The Erector Spinae Are Back Muscles

July 6, 2009 by  
Filed under Exercise

The erector spinae are back muscles that run along each side of the spinal column. When you injure this muscle, it can really hurt. The best way to control the pain is through exercises that target these muscles.

Too many people forget all about toning up their back muscles when they exercise. They work their arms, legs and abdomens but leave the poor back out of the picture.

The best exercises I’ve found for the back include the barbell bent row, the deadlift, the pelvic lift, the leg lift buttock tightener and the double leg lifts.

Though some of these exercises sound like they’re meant for bodybuilders or weightlifters, they are perfect for everyone. You don’t have to use a heavy weight. In fact, you can use a phone book if you want. The main point is you need to make sure you include your back in a regular exercise routine if you want to avoid unnecessary sprains, pulls and tears.

Bodybuilding And Weight Training For Muscular Growth

May 25, 2009 by  
Filed under Bodybuilding

For bodybuilding and weight training to be effective, there has to be a design process which establishes the desired outcome. It can be broken into two categories – performance enhancement and composition of the body.

Having determined the desired outcome, it is time to consider training splits that includes body part, upper, lower and full body splits. For those that are interested in bodybuilding and weight training for athletic achievement or function, using upper/lower as well as full body splits is recommended. For core weight training you should have repeated exposure to obtain maximum motor unit recruitment. Competitive bodybuilders, on the other hand, need focusing on specifics such as distal muscle size and peaks.

Using Heavy Weights Is Not Indispensable

While considering bodybuilding and weight training, it is essential to understand that heavy weights are not always indispensable to build muscle. The important thing is that the weight that the bodybuilder is using should feel heavy to the muscles being worked. Form is the difference between bodybuilding and just lifting weights, and poor form with excessive weights will not work the target muscle, and will cause momentum to shift rather than the muscles.

There are certain steps that need to be performed when using bodybuilding and weight training, and these techniques all involve ways of using better form so that exercising is harder and not easy. Bodybuilders need to eliminate extraneous body movements as well as momentum as it will prevent injuries from occurring, and also provide some small amount of stimulus for new muscle growth.

The bodybuilder should think about squeezing and contracting, which are the two most important parts of bodybuilding and weight training. Use of such techniques that entail constant tension without locking out is very effectual in some exercises, and the bodybuilder should remember that the full range of motion should be incorporated in each exercise so that there is full stretch as well as full contraction.

Other useful techniques include thinking “more tension,” and maintaining or increasing tension on the muscles is highly recommended. Slowing down is also a positive attitude to have, and good bodybuilding and weight training should be performed such that slow repetition is really more effective repetition, and a small change in technique to accommodate this thinking will help improve form as well as increase muscular development.

Using perfect form with less weight will provide pure muscle growth, and bodybuilders should remember to concentrate on strict form first, and then weights.

Next Page »