Do you know body basics for strength training?

02 Apr Do you know body basics for strength training?

Why you should know the body basics?

Your body is your place of worship. This sounds so cliche but I would say today it is the most abused entity in the whole world. We are what our body is well 50% and 50% mind I am sure. So before embarking on this journey let me just quickly walk you through some Body Basics.

Body parts as they call in the bodybuilding terms. While building the body each of these parts is worked out to bring out the best in that muscle. The body is an amazing machine if you slack it slacks and if you push it pushes all the limits.

 

Weight Training Myths That You Hear

Most of the women are not interested in weight training or bodybuilding in the fear of bulking up but the truth is WOMEN NEVER CAN BULK-UP. Women should do weight training progressively and plan food accordingly.

Have you heard about Progressive Overload?

If you have been going to the gym for 5 years and are lifting the same 3 kg, 5 kg weights then you may not see the desired result. The body needs to be challenged at every stage of working out. Increasing your weight lifting capacity is the next move for all ladies who are working out for a long time. I am sure most of you know it but here are my two cents.

Do you know the Body Basics and Muscle Group Details?

Chest

The chest is a major muscle group in the body which includes Pectoralis Major and Pectoralis minor generally we term them as Pecs.

Training the pecs is an important part of strength training. We can train the chest with the help of dumbells as well as barbells. 

If you prefer home workouts, a pair of dumbells would do wonders, if not resistance bands may help too. 

Shoulders

Shoulder muscles are called as Delts named after deltoid, on the front and backside.

The most important part of the body when it comes to strength. All the push-ups, pull-ups, and the variations are aimed at it. 

Shoulder toning and muscle building are some of the toughest jobs. 

Arms

Biceps: The most loved muscle group for all gym-goers because this is where it shows up. The bicep building is a little overrated but worth every effort. 

Triceps: Triceps is the posterior side of biceps, this is the part where most of the ladies struggle. This is a part that jiggles more and needs to be worked upon. 

Abs

The core muscle group of the body. The six-pack abs are what you hear about from the gym-goers.

It is the most important body part for women because there are many changes that happen to the abs after childbirth. Toning of abs is possible with some core workouts. 

Weights can be used to tone abs as well, all the peripheral work that we do for the body usually tones the abs. 

Quads

This is my favorite muscle in the body. It has a lot of strength. These are the thigh muscles. All those squats and weighted squats are used to tone quads. 

Quad muscles can be toned with different exercises. All the squats get the credit for that. 

Calves

Calf muscles are something I am working on for a long time. I love the calf muscles of runners. It shows hard work and dedication. Runners have very pronounced calf muscles because they work on it constantly. Building calf muscles need specific exercises. 

Hams

The backside of thigh muscles. Working on them is a pain but I still love it. When quads are trained, we should train hamstrings too. Lunges and squats activate the quads and hamstrings. 

Glutes

The hip muscles which is the biggest muscle in the body. Working on them the toughest job in the universe. Though it is tough, the combination of bodyweight and weighted squats and lunges are the go-to options for the same. 

Lower back

These are above your hip muscles. Working on core works simultaneously on the lower back. Most women after pregnancy have a weak lower back. Men too have a big pooch due to week lower back. Strengthening the lower back is a good start to build abs. 

Basics of the body are crucial when you want to first start getting into the fitness groove. Later, one can build body researching about different training programs. 

Planning your strength training schedule:

Though there are readymade programs available, we need to plan the workouts for different body parts. The body should not undergo the weight lifting overwhelm. Usually, there are two ways to decide on the strength training schedule.

One is based on the type of muscles, push muscles, and pull muscles. 

What are the push muscles?

As the name suggests Push muscles are the muscles that help you push i.e when the muscle tissues are contracted to push the weight away from the body. It is easy to visualize the push muscles when we talk about muscle contraction pushing the weight away. If you think of Pushups as an exercise, the muscles engaged in the activity are mainly Chest, Shoulders, and Triceps. 

What are Pull Muscles?

Muscles that get contracted when the weight is pulled towards the body. A simple way to identify pull muscles is to visualize Pull-up as an exercise. Pull muscles are all back muscles, biceps, Traps, and Hamstrings. 

For a beginner, it gets confusing to plan each day as per these muscle groups so here is a quick way where you can divide your workouts as per the body parts.

Monday – Upper Body

Tuesday – Cardio

Wednesday – Lower Body

Thursday – Cardio

Friday – Core Work and Abs

Saturday – Cardio

Sunday – Active Recovery

What training programs should I use for Body Basics training? 

There are amazing online training programs available. Again, it is up to you to decide which program suits you best. Here are some tried and tested workout programs for strength training. 

Fitness Blender 

 

Fitness blender has a range of workouts, you can choose from. The best part about these workouts is that they are clear about the number of calories that are burnt in a particular workout. This is a good indicator of the intensity of the workout.

Hasfit

Hasfit is also similar to Fitness Blender. You can choose from a range of workouts:

Heather Robertson:

Bodyfit By Amy:

Jessica Smith TV:

You can strengthen different body parts with these trainers. Choose what you like. In the beginning it is good to start with online workouts and then move to the paid version of different workouts.

Taking the first step:

Working with weights takes time to gel well with the body and you should be doubly careful about your nutrition. Well begun is half done, so if you have taken that first step? Congratulations!!