at the knee joints block the forward tilt of the pelvis when the torso is tilted, which leads to flexion of the spine and loss of the neutral position of the joints. In this case, the greater the load and the faster the tilt, the higher the likelihood of acute injury.

Full squats with weights
You should not get carried away with squats at full amplitude with weights, since in this case it is impossible to maintain a neutral position of the spine and a dangerous situation is created for the knee joints.

Lunges where the hips are crossed

Another option for overloading the hip and knee joints, as well as the lower back. Compared to scissor squats, the load on the target muscles is less.

Exercises/activities that have relatively low efficiency or not suitable for most people lifting weights.

Use exercise equipment contrary to design
Always use the machine as intended. For example, the axis of rotation of the simulator lever for extension/flexion of the lower leg should coincide with the axis of rotation in the knee joint. If pain occurs when performing an exercise on the machine, check that the adjustments are correct.
The simulator is configured correctly, and you are doing the exercise that is provided for by the design, but discomfort still occurs? Do not use the exercise machine.

Swing your arms or legs to develop muscles
In the vast majority of cases, they are only suitable for warming up. Swinging weights in itself is unproductive, remember this. Leg swings only tire you out and take away valuable time and energy that could be spent on squats and deadlifts.
Shoulder abductions and flexions (not swings), like other isolating exercises, are performed very smoothly with control of the weight at each point of movement. There is only one “BUT” - the way most people in the gym perform them, including trainers, they don’t need to be done at all.

Push-ups/presses with a grip narrower than shoulder width or twice shoulder width
Even if you don't injure your wrists with narrow grips or your shoulders with wide grips, you won't get any muscle benefits. The optimal width of supports/grips is 1–2 shoulder widths (measured along the outer edges of the acromial processes).

Excessive width/narrow grip when doing rows for the back and shoulder muscles
Excessive grip width can overload the shoulder joints, and a narrow grip can negatively affect the elbow and wrist joints.

Push-ups with hands behind your back, feet on a bench in front
More absurd than these actions are attempts to develop the buttocks with swings and “gluteal bridges”. In addition to the fact that the exercise keeps you slouched, it does not have a training effect on the target muscles (usually considered to be training the triceps brachii muscles).

Forearm extension with dumbbell, shoulder parallel to the floor
The greatest load falls on triceps muscle in a position in which it cannot produce force. Therefore, most of the amplitude of the muscle does not receive sufficient stimulation for adaptive changes.

"Gluteal bridge"
A bad exercise for many reasons. The main thing is that the buttocks can be brought to a spasm, but it will not be possible to stimulate their growth and increase in strength. At the top point of the buttock, where the load on the hip extensors is greatest, the buttocks are shortened and cannot produce any significant force, which means that the real movers will be other muscles. The mechanics of the movement itself do not allow the gains in the bridge to be transferred to other movements, unlike scissor squats or single-leg deadlifts. Another reason is the inconvenient location of the weight, causing discomfort or even pain when performing. And finally, the position of the back. Perhaps the exercise will not be dangerous for the spine, but it will definitely not be possible to keep your back in a neutral position.

Hyperextension with bent back
Suggested to increase the load on gluteal muscles. In fact, the load decreases, since the leverage of the acting force decreases somewhat. In addition, the very position of the back provokes lower back pain. In order for the load on the gluteal muscles to be higher, it is enough to use “oblique” hyperextension (in the initial position, the body position is 45 degrees relative to the floor) and maintain a neutral position of the spine.

Front Squats
Suitable only for people with a short hip in relation to the length of the body. For all other people, especially those with relatively long femurs and poor flexibility, it is better to limit yourself to back squats. Another small drawback of the exercise is the awkwardness of holding the weight.
Goblet squats are essentially the same problems as front squats, only holding the weight is even more awkward.

Lunges forward with weights
This is a coordination exercise and is not suitable for increasing muscle strength and mass. Relatively high speeds when driving transfer the load to distal muscles: triceps surae and quadriceps femoris.

Stepping up to higher ground
The effectiveness of the exercise is low, since the load on the leg is reduced due to active assistance when pushing off the floor with the leg. Want to really challenge your muscles? Then perform squats from an elevated position, only touching the floor with your “non-working” leg.

"Farmer's Walk"
It is better to leave the exercise to athletes who engage in extreme strength training. Performing the exercise to failure is dangerous for the shoulder joints (dislocation is provoked).

