Welcome to article number 4 in our series "Bodybuilding Sins That Cause Back Pain and Missed Workouts". In this article we are going to talk about how bodybuilders tend to create massive muscle imbalances and what you can do to not be one of them.
If you missed the first article, you can read it by clicking on the link below.
Here's a breakdown of the articles to look for:
1. Article:1 - Choosing The WRONG Exercises
2. Article:2 - Training Variations for Pain Relief and Maximum Results
3. Article:3 - Targeted Stretching
4. Article:4 - Targeted Exercises
5. Article:5 - Rest, Recovery, and Injury Prevention
Article:4 - Targeted Exercises
What is a Targeted Exercise and Why You Need To Be Doing Them?
While performing three different exercises for each area of the chest may sound "targeted" and it may work great for targeting the chest itself... this is NOT what we mean by targeted...
What we are talking about is choosing exercises with more than just size increases in mind... remember, there is far more to muscle than just how it looks... You can be really big, but also weak, slow and inflexible.
To drive this point home some more, remember the "Turtle Back Syndrome" we covered in article #1? So many body builders are plagued with this gruesome condition and they don't even know it! Are you?
The Turtle Back condition is a direct result of too much focus on building up the pecs and lats and not enough focus on the upper back. Also, the lack of focus on flexibility in the chest and shoulders makes it even worse...
Not only does this look stupid, but it sets you up for back, neck and shoulder problems like rotator cuff tears and the like... and I know you don't want any of those!
So by targeted, we mean exercises that will not just develop muscle strength and size, but more importantly work towards correcting muscle imbalances which will mean less pain and missed workouts, better performance and function, and most of all better and balanced total body development!
So How Do You Find Out Which Ones You NEED To be Doing?
As we discussed in the previous article on "Targeted Stretching", it's very important to know before hand what stretches you actually NEED to be doing... the same applies to exercises...
and the ONLY way to find out what specific areas you need to target is to perform physical evaluations so you can pin point the weak muscles that need strengthening and the tight muscles that need stretching.
We have developed a series of simple assessments you can do yourself to identify the muscles imbalances you have...
and while they are intended for people suffering from back pain or sciatica, as a bodybuilder you stand to benefit greatly because you train so hard, you are far more likely to experience injuries like bulging and herniated discs, rotator cuff tears, knee pain, etc...
Plus, even if you don't have any pain or injuries now, it would be very wise to learn how to assess yourself so you can target your training now before you create an injury, which not only will slow down your training and progress, but it can also become a life-long struggle with pain and a serious loss of your strength, size and fitness.
So be sure to check out our website to learn more about how you can quickly and easily identify and eliminate any muscle imbalances you have.
Article by Jesse Cannone, CFT, CPRS, CSPN and Steve Hefferon, CMT, CPRS of Lose The Back Pain, If you've got back pain or sciatic pain, you've gotta check out their website.
Why Your Muscle Pumps Have Nothing To Do With Your Muscle Gains
Your back is firmly planted on the bench as you wrap your chalked hands around the cold, steel bar. Your training partner helps you un-rack the weight as you power the bar up and down, squeezing your chest and triceps on each grueling rep. You complete your 6 repetitions, re-rack the bar and stand up.
Your chest feels tight and engorged with blood. You take a look in the mirror, thrilled with how full and vascular your pecs appear. You feel strong, powerful, healthy and motivated to blast through the rest of your workout with your newly achieved “pump”.
Let’s face it, a pump feels incredible. For those of you who aren’t quite sure what I’m talking about, a pump is the feeling that you get as blood becomes trapped inside your muscle tissue as a result of resistance training. The muscles will swell up and increase in size, vascularity and tightness.
There is certainly nothing wrong with achieving a pump in the gym, and it is simply a natural result of intense weight training. However, contrary to what the majority of weightlifters may think, a pump is in no way indicative of a successful workout. Anyone who uses the intensity of their pump as a gauge for the effectiveness of their workout is making a costly error.
On countless occasions I've heard lifters raving about the massive pumps they get in the gym as they share methods for achieving the best pump possible. "Dude, this will give you a crazy pump!" If you have already been working out for a decent amount of time then you know exactly what I'm talking about. While a pump does feel extremely satisfying, just remember that it means very little in terms of muscle stimulation and growth.
A pump is simply the result of extra blood within the muscle tissue. Think of it this way: if I took a pair of 10 pound dumbbells and performed 300 reps of a bench press movement, I would achieve an incredible pump. If muscle pumps meant muscle growth, then super light weight, ultra high rep programs would be the most effective way to grow. Any serious lifter with half a brain knows that this simply is not the case.
