/fit/ Training

/fit/ Training Part 1: Lower Body

The lower body is less complicated than the upper body; you don't need as many movements to properly develop it, which makes the few movements that you do use that much more important. With that said, there are some subtleties that are often missed. Aside from the calves (those are simpler; just do Calf Raises, seated and standing, or hill sprints), the lower body mainly consists of the muscles in the front (anterior chain, including the quadriceps) and the muscles in the back (posterior chain, including the glutes and hamstrings). Uneven development is always bad; in this case it can lead to knee problems, among other things. And with the Leg Press so popular, as well as half range of motion Squats (which place much more stress on the knee and take out the posterior chain usually used in Back Squats), this is a major problem. The Leg Press is a valid exercise (though not important for most beginners, who usually use it for the fact that they can do a lot of weight on it to show off), as is the Front Squat (especially for olympic lifters), but they can't be the sole exercises in lower body development. The more anterior chain focused your main exercises are (and the more advanced you are), the more you need to do specific posterior chain work. Starting Strength, for example, has just the Low Bar Back Squat with the (less frequent) Deadlift to supplement it as all a novice needs, but the SS modification for advanced novices, Madcow Intermediate and some versions of the Texas Method have light weight Back Squat or Front Squat days and so incorporate the Back Extension or Glute Ham Raise too. An exercise involving knee flexion in particular (Leg Curl, Glute Ham Raise, etc.) is also useful to hit the short head of the hamstrings (which is not used by hip movement).

/fit/ Training Part 2: Core & Abs

Your core/trunk/abdominal region is important for far more than just getting visible six-pack abs (which requires low body fat on top of at least minimal muscle development) because it stabilises the spinal column. The core is important for big lifts like the Deadlift and Squat (the back and front in particular for the Back Squat and Front Squat respectively) and the Standing Press, and so is trained by these lifts, but targeted training is important once you're past the beginner stage (to avoid problems with the big lifts when the weight gets heavy; for example, the front part of the core can take over when the lower back muscles are fatigued, but if they're weak the back muscles might just get injured) or if you're doing olympic lifting. These are all accessory exercises and are done after the main compounds on a day (like in Madcow Intermediate, where they're done at the end of two of the three days).

Situps are the most well-known core exercise, but they focus more on the hip flexors than abs (as do Leg Raises done with a partial range of motion). Crunches are better for the actual abs (and can be done with weight and/or on a decline, or with cables, to make them harder), as are Ab Pulldowns and full range of motion Leg Raises. Because the primary function of the core is not to move itself but to stabilise, there are exercises that train it in this capacity (called isometrically), including Planks and L-Pullups (which incorporate this into a pullup). NS Situps are similar in that they involve doing a Situp on a decline and holding your torso parallel to the ground for five seconds at the bottom.

The core also includes other important parts that often get overlooked because they don't provide the same aesthetic effect as the abs. The obliques are on each side of the abs. They have two functions: stabilising the spine twisting around (trained in this function by Woodchoppers), and moving side to side (Suitcase Deadlift and Side Bends with one dumbbell, or with a cable machine). They can also be trained isometrically by the Side Plank. The core doesn't just include the front, either. On the back the erector spinae stabilise the spine too, and those are targeted by the Back Extension (which can be done on a variety of equipment).


/fit/ Training Part 3: Upper Body

The upper body is everything above and including the upper back and chest. Training it is more complicated because the movements and muscles themselves are smaller and more complicated, and so more exercises are needed (which is why we say that no one upper body exercise rivals the Squat in importance for overall body development). There are two major things your upper body can do: pushing and pulling. These can then be divided into those movements done horizontally and vertically.

The main horizontal pushing movement is the Bench Press, which primarily works the chest, triceps (back of the arm), and front of the shoulders. A wide grip emphasizes the chest, and a close grip the triceps. It can also be done with dumbbells, but that's less popular. Incline Bench Press emphasizes the upper part of the chest (although this gets worked in the Standing Press and normal Bench Press too), but the Decline Bench Press is not overly useful (Dips can be used to hit the bottom part if needed). The main movements all have accessory lifts that target specific muscles in them, though beginners don't need to focus on these too much (most of their focus should be getting strong on the big lifts, here the Bench Press). For the chest, the accessory lifts include the Chest Fly (on a machine or with dumbbells), and for the triceps the Lying Triceps Extension (with a bend in the elbows and then in the shoulders, to get all the parts of the triceps).

The main vertical pushing movement is the Standing Press (more generally called Overhead Press, Military Press, Shoulder Press, and sometimes just Press), which primarily works the front of the shoulders, triceps, side of the shoulders, and even the top of the chest. A Push Press can be used for momentum to get past the bottom (the hardest part of the lift). There is also a seated variation, but it puts more load on the spine, and a behind the neck variation, but it puts the shoulder in a bad position with heavy weight. The main accessory lift for the side of the shoulders is the Side Raise, also called Lateral Raise (there are also Front Raises for the front but this part of the shoulder is usually already well worked).