Fizkult-hello! Reaching in the hall good results, we want to demonstrate them to others. As a rule, or broad back. But the overall picture can be spoiled by a not at all massive neck. Notice how impressive the wrestlers look, although they don’t have that much muscle mass bodies like bodybuilders.

But a strong neck is not only an impressive appearance, but also the health of the cervical spine and the entire body as a whole. For this reason !

I propose to briefly plunge into all the intricacies of one of the most important parts of our body.
In anatomy, it is customary to divide the neck muscles into three parts:

• Deep, responsible for the movement of the head: its tilts to the sides, back and forth, as well as rotation. They, in turn, are divided into two subgroups: lateral - distant from the axis of the spine and medial - located closer to the axis. It is this group that includes an array of muscles called the long extensors of the neck.
• Median, actively involved in such important processes as swallowing, mouth opening and speech formation. We are less interested in them than others
• Superficial, represented by only two muscles: the subcutaneous cervical and the sternocleidomastoid. The first one tightens the skin, protecting the saphenous veins from compression. The second one turns its head and throws it back

Which covers a whole layer of deep muscles. It is the developed upper trapezoidal beams that give the neck the shape of a cobra. Answers this muscle for turning the head in your direction, with unilateral contraction, and for tilting the head back. When the head is fixed, the upper beams raise the shoulder blades

Why train your neck?

1. Health. Perhaps you think it's better to do one thing unnecessary exercise for biceps than to train your neck. Meanwhile, our cervical spine needs a reliable muscular frame
2. Safety. For fighters, we can use the term resilience. A strong neck will help you withstand the blows of your opponent in the ring.
3. Impressive appearance. As a bonus, you get a serious argument in an argument and just a powerful part of the body that will impress others. Well, or it just won’t stand out from the overall picture of your muscular body

Preparation and warm-up

Before any workout, you need to warm up your muscles. This is especially important for the cervical region, because any injuries can affect the quality of life.

If you already have problems with your neck, then you need to take this fact into account when drawing up training program. Forget about dynamic exercises using additional weights. And here static loads will be just right. But more on that later.

Warm-up:

1. Tilts the head to the sides and back and forth. You can divide the movement into two parts, or you can combine it into one exercise. Before starting, lightly massage your neck with your hands.
2. Head turns. Stand up straight, straighten your back. Direct your gaze forward and tuck your chin in slightly. Smoothly turn first to one side until you feel a slight stretch in the muscles, and then to the other.
3. Tilt your chin to your chest. Good movement for stretching deep muscles neck. All you need to do is smoothly reach your chin to the jugular fossa (the depression above the sternum).

Perform 5-10 repetitions of each movement, after which you can begin the main workout.

How to pump up your neck at home?

To get healthy neck you don't have to go to Gym. After all, for classes you may not need anything at all!

Let's start with gymnastics, which can be performed by both an unprepared healthy person and those who have problems with the cervical spine. But I would recommend that the last group of people first contact a specialist and get the go-ahead to train!

A set of static exercises at home:

1. Place your palms on your forehead. Now try to tilt your head forward, overcoming the resistance of your hands. It is important that the neck and head do not move, since we are working statically. Start with 3-4 sets lasting 5-10 seconds. Over time, increase the time of muscle tension to 15-20 seconds and increase the resistance force
2. Grasp the back of your head with your hands and perform a similar movement. But now you need to try to tilt your head back. Try to do the same number of approaches as in the first exercise.
3. Press your palm onto the side of your head, above your ear. Try to tilt your head to the side, overcoming the stubborn palm. After completing 3-4 sets on one side, repeat the same on the other side.

When making this or that movement, you do not need to move your neck towards the resisting hand, but rather turn it. That is, try to perform a rotational movement with your head! This complex will not significantly affect muscle volume, but will help to effectively strengthen the corresponding part of the spine!

Dynamic exercises:

This is the next level. For those who do not have diseases or injuries of the cervical spine.

1. Take the previous exercises and perform them not in a static mode, but with head movement
2. Another option is to use a towel. Fold it in half and hold its two ends tightly in your hands. You will get a loop that needs to be placed around your head (not around your neck). And do all the same exercises

Easily? Find a partner. Let him now take a towel and use it to apply pressure to your head. These exercises are quite enough if your goal is to strengthen your muscles and give them an expressive look.

Weight training

Currently, there is a lot of different equipment that can be used for training.