Do you want to know how to truly gauge the success of a workout? Here it is…
Take your workout records (in terms of weight and reps) from the previous week and compare it to the current week. Did you improve? Were you able to either increase the resistance slightly on each exercise, or perform an extra rep or two?
If so, you had a successful workout, regardless of how much blood you were able to pump into your muscle tissue.
Building muscle mass and strength is all about training with 100% intensity on every given set and then striving to improve from week to week. If you are able to consistently achieve this, your muscle size and strength will increase faster than you ever thought possible, with or without a pump.
I hope this article cleared up your confusion on the issue of "muscle pumps". There's so much misleading muscle-building information circling around on the Internet these days that it can sometimes be impossible to know who to listen to. If you want to learn the truth about 14 other common, counterproductive "myths", visit my webste below for details.
About The Author
Sean Nalewanyj is a bodybuilding author, dedicated trainer and writer of top-selling Internet Muscle-Building E-Book: The Truth About Building Muscle. Learn why 95% of trainees in the gym will NEVER see any significant results by visiting his website: MuscleGainTruth
Southern California's Only Pro Bodybuilding Show Now a Top 5 Mr. Olympia Qualifier
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Bodybuilding Sins That Cause Back Pain and Missed Workouts: Part 5
Welcome to article number five in our 5-part series "Bodybuilding Sins That Cause Back Pain and Missed Workouts". In this article we are going to cover some basic, yet powerful training principles that are often overlooked and are responsible for nearly all bodybuilding injuries.
7 Basics For Bodybuilding Success
Whether you are a serious competitor or a casual bodybuilder, your actual muscle building workouts are only a small part of bodybuilding. There are seven basic ingredients required for bodybuilding success with the exercise routines, themselves, making up only a small part - about 20% of your success. You need to pay attention to all seven factors to gain maximum muscle in the shortest time.
Know Your Bodybuilding Supplement - L-Taurine
Taurine is the second most abundant amino acid in the muscle after glutamine. It performs several useful functions and can act in a way similar to creatine in that it expands cells by helping the muscle to hold more water, thus increasing cell volume.
Bodybuilding: From The Pros To The Everyday Trainers
Bodybuilding's Jay Cutler wakes up to a breakfast of 15 egg whites, a couple of whole eggs and some toast. He's just getting started. A steak dinner comes a couple hours later. He then heads to the gym for an intense weight training session. After that, meals of chicken, buffalo meat and turkey are on the schedule. In between meals he's taking in various supplements for extra protein and vitamin coverage.
Bodybuilding.com, Met-Rx, Flex Productions Present a Free, Live Webcast of the New York City Pro Men's Bodybuilding Championships
Bodybuilding.com, Met-Rx, and Flex productions presents a free, live webcast of the 2007 IFBB New York City Pro Men's Professional Bodybuilding Championships. The webcast includes the pre-judging, which begins at 2 PM (EDT), and the event finals, which begins at 7:30 PM (EDT), on Saturday, May 12, 2007. The free, live webcast can be seen on Bodybuilding.com, Metrx.com, and Flexonline.com.
Bodybuilding.com Announces 2008 Supplement Award Nominees
Bodybuilding.com announced their 2008 Supplement Award nominees today, recognizing industry leaders delivering high-quality, effective products. Over 70 brands were nominated in all. Winners will be announced live on the 2008 Mr. Olympia Expo stage. This year's Olympia Weekend will feature Mr. Olympia, Ms. Olympia, Fitness Olympia, Figure Olympia, and others. The event is scheduled for September 25-28 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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Morph Bodybuilding Supplement Clinical Study Presented at 2008 International Society of Sports Nutrition Scientific Conference
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New Effective Bodybuilding Supplement Discovered
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New Pre-Workout Body Building Supplement Formula Promises Immediate Results
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Bodybuilding Basics Tips for Beginners
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Bodybuilding and Back Pain, Chair Design and Back Pain, and Using a Chiropractor
The role that bodybuilding plays to developing back pain. Bodybuilders are so intent on developing muscles that they sometimes forget that just because a muscle is well developed doesn't mean that it can't become strained and that pain can't occur. Besides muscle strains, and rigorous workout schedules, many bodybuilders often develop herniated discs. It isn't unusual; but, workout routines are modified so that bodybuilding can continue in spite of the herniated disc. Bodybuilders should treat muscle strains in the same way that other people treat muscle strains. Most of the time the body simply takes care of the problem and one who is suffering from a muscle strain can simply discontinue the activity that caused the muscle strain, ...