Full body workouts are a great way to delve into the world of fitness. However, compound exercises can only take you so far. When you need additional strength and brawn, targeting areas individually sounds like a great idea. But is training each muscle group attainable, and if yes, how can we pursue it correctly? Let’s find out.
Targeting Individual Muscle Groups
If you are a fitness enthusiast, then you probably have already heard of terms such as “leg day” being thrown around in the community. But this is just one part of a much wider concept known as a split workout. The program consists of alternating between exercises designed to hit specific muscle groups on separate days of the week.
Individual muscle groups can be easily trained using an all-in-one workout station, such as the Weider Pro 8500 Smith. This type of power rack cage comes equipped with various strength-training toolsthat allow you to easily incorporate exercises for the arms, legs, chest, glutes, and several other essential body parts.
It is the quickest and easiest way to put together a home gym that will cater to every single muscle group. If you think that this is something for you, follow this link for further reading on Weider Pro 8500 Smith weight cage review to decide whether it is indeed the right choice for you.
The top benefit of a split workout is that you have the chance to develop those muscles that are weaker. Full body routines are great for beginners, but they can only do so much in terms of shaping and toning consistently and equally. Therefore, while compound exercises are good for building endurance, training individual muscle groups is the key to fitness.
Best Exercises for Each Body Part
To perform the optimal split workout for your body and its needs, it is essential to first know which exercises target a specific muscle group. According to Bodybuilding.com,there are over 600 individual muscles in the human body, but fortunately their list includes only the major ones that you need to pay attention to.
Arms
Curls are generally a good idea when you want to train your biceps. The standard exercise is always effective, but for outstanding results try to incorporate all the varieties, such as incline bench curls, narrow and wide grip barbell curls, pulley curls, hammer curls, and so on. For your triceps, do chest presses, parallel bar dips, pushdowns, and triceps extensions. Finally, the forearms will benefit the most from reverse curls and wrist curls.
Legs
If you want to start off on the right foot, the legs needsome attention too. Get it? Leg presses, squats, lunges, and deadlifts are a great way to engage the general areas of legs. If you want to isolate specific muscle groups better, leg curls, leg extensions, and calf raises are valuable additions to your routine.
Chest
Chest training is perhaps the most important in bodybuilding culture, as it stimulates the pectorals. Start with some chest presses and incline presses, then continue with decline presses and overhead presses. Classic pushups, along with incline and decline pushups are great for the pecs, as are pullovers. Flys and cable crossovers are a valuable addition to the chest routine.
Abs
Crunches, sit-ups, and leg raises are the perfect trio of exercises that mainly engage the abdominal muscles, therefore stimulating and strengthening the core. There are various versions of crunches to try. The most common include the reverse crunch, the crossover crunch, and the straight leg crunch. For isolation, integrate pelvic lifts, hip thrusts, side bends, and trunk rotations.
Booty
Booty exercises are more than just a trend. Even though the past few years have been all about the glutes in terms of fitness, working them out properly means more than just wanting to look like the Kardashians. Squats, lunges, hip extensions, pelvic raises, and kickbacks are all equally beneficial for the buttocks, as they will create a balanced and toned body overall.
Shoulders
As a general rule, bench presses are the surest way to work out the shoulder area. Overhead presses, both with a neutralgrip and a close grip, as well as the Arnold press are the essential moves you will need to perform. To isolate specific muscles, rowing and lateral and front raises are a good idea.
Back
Finally, you can’t shape the body and boost strength without working on the back. This area is the one that supports your entire musculoskeletal system, which is why it requires plenty of attention. Deadlifts are a classic exercise to engage the trapezoidal and dorsal muscles, and so are chin-ups, pull-ups, pulldowns, are rowing. Back extensions, prone extension, and good mornings are also something to consider when building brawn on the back.
How to Approach Your Routine
One example of a split workout that engages each part of the body separately indifferent ways starts with lunges, hip thrusts, deadlifts, and hyperextensions on Monday. On Tuesday, it’s time for chest presses, pushdowns, and lateral raises. Take Wednesday off to recover and allow your muscles to expand. After all, you wouldn’t want to risk soreness or injuries.
Start off strong on Thursday with calf raises, squats, and leg extensions. Then, row all the way through Friday, and throw in some bicep curls and pull-ups. Take the weekend off to prepare yourself for another week of intensive physical activity. You can try performing light cardio in the meantime to recuperate and rebuild more efficiently, but it’s all up to you.
The Bottom Line
Working out separate parts of the body on different days allows you to build equal strength and bulk up those areas that might be weaker. By targeting the major muscle groups and catering to their needs, you will be able to reach your fitness goals and become brawny in no time. So, are you ready for the challenge? It is time to break a sweat!
