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Gear exercises |
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The
exercises in this chapter, what we call First
Gear
exercises, are the building blocks to a stronger,
and
ultimately more functional, lower body. Functional
may sound technical, but we're talking about making
the
muscles more efficient at lifestyle movements,
that is, |
doing exactly what they're designed to do in your daily
life, athletic or not.
First Gear exercises are a perfect starting point if
you are inexperienced with strength training or if you
are starting back on a strength training regimen. If
you already train regularly, these exercises can be
used to increase the overall intensity of your training
sessions. If you find weight-bearing or standing exercises
intolerable or difficult, there are a number of machine-
supported exercises in this chapter that make perfect
alternatives.
During any given exercise, muscles have more than one
function, depending on the movement pattern. They work
as
(1) the mover (agonist) responsible for the muscle action,
(2) the assistant to the mover (synergist) responsible
for
assisting the action and perform the same action as the
mover, or (3) the stabilizer (stabilizer) supporting the
surrounding joint to enable a specific action.
First Gear exercises will train your muscles to be
efficient as movers and assistors as well as stabilizers,
which will develop a toned musculature as well as improve
coordination and torso stability. You won't just look
fabulous; your body will function well, too. As you train,
you will also become more aware of how your muscles respond
and will be able to choose the most effective exercises
to
train them. Then, when stability training becomes the
major
focus of your individual program, taking you far beyond
aesthetics, First Gear exercises will have helped to lay
the foundation for more challenging programs and exercise
progressions.
In some respects, the body functions like a bike chain.
That is, your body is only as strong as its weakest link.
In a bike chain, each link needs to be able to take the
load, and if one link is weak, the chain will wear out
and eventually break. Likewise, if your muscle strength
is
unbalanced, you'll be more prone to injuries. For example,
the inner quadriceps muscle is primarily responsible for
maintaining the integrity of the knee joint (i.e., knee
cap tracking). If this muscle is weak, the outer quadriceps
muscle will dominate and pull the kneecap outward, which
can cause permanent wear and damage to the valuable knee
cartilage. Not only is the alignment off, but this will
also affect balance and proficiency at just about any
activity or sport.
Although it is not possible to spot reduce, as mentioned
in chapter 1, it is possible to improve muscle tone by
strengthening muscles independently, which is exactly
what
First Gear exercises do. Engaging in isolated strength
training techniques allows you to train your legs separately.
In addition, unilateral exercises are the perfect solution
for strength imbalances between dominant and nondominant
limbs as well as opposing groups, as in the common case
of
one leg being stronger than the other. Once you've gained
a
sufficient amount of improved strength as well as muscle
control and balance, it's important to progress to the
next
group of exercises, which integrate your muscles in a
more
functional and dynamic way, such as squats and lunges
(see
chapters 5 and 7).
There are four sections in this chapter, each containing
seven or more exercises for the major muscles that make
up
the lower body: hips, quadriceps, glutes and hamstrings,
and
lower legs and calves. Within each section, the exercises
are listed according to the most stable and isolated position,
and then progress to the most challenging exercises. Each
exercise is numbered for easy reference, which will come
in
handy for program design in chapters 9 and 10.
To read more about First Gear exercises, get
your copy today!
STRONGER LEGS AND LOWER BODY
Keli Roberts and Linda Shelton
Paperback • 272 Pages Cost= 29.95$Cdn ( 17.95$ U.S.) |
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