The Squat

The first exercise is the squat.

The leg muscles and the gluteus maximus are the largest muscles in the body, which have the largest cross sectional area and provide the most force. Many people consider the squat to be the go to exercise for working the majority of the lower body, however, as well as using quadriceps/hamstring groups and the gluteus maximus, all the muscles primarily used to generate movement, the upper half of the body is also worked in the squat exercise. In the squat the upper body provides a crucial element by controlling the amount of stress that is put through the lumbar spine. This means while working your legs you also work to strengthen your core and several muscles in the upper body. By integrating several muscle groups at once more hormones are released which can aid in strength and anabolic gains.

The Deadlift

DEADLIFTS are an often neglected exercise during a workout due to the fact that it can sometimes be difficult to know what training day to assign it to… is it back, or is it legs? Most fitness professionals would say that it fits well with ‘back day’ as it stresses what is argued to train the erector spinae. However, did you know the deadlift also works quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes and, of course, the core.This compound movement is a stand out exercise in its own right but is also very useful in developing strength off the ground where the deadlift is also useful as a power training exercise. To gain maximum strength in training deadlifts with slower repetition are best as they allow for more muscle contraction and fibre recruitment.

The Bench Press

Bench press is one of the more well-known exercises by people striving for both strength and that classic ‘beach body’ physique. Although the bench press is an exercise used to gain more localised strength- it is still a very effective compound exercise.There are several variations of the bench press that are commonly performed, for example the medium grip barbell bench press, barbell incline bench press, decline dumbbell bench press and the close grip version- which acts to place more stress on the triceps. Adding both stress to the triceps and chest, the close grip bench press in particular is a useful compound exercise for gaining upper body strength.

We hope this helps with your training and for more information come and see us at Everybody’s – 01775 768500