Lessons for legs: How to correct the most common training errors found in five key lower-body exercises - Target Training

While watching the people working out beside you on leg-training days, have you noticed that although many work out religiously day in and day out, their lower bodies never seem to change? The absence of results is generally not for a lack of effort but rather because most people train ineffectively. Want to get results more quickly, exercise more safely and spend less time in the gym yourself? The key is to train smarter-not harder.

The problem is that most gym-goers learn how to weight train by watching others. They look for the people with the best builds and decide they must know what they're doing, forgetting that many fitness enthusiasts who looks good may have achieved this through a good dose of genetics rather than proper training. Before you know it, you may have picked up bad habits and poor technique just by watching others perform movements incorrectly.

Once you've ingrained a certain movement pattern into your brain, it's especially hard to break-but not impossible Let's examine the most common errors committed during some of the most popular exercises for the lower body, and explain how to fix them. We'll also provide a number of technique tips you can use as reference to ensure you're training correctly.

STEP-UP

WHAT'S WRONG: Most people perform a step-up incorrectly by pushing up from the leg that's in contact with the floor. This produces a forward momentum that causes your knee to move beyond your toes and your upper body to lean into the lift. Actually, the working leg is the one up on the bench or step. To get the most bang for your buck from this exercise, raise your body off the floor by pushing through the foot of your forward leg. Your trailing leg should touch down lightly only for balance.

FIX IT: Stand in front of a bench or step with one foot on the bench. The bench should be at a height that puts your knee in a comfortable position -- a 90-degree bend is often used as a reference point, but this may be too deep an angle for you. (The stronger you get, the deeper the angle you can work from.) Keep your kneecap facing forward and your weight distributed on all four corners of your forward foot. Now slowly step up, pushing up with the leg on the bench, extending your body into a fully upright, balanced position without locking your knee joint. Slowly lower yourself to the starting position. Do all reps for one leg before switching sides.

Standing LEG CURL

WHAT'S WRONG: Many exercisers allow their backs to arch excessively while performing hamstring curls on leg-curl machines. This can cause unnecessary strain and possible injury to your lower back region.

FIX IT: If your back arches much beyond its natural curve, or you begin to lean into the machine with your upper body, decrease the resistance so you can maintain proper form. Position your body so your knees Fall just below the edge of the pad and are even with the machine's pivot point. Adjust the ankle pads so they rest just above your heels. Begin by contracting your hamstrings to curl your lower leg up toward your glutes. For maximal effectiveness, keep your abdominals contracted and your thighs pressed firmly into the pads. Slowly release to return to the starting position, being careful not to hyperextend your knee or let the hamstrings relax.

LEG PRESS

• WHAT'S WRONG: Using a range of motion that's either too short and doesn't work the muscles sufficiently or too large so that your knees come right into your chest, pulling your lower back off the pad and putting excessive pressure on your knees and back.

Leg-press machines come in various positions -- seated, slightly reclined or fully horizontal. Regardless of the particular machine available to you, the technique is fairly similar. If you understand the basic concepts, you'll be able to set yourself up on any variation.

• FIX IT: Start by placing your feet on the platform. If your knees are positioned too close to your chest or you're too far away and can't reach it, adjust the seat. Position the machine so that when you push out, you can fully extend -- but don't lock out -- your legs. When you slowly release the weight, you want to be able to lower it to the point where your knees bend about 90 degrees, a common reference point. (Don't go this low if it feels uncomfortable.)

A leg press is basically just an assisted squat movement, so the technique is somewhat similar to a squat exercise. Be sure your feet are positioned about hip-width apart and firmly planted. As with good squatting technique, when you're in a fully loaded squat position, don't allow your knees to extend past your toes.

LUNGE

WHAT'S WRONG: Stepping forward so that your front knee tracks beyond or too far behind your toes.

When you lunge, your front shinbone should be fixed perpendicular to the ground. If you allow your shinbone to move beyond your toes by taking a relatively short step or your knee tracks far behind your toes because you stepped too far forward, you risk placing excessive forces on your knee.

Some people question this, stating that in sports or daily activities, we're often required to bend down and lunge into a deep forward position. In real life, however, you're doing only one deep lunge at a time and never with dumbbells in hand or a barbell on your back.

FIX IT: For the stationary lunge, stand with one foot forward and the other back, feet approximately hip-width apart. Keep your front knee over the top of your ankle and your back knee underneath or slightly behind your hip. Slowly descend straight down -- your back knee should approach the ground but never touch -- keeping your front knee over the top of your ankle the entire time. Lower only as far as you feel comfortable. Keep your bodyweight positioned over your working (forward) leg. Maintain proper posture and keep your abdominals tight. Do all reps for one leg before switching legs.

SQUAT

WHAT'S WRONG: Rounding your back as you descend or rise puts unwanted pressure on your spine. This might occur if you use too much weight, even if you know proper form, because it's sometimes difficult to identify the problem as you execute the movement.

The squat is a complicated compound movement that requires picture-perfect technique every step of the way. Any number of poor habits can creep into your technique, decreasing the effectiveness of the movement and leading to injury. This is one you'll definitely want to work on with a trained expert to get it right the first time and every time.