The main horizontal pulling movement is the Row. The main variation is a Barbell Bent-Over Row (particularly the strict-form explosive version called the Pendlay Row), but the Dumbbell Row, Seated Cable Row, T-Bar Row, Chest-Supported Row, and Inverted Row (a bodyweight exercise that can be weighted) are popular too (the Upright Row is different, and less popular). They build the upper back, biceps, the trapezius (muscle around the neck), back of the shoulder, and for some variations, even parts of the lower body and core. Opinion on how useful the Row is for beginners varies. Starting Strength does not have it, saying that it's a movement more useful for intermediates (and instead uses the Power Clean to build explosiveness in the lower body), but most other beginner routines do include it.

The main vertical pulling movements work similar muscles to the Row, but the Pullup (palms facing away, grip width similar to the Press but not wide grip) has less bicep involvement compared to the Chinup (palms facing you, grip at shoulder width), which is also easier on the wrists. Olympic lifters favour vertical pulling as assistance over horizontal pulling. Weight can be added once you can do enough bodyweight reps, and you can progress with weight like any normal barbell exercise. The movement can also be done as a Lat Pulldown, although it's not as useful. If you can't do any Chinups, you can do them assisted (with a machine, someone holding your feet, or resistance bands), or you can do negatives (jumping up to the top position and slowly lowering down).

Balancing pushing movements with pulling movements is important. Most casual lifters spend far too much time on the Bench Press, which can lead to hunched-over posture problems with an overdeveloped chest and underdeveloped back, or shoulder problems with the front of the shoulders being overdeveloped. A great accessory exercise to build up the back of the shoulders is the Face Pull, as are Back Flys (machine or dumbbells). The main assistance exercise is the Curl for the biceps; they get far too much attention, but that doesn't mean they should be neglected (however a few sets are good; don't spend 30 minutes on them like the average curlbro, and don't underestimate the importance of Chinups, especially weighted and heavy, for your biceps). The standard Curl is done with palms up on a straight bar. Shrugs can also be used by intermediate lifters for development of the trapezius muscles.

/fit/ Training Part 4: Notes on Programming

Some programs work the entire body every training day. These include most serious beginner programs (Starting Strength, StrongLifts), and many intermediate (Madcow Linear Intermediate, the Texas Method) and advanced programs (Madcow Periodized Advanced). Other programs are splits and divide the body into different sections to work each set of body parts harder at once (which is not needed, and actually less effective, for beginners), though this will cause exercises to conflict, of course (like if the Bench Press and Overhead Press are done on the same day). This includes a push/pull movement split, an upper/lower body split (like Lyle McDonald's Generic Bulking Routine, and 5/3/1), and a body part split (which can range from a 3 day split to more complicated things like a 5 day body part split). The usefulness of splits for all but the most advanced lifters decreases the more complicated they get. Make sure you use a program made by someone who knows what they're doing (you probably can't make one yourself), and is made for your level (advanced lifters and aspiring advanced lifters train very differently).



/fit/ Training Part 5: Overview and Summary (TL;DR)

Any serious lifter, whether training for looks, strength, or both, needs to train their entire body, and do it right. The upper body gets the bulk of most people's attention but many things often go overlooked; are you overdeveloping your chest, with your back lagging behind? This can cause posture problems. Do you have uneven shoulder development? This can cause an injury. Don't just do Bench Press and Curls; do Overhead Press and Chinups, at the very least, and probably Rows too. They'll even help your Bench Press and Curl ability.

The lower body is simpler but it needs attention beyond the poor excuses that most people have to not train it properly; no, running isn't valid strength training (it's solid endurance training, keep it up, but it's different), and no, your half range of motion Squat isn't doing anything but causing a potential knee problem (both in a muscle imbalance and the force exerted on your knee during the lift). Make sure you don't neglect the posterior chain; if you're a beginner, do your Back Squats and Deadlifts, and if you're doing Front Squats or Leg Press or if you're an intermediate or an athlete, do specific posterior chain training like the Glute-Ham Raise and Leg Curls.

Your core becomes especially important when you become an intermediate, or if you're an olympic lifter. Train your abs (Weighted Decline Crunches, Planks, etc.) not just for a six-pack but because your core stabilises your spine, and don't forget that the core is more than just abs; don't neglect your sides (Side Bends, Woodchoppers, etc.) or your lower back (Back Extensions).

And always use the proper range of motion for the exercise. No cheating to do more weight. This is especially popular on the Squat, Bench Press, Overhead Press and Chinup.

Last updated 2012/05/24. The text version is available at pastebin.com/6MkQq2Sn