“Bodybuilding Sins” That Cause Back Pain and Missed Workouts:
Part 2
by Jesse
Cannone, Steve Hefferon
zone3
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.
Welcome to article number 2 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:
- Article #1 - Choosing
The WRONG Exercises
- Article #2 - Training Variations for Pain Relief and Maximum
Results
- Article #3 - Targeted Stretching
- Article #4 - Targeted Exercises
- Article #5 - Rest, Recovery, and Injury Prevention
Article #2 - Training Variations for Pain Relief and Maximum
Results
Bodybuilders are a stubborn bunch… almost as bad as runners! And they
tend to follow the “HERD” doing whatever exercises and routines the “pros”
are doing...
Now, if your goal is to be as big as possible and you are not at all
concerned with your health and fitness, don’t even bother this article…
this article is for bodybuilders who ARE concerned about their health and
want to be big, strong, powerful, and agile… if that’s you, read on…
The reason so many bodybuilders suffer from so many different injuries
is because there are several things the “pros” don’t tell you…
First off, the articles that you see in all the muscle mags aren’t even
written by the “pros”… and the workout routines they recommend are always
extreme and often not even used by the “pro” who supposedly wrote because
their main goal is to sell magazines… not give you the real deal on
bodybuilding.
If you are serious about bodybuilding and want to achieve your true
peak, you need to stay injury free… and that’s just about impossible if
you train they way most bodybuilders do.
There are several key strategies that you can use right now to not only
eliminate any aches, pains and injuries you currently have, but also keep
from creating more muscle imbalances in the future.
Strategy #1 - Target the Weaklings!
No, we don’t mean the exercises you think your weak at, or even the
muscles you think are underdeveloped… what we mean is the muscles that are
weak in relation to the opposing muscle group.
For example, in the first article we talked about why the Leg Extension
is not a great exercise and why it’s responsible for so many cases of
knee, hip, and back pain… and the reason is, most people, especially
bodybuilders, are already over developed and stronger in the quadriceps…
and usually have a significant imbalance between the quadriceps and
hamstrings.
Another reason bodybuilders tend to develop so many severe muscle
imbalances is because they emphasize the front of the body more than the
back… a great example of this is what we call “The T-shirt Muscle Workout”
and it usually consists of dozens of sets of chest and biceps…
you know what we mean… in just one workout you do flat bench, incline,
decline, pec deck, dumbbell fly, cable cross overs… and then for biceps
you’ve got barbell curls, dumbbell curls, preacher curls, cable curls,
machine curls, and the list goes on…
So instead of emphasizing the muscles that are already strong, why not
really hit those weak and under worked muscles like: neck, upper back,
shoulder rotators, hamstrings, glutes, hip rotators, lower abs, and
shins.
These areas tend to be weak, tight, out of balance with their opposing
muscles, prone to muscle strains and pulls and most importantly, these
imbalances lead to major injuries and conditions like back pain, knee
pain, rotator cuff tears, tendonitis and others.
All of these conditions are caused by muscle imbalances and will NOT go
away unless you work towards correcting the imbalances… and the only way
to know for sure which imbalances are causing your pain or injury is to do
a series of physical assessments like the ones covered in our “Lose the Back Pain Video”.
Strategy #2 - Experiment!
Here’s a personal challenge for you: Replace at least 1 of your normal
weekly workouts with something totally different like combat martial arts,
kettle bell training, functional training, or even strongman style
exercises.
For example, instead of doing your super heavy, 3 inch partial rep leg
presses, try a single leg squat… and if that’s easy, try adding weight! Or
instead dozens of sets of shoulder presses and lateral raises, see if you
can do 1 handstand push-up.
hose are just a few examples… do yourself a favor and experiment with
other types of exercises. You can find hundreds of different types
of training styles by taking classes, reading books, watching videos,
surfing the web, hire
a personal trainer, etc.
We aren’t asking you to give up your traditional workouts… but just
cross-train a bit so you not only work towards a balanced body but also
towards a stronger, more powerful and usable strength. Again, what good is
muscle if you can’t use it!
Strategy #3 - Switch It Up!
Another great way to minimize the number of missed workouts due to
injuries is to vary the exercises that you do for each muscle group. For
example, if you always do barbell squats try rotating in other exercises
like single-leg leg presses, trap-bar dead-lifts, d-bell squats, etc.
Conclusion
Remember, the key to eliminating injuries and preventing future ones is
to identify what areas you need to target. In the next two articles we’ll
be discussing in detail, how to address various injuries like back, hip,
knee, and shoulder pain with targeted exercises and stretches. In the
meantime, be sure to read thru all of our detailed Articles
and if you have questions, please post them in our Discussion
Forum.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Article by Jesse Cannone, CFT, CPRS, CSPN and Steve Hefferon, CMT,
CPRS of http://www.losethebackpain.com/.
If you’ve got back pain or sciatic pain, you’ve gotta check out their
video.
Build Muscle Related Articles:
 What Causes Muscle Growth?
Body Building for beginners
Protein or Carbohydrates?
8 Tips To Building Your Dream Body
Choosing The Right Bodybuilding Supplement
Is Your Muscle Building Potential Limited By Your Genes?
The Benefits of Protein Powders
The MYTH of Gaining Muscle Without Fat!
Tips to Help You Gain Weight
Abdominal Exercises For Beginning Bodybuilders
|
Go to Page: 