We’re sorry about the delay in posts the last two weeks–  We’re really good about keeping to our update schedule, but every so often things get in the way.

That being said, I’ve come up with a new rule:  Unless you’re Ronnie Coleman (Or any other professional bodybuilder that makes their living from bodybuilding and has assistants clean up at the gym after them), you need to rack your weights.  This morning I saw this at the gym:

Casper must be working on his pump.

I’ve seen worse, but that doesn’t make it excusable in the slightest.  I always want to ask people that don’t re rack their weights, “Why not?”  It’s very easy to put something back after you use it, and that just makes for a better environment for everyone.  I’ve seen the frustration on the face of a guy as he searched the gym for the 25 lb. dumbbells, but what shocks me is him leaving them not racked.  What!?  How does that make sense?  It obviously irked you, so why not save someone that hassle?

I won’t ask these people why they choose to make the gym a mess–  Instead, I just assume that they’re lazy, and are afraid of doing extra work.  It’s the same reason why people take weights that I’m using while I’m resting in between squat sets (That are higher up on the power rack) rather than bend down to get their own plates–  Why bend down to grab a 25 lb. plate when you can just take mine?

Another good one is the plate trees that have a spot for every increment of weight–  Yet, somehow, people think the 25s go anywhere, the 5 goes where the 35s go, and the 45s should just be rested against the tree.  That makes sense, right?  Again, there’s a spot for everything, and everyone’s workout would be a lot better if we all re racked the weights right.  (I even go as far as fixing the weights on the squat rack while I’m on it in between sets–  It makes it easier for me while I’m there, and it’s my way of “giving back.”)

A workout should not increase in intensity because you have to clean up after someone else.  Make the decision to suck less–  Rack your weights and do it properly.

Filed under: Gym Etiquette by DeVinePhysiques
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I’m going to start a series of posts about the importance of knowing what you’re doing.  I can’t stress enough how important it is to know what exercise you’re doing, how to do it, why you’re doing it, and what muscles you’re working.

That final point is what we’re going to focus on today;  Knowing what muscles are being worked during an exercise.  In most cases, this seems pretty straightforward, but there are exercises where they obvious answer is. . .  Well, it’s not the right answer.  Here’s an exercise that is often misunderstood:

Pop Quiz: What muscle does this target?

I once overheard a guy telling his friend that this would make his calves “look jacked.”  Here’s the problem:  In a few different places on your body, you have a set of muscles that complete a movement–  Some of those muscles are aesthetic and functional, while some are only functional.  Let’s look at your lower leg for a second.  There are three major muscles (and only four total) in your lower leg:  The Tibialis Anterior (Over your shin), Soleus (Within your calves), and Gastrocnemius (Your calves).  When people are looking for aesthetics with their calves, there’s only one muscle that plays into this:  The Gastrocnemius.  So, why won’t your calves get “jacked” by doing the seated calf raise?  Because that exercise targets your Soleus only.

This isn’t the only situation where there’s a lot of misconceptions about what’s being worked.  I watched a guy doing Hammer Curls, and somebody asked him what he was working.  His response:  “My outer biceps, bro.” Actually, the hammer curl is a grip exercise, targeting your brachioradialis, which is an important muscle and also happens to have the coolest sounding name.

One last example:

I’ve seen entire routines centered around Preacher Curls, and yet, no one knows what they target.

If you think this will make your biceps “jacked,” you would be wrong.  If you think this targets your biceps, you would be wrong.  The preacher curl is like the seated calf raise–  It targets an important muscle that is all about function and not about aesthetics.  It targets your Brachialis, the muscle underneath your biceps.

I’m not telling you to stop doing seated calf raises, hammer curls, or preacher curls–  Every muscle in your body needs to be worked. . .  But, before you start doing exercises, learn about them, and figure out if they actually fit in with your goals.  While working at a sporting goods store, I had someone buy an expensive bench because it had a “Preacher Curl Pad.”  All he wanted to train was biceps.  I told him that he would save a lot of money, and would actually be training what he wanted to train if he went with an EZ bar and plates.  Instead, he was sold on the idea of the preacher curl and spent too much money for a workout that is not nearly as effective for what he wanted.

Filed under: Body Building, Fitness, Fitness Myths by DeVinePhysiques
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