Covering Your Back
I read a short but interesting article from MSN Health today by Mike Mejia from Men’s Health. Here’s a link to the full article: Fortify Your Weak Spots.
The idea is that most men spend the majority of their time working on the muscles they see the most. Namely the chest, biceps, quads, etc. Then they go on and totally forget about the less visible muscles such as those on your back side. This is naturally a big mistake!
The article then goes on to suggest some exercises you can do to keep your body in balance.
But why is balance important? Well, even if you don’t normally watch certain muscles, they are still visible. Have you ever been to the gym and seen someone that was very out of proportion? It really looks strange doesn’t it? I’m guessing that you don’t want to become that person!
So don’t forget to work your whole body. Not in every workout necessarily, but make sure that you give those muscle groups that you consider less important the amount of attention they truly deserve.
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its true that having a disproportionate body is a little weird. I agree that you have to spend time on the whole body, or else you’ll just look funny!
“The idea is that most men spend the majority of their time working on the muscles they see the most.”
That’s just the problem I guess, people are in it for the wrong reasons when they’re working out just to look good - it’s just vain. We should exercise to get fit, stay healthy and get strong!
Focusing on your more visible muscles at the expense of smaller stabilizing muscles can actually increase your risk of injury quite a bit. I’m definitely not a fitness expert, but from personal experience yoga has helped out a lot for this. Not only does yoga stretch out your muscles (which is what most people think of when they think of yoga) but it also builds strength in many muscles you normally don’t think about.
Great post . I agree a well rounded and balanced work out is so very important there is something odd about someone that has nice looking biceps and a sagging butt.
The link doesn’t work. Just a heads up.
My back workouts consist of pull ups (the best exercise), bent over barbell rows, and cable pull downs.
I agree with you that out-a-proportion people are not my aim.
THat is one reason I like free-weights because lugging them around tends to help work on the unseen muscles just by default.
AL
i totally agree with Convex Mirror’s comment! It is, of course, important to be fit, but a fitness club is not really the way. 24 hr Gym: a definition: where already skinny people go to prove they care about how they look.
I agree that we should work our whole body, especially the ones which we think is less important. Though men reviel there muscles but don’t take care of their body. In this way even weights increase.
Also don’t forget you end up with serious imbalances if you don’t work each group equally. Overworking my middle back area through floor rows caused incredible discomfort and took a few years to work out. It wasn’t until I went to my first chiro that I had any idea how much damage I was doing. The middle back muscles were so much stronger they were stressing adjacent weaker muscles to the point of knots.
with the posters of wrestlers and muscular men not withsatnding, it isnt surprising that only their upper halves get noticed. no one takes ote of their other body parts9read quads, legs, calves, pelvic muscles etc…..). its just that craving to look like a greek god that people 4get the basics. talk about reaching for the stars9quite literally).
I know too many people who do not workout their back because it isn’t one of the “sexy” muscle groups (i.e., chest, biceps). Not only will you look disproportionate, but you will not maximize the results in any of your muscles if you neglect an entire group. Plus, you run a greater risk of injury because you cannot support the weight your other muscles are lifting. Just an all around bad idea.
I think every muscle needs to be worked, and if you spend time on them, that gives your other muscles a needed break. It’s better to switch up your routine anyway.
thanks for the link, great articles btw
No man should ever forget to work out the backside muscles! In fact, I think that should be the first muscles they work on!