When you do a workout, do you know what muscles it works?  There are some obvious things out there, like how the bench press works your chest;  Crunches work your abs,  and squats work your legs. . .   This hardly scratches the surface, though.  For example, would you believe me if I told you that squats work your Obliques?

. . .  Well, they do.  We’re going to talk about the classifications for muscles trained during exercises, since this is where you can find out how effective your workout is.  By doing Isolation work, you only work small muscle groups and it will take you forever to work the same amount of muscles that Dead Lifts would. . .  My goal is to have you reevaluate your exercises when we’re through with this post.  Let’s start simple:

Target.  This is the primary muscle / groups intended for the exercise.  For the sake of this post, we’re going to look exclusively at my favorite exercise:  The Dead Lift.  The Target for this exercise is your Erector Spinae, also known as your lower back. Other examples would be: The target of the Bench Press is your Sternal Pectoralis Major (a.k.a. Your chest); The target of crunches if your Rectus Abdominis.

Synergist.  Official Definition:  A muscle that assists another muscle to accomplish a movement.   That’s pretty straightforward, right?  You could look at the “Target” as a primary, and the “Synergist” as a secondary group that is worked.  In the Dead Lift, you have quite a few synergists:  Your Gluteus Maximus (Your Rear), Adductor Magnus (Inner Thigh), Quadriceps (Thighs), and your Soleus (A muscle in your calf).  These all assist your lower back and are worked in the Dead Lift.  Another example is your Clavicular Pectoralis Major (“Upper Chest”), Triceps Brachii, and Anterior Deltoid (Shoulder) in the Bench Press.  That’s not all, though. . .

Stabilizer.  A muscle that contracts with no significant movement to maintain a posture or fixate a joint.  That seems pretty straightforward, right?  Basically, a muscle (or group)  that enhances your stability.  In the Dead Lift, it’s your Neck (Trapezius Upper, Middle, Levator Scapulae) and you Rhomboids.  These are mostly engaged by keeping your grip and rounding your shoulders at the top of the lift–  And this is why Dead Lifts work your entire body.

Dynamic Stabilizer.  This is a little more complicated, so I’ll give the definition, and then an explanation, and finally, an example: A biarticulate muscle that simultaneously shortens at the target joint and lengthens at the adjacent joint with no appreciable difference in length. Dynamic stabilization occurs during many compound movements. The dynamic stabilizer may assists in joint stabilization by countering the rotator force of an agonist.  In basic terms, the Dynamic Stabilizer keeps the joints that are in motion stable by supporting the “agonist” (The muscle causing the motion).  In the Dead Lift, your Hamstrings and Gastrocnemius (Calves) are keeping you stable and supporting your Synergist muscles during the movement.

Antagonist Stabilizer.  A muscle that contracts to maintain the tension potential of a biarticulate muscle at the adjacent joint. The antagonist stabilizer may be contracted throughout or at only one extreme of the movement. The Antagonist Stabilizer are activated during many isolated exercises when biarticulate muscles are utilized. The Antagonist Stabilizer may assist in joint stabilization by countering the rotator force of an agonist.  Antagonist Stabilizers also act to maintain postural alignment of joints, including the vertebral column and pelvis.  Similar to the Dynamic Stabilizer in function, but typically by the opposite muscle group.  During the Dead Lift, your abs and obliques are engaged for most of the lift, offering a counter force to your lower back, which is the target–  This prevents hyper extension of your back, which leads to proper form and less risk of an injury.

So. . .   When analyzing the exercises you do, how many muscles do you work?  How many different exercises do you do?  At the end of the day, a good rule of thumb is to work as many muscles in as few exercises as possible.  This is why the rookie workout is so effective, and why compound movements are the key to everything.  How does your workout add up?

Be sure to check back on Monday when we detail our new approach to achieving the body fat percentage that we have set as goals!

Filed under: Body Building, Fitness, Kinesiology 101 by DeVinePhysiques
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In understanding health and fitness, one must understand many things.  You should be knowledgeable about weight lifting and cardiovascular training;  You should have a decent grasp on health, anatomy, and nutrition; And it will help immensely to understand some basic principles of Kinesiology, which is the study of human movement.  We aren’t experts in this field, but we can help you with the basics, such as today’s topic:  Understanding the classification of a workout.

The first is to understand the Utility: Is it “Basic,” or “Auxiliary.”  A good way to look at this is, are you training complete, basic muscle group or are you training a group of muscles that supplement the other.  Example:  Bench Press works the entirety of your Sternal Pectoralis Major (Your chest), and also works your Clavicular Pectoralis Major (“Upper Pecs”), Triceps and Deltoids.  This is considered a perfect “Basic” workout.  On the flip side, the Incline Press targets your Clavicular Pectoralis Major, and also works your Sternal Pectoralis Major, Triceps, and Deltoids.  This is generally considered an auxiliary workout, as a supplemental muscle group is the target.  For the scientific definition:

A principal exercise that can place greater absolute intensity on muscles exercised relative to auxiliary exercises. Basic exercises tend to have more of the following characteristics:

• Gravity Dependent.
• Inclusion or shift of resistance through multiple muscle group throughout the range of motion.
• Natural transfer of torsion force to compression force (e.g., lockout on squat, bench press, etc.) or tension force (e.g. extension of arm curl) to the bone(s) and joint(s) during full range of motion.

The scientific definition for an Auxiliary Workout is as follows:

An optional exercise that may supplement a basic exercise. Auxiliary exercises may place greater relative intensity on a specific muscle or a head of a muscle.

Next up in the classification is the “Mechanic” of the workout.  We have two options here, and it’s pretty straightforward.  A Compound Movement is one which involves two or more joint movements.  Examples include the Bench Press, Dead Lift, Squat, Bent Over Row, Military Press, etc.  The other mechanic is an “Isolation” workout.  An isolation workout is “an exercise that involves just one discernible joint movement.”  Examples include Bicep Curls, Wrist Curls, Dumbbell Fly, etc.

Now, you’ll notice that the examples given for the compound workouts are exercises that everyone talks about, and are also the exercises that determine your actual strength and physical prowess.  The reason for this is. . .  Well, that’s a whole post on it’s own.  Expect that soon!  All that you should know for now is that 90% of your workouts should be compound movements.

The last part to workout classification is the Force.

Not that “Force”. . .

The force of the movement is simple:  Push, or Pull.  Is the movement going away from, or toward the center of the body during the “Concentric Contraction”?  (An example of Concentric Contraction is when you push the barbell up during the Bench Press.)

We will continue to discuss Kinesiology over a few blog posts, but this is the start of it.  Tune in on Monday for our Special New Year post!

All quoted definitions are courtesy Exercise Prescription on the Net.  Star Wars is a registered trademark of Lucasfilm Ltd.

Filed under: Body Building, Fitness, Kinesiology 101 by DeVinePhysiques
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