FIX IT: Start by standing with your feet about hipwidth apart. Set your posture by keeping your lower back slightly arched, pressing your chest out and up and your shoulders back and down. Start by slowly squatting as if you're sitting on a chair while keeping your kneecaps pointing forward and, of critical importance, your head up (looking back at yourself in the mirror at eye level). Try to keep your weight equally distributed on all four corners of your feet throughout the movement. Descend to a comfortable position, typically about where your thighs are near parallel to the floor; longer-limbed individuals might have trouble going that low. Your upper body will come forward slightly while your glutes travel back, but keep the arch in your lower back and your head up. To come back up, press through your feet and push your hips forward in a smooth but strong motion.

COPYRIGHT 2002 Weider Publications

Bodyweight Exercises: How To Bench Press 500 Pounds

Everyone wants a bigger bench. It doesn’t matter if you’re training for track, bodybuilding, or fat loss, the bench press is where it’s at.

The question is how do you start crushing those higher numbers? There’s an easy answer: Begin by utilizing a concept called conjugate periodization, to improve both strength and speed, which are the two keys to a championship bench.

Dynamic Effort

The first bench day of the week will be geared towards speed production. After a full warmup, perform eight sets of three repetitions on the straight bar.

Loading on these will follow a three week wave, with 50% of your one repetition max (1RM) during week one, 55% for week two, and 60% for week three. Week four would start over again with 50%.

Developing a higher bar speed will help eliminate sticking points and assist in blowing a heavier weight off the chest.

In order to protect the elbows and prevent deceleration, accommodating resistance should be used during these speed sets. Attached chains or bands de-load at the chest and become heavier up towards lockout, which follows the human strength curve. Cycle these tools in the same waves as the bar weight. Use chains for one three week cycle, bands for the next, and plate weight only for the third. That’s an easy nine weeks of variation.

Following the speed sets, accessory work would be performed. These exercises would build the shoulders, arms and back. Special emphasis would be placed on weaker areas. For instance, if you were lacking in lockout strength, more work for the triceps would be required.

Maximum Effort

The maximum effort bench workout would take place three days after the dynamic session.

On this day the emphasis is geared toward building strength. But rather than using the straight bar on a flat bench, every other variation should be used, one per day, working up to a 1RM.

So, we have board presses, floor presses, rack lockouts, fat bar, cambered bar, decline bench, incline bench, high band tension, weight releasers, any lift that builds the muscles needed for regular benching.

Exercises for this day are used for a limit of three weeks in a row. Advanced lifters would switch every week.

The constant variety prevents nervous system burnout, while allowing constant maximum effort. Technique won’t be lost, because no matter what lift is performed on ME day, the speed sets are still done with a straight bar on a flat bench.

After the max effort lift is taken to a 1RM, accessory exercises are performed in the same manner as on dynamic day, to build more muscle and overcome weak points.

Sample Program

Week 2 Dynamic Effort Day

A1. Speed Bench 8x3 (55% 1RM)

B1. Chest Supported Row 7x6

B2. Dumbbell Triceps Extension 7x6

C1. Rear Delt Fly 3x10

C2. Hammer Curl 3x10

Week 2 Maximum Effort Day

A1. Fat Bar Two Board Press, up to 1RM

B1. Weighted Chinup 4x10

B2. Supinated Grip Kettlebell Triceps Extension 4x10

C1. Body Row 3x8

C2. Face Pulls 3x12

Additional Notes

Make sure to squat and deadlift as well. Having a strong pair of legs lets you build a stable foundation to push from.

Always work on keeping your shoulders healthy with external rotation exercises. The warmup is a perfect time to address this, as would be a short extra workout.

Conclusion

The conjugate method has consistently built champion bench pressers, and it can do the same for you. Bench going nowhere? Give these methods a try, today!

Lucas Wold is an elite strength and conditioning specialist located in central Washington state. Working with athletes of all levels, from adolescent beginners to Olympians to professionals, he focuses on spreading the most effective training methods to as many people as possible. He can be reached through his website at http://www.BeastAthletics.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lucas_Wold

Bodyweight Exercises: Quick Bodyweight Training Tips

No bodyweight workout program is complete without a weight training regimen. If you are including weights in your exercise program you already know how much weight training helps. If you are not using weights you need to start. Read this article and get some tips to help you improve your weight lifting results.

The first tip is to keep records of your weight lifting. This is something that I rarely see in the gym. Keep a notebook with you and record how much weight you lift and how many repetitions you do. This will let you know what you need to do next time to improve your strength. If you do not keep a record of the weight you lift you will find it hard to remember and improve on that weight the next time you lift. This will also give you a record of how you have improved over time.

The next tip is to not overdo it. Do not work out a muscle group more than one time per week. You have to give your muscles enough time to heal after a workout. If you lift weights too often you will actually be tearing down your muscles instead of building them up. Divide your muscles into two or three groups and just work out each group once a week. Make up a workout schedule with these groups and stick to it.

The last tip I have for you is to make sure that you eat properly. You need to eat healthy foods high in protein if you want to build muscle. Try drinking a protein shake within an hour after working out. Its an easy way to give your muscles the protein they need. Also consider taking a good multi vitamin.

Follow these tips and you will be well on your way to a healthier body. Just remember to have patience because results do not happen overnight. Stick with it and you will get there. Good luck.


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