• . There is such a popular exercise among fighters as the wrestling bridge. Using TPX loops you can do a lighter version of this exercise! Take the loops in your hands and interlock your fingers. Place your forehead on the back of your hands. Take a position so that your body is slightly tilted forward and has only two points of support: your feet resting on the floor and your forehead resting on the back of your hands. In the starting position, the whole body is extended into a “string”. Cervical region the spine has a natural deflection. Gently tilt your head forward, then return to the starting position. Perform 2-3 sets of 10-15 repetitions. As your training progresses, increase your forward bend. Similarly, you can bend to the sides and tilt your head back.
• With disk. All you need is a pancake with a value of 5 to 20 kg and a towel. Lie down on a bench press bench with your head and neck extending beyond the bench. If you are going to do an exercise on the muscles that extend or flex the head and neck, then place the disc on the back of the head or forehead, respectively. For lateral bending, place a plate on the area above your ear.

• With a head helmet. Of course, you can avoid the inconvenience of the “pancake + towel” design. But for this you will have to purchase a harness.

The exercise is most conveniently performed while sitting on a bench. To load the extensor muscles, lean your entire body forward and place your hands on your hips. By taking the “lying on your side” position, you will pump up the muscles responsible for tilting your head to the side. And if you lie on your back, you can give a load to the sternocleidomastoid (thrusting the head forward) muscles. Since the harness is a special device for training the neck muscles, it allows you to specifically load the muscles.

By using relatively heavy weights, you can achieve significant results in increasing muscle strength and volume. But keep in mind that the neck is a rather vulnerable organ and should be trained with extreme caution.

Use weights in your exercises that will allow you to perform 10-12 repetitions with the most correct technique!

You can learn more about the basic rules and exercises for training your neck at home in the following video

Training without weights

The US Trainers Association has universal technique training. It includes three basic exercises. We already know one of them, lateral neck bends with a harness. I will present the remaining two below:

• Straight wrestling bridge. You probably did everything in school on the bridge in physics. So, the wrestling version is performed without hands. The head acts as a fulcrum.
  Use your hands to help yourself to the starting position. The head should be slightly tilted back. Once in the desired position, remove your hands. Then begin to smoothly roll towards your legs, thereby increasing the load on the neck extensor muscles

• Reverse wrestling bridge. This exercise must be supplemented with a regular wrestling bridge to maintain balance in the development of neck muscles. After all, in this execution the exercise trains the anterior cervical muscles. Due to the complexity and risk of injury, I recommend performing them only under the supervision of an experienced trainer.

Shaking our necks in the hall

In the gym, in addition to such devices as TPX loops and harnesses, you can use special simulator.

Let's figure out how to use this simulator to pump the front and back of the neck.

• Exercises for posterior muscles. Sit in the machine with your back to the roller. Adjust its height so that it rests on the back of your head. Slowly move your head back, overcoming the resistance of the roller. Then also slowly return to the starting position. Perform 2-3 sets of 10-12 repetitions.
  As additional exercises, you can use extensions with a disc or harness.
• Exercises for the sternocleidomastoid muscles. Now turn your face to the roller and rest your forehead against it. Bend your head forward, overcoming the weight, then return to the starting position. Again, 2-3 sets of 10-12 repetitions will be enough. To diversify your workout, do 1-2 approaches in TPX loops.
• Trapezium exercises. Everything here is classic. Only shrugs, only hardcore.

With what weight to perform the movement is up to you. This could be dumbbells, barbells, weights or a special machine. The main thing is to do 2-3 sets of 10-15 repetitions

• Deltoid exercises. . Therefore, pay enough attention to them! The best movement for the shoulders is abduction.

In second place are pull-ups or barbell rows to the chin.

And only on the third bench press.

Why is that? Because the shape of the shoulders is formed by the developed middle deltas, and they receive maximum load in the first two exercises! For all movements, perform 2-3 sets of 10-15 repetitions.

Briefly about nutrition

So if you want to build muscle, you need to maintain a slight excess of calories in your diet. Or as they say - eat for the masses.

But don't overdo it with excess calories, because we need to pump up the neck, not the stomach! A surplus of 200-300 kcal will be optimal!

Genetic features and conclusion

For anyone muscle group, great importance Genetics plays a role in shaping the appearance of muscles. For example, the height of the trapezoid is different people may differ significantly and the point is not in the training, but in the length of the tendons with which it is attached to the back of the head.
In addition, the length of the neck may differ. People with long necks will have a harder time building muscle.

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