Don't neglect parts of your body.
Forget Something?
Abs, biceps, and glutes are all regularly visited muscle groups, but the body parts most people ignore may be more significant than you think. Here are four neglected muscles—and why you should start working them.
Admit it: You are motivated in the gym by images of sexy arms and washboard abs. Good reasons to hit the weights to be sure—but aesthetics shouldn’t be your only focus if you’re looking to boost your overall fitness.
“So many people concentrate on the areas they want to show off, but if you continuously work those same spots, you’ll lower your overall strength and fat-burning potential because your routine won’t be varied enough,” says Omar Hall, a trainer at the Broomfield Sport 24 Hour Fitness in Colorado. Worse, when the lesser-known muscles in your body are weak, you’re more likely to develop an imbalance, which puts you at a greater risk of getting injured.
So, stop preening and start reading to make sure you target these often under-worked muscles:
The Forgotten: Shoulder Complex
“I see a lot of people working their back, chest, and arms, but not their shoulders,” says Hall. The surprising result? A weaker back and arms. “Because the shoulder complex is comprised of 30 stabilizer muscles that help protect the muscles surrounding it—including the upper back, neck, and arms—you’re not doing yourself any favors if you neglect your shoulders,” says Hall.
Work It: Standing Overhead Press
Start with your feet hip-width distance apart, knees soft, holding the barbell at your chest. On an exhale, lift the barbell above your head so your wrists and elbows are in a direct line above your shoulders. To blast even more calories and work more muscles, do these overhead presses while doing walking lunges. Just make sure you go light on the weight to prevent injury, says Lisa Martin, a trainer and group fitness instructor at the 24 Hour Fitness in Kaneohe, Hawaii.
The Forgotten: Hip Flexors
These muscles that attach your pelvis to the front of your leg are the ones that kick into gear when you lift your knee. The problem for so many of us, however, is that they’re too tight (you can thank your desk job for that). Tight hip flexors mean the muscles are shorter than they should be—and that means your pelvis is more likely to tip forward, putting stress on your lower back. “This is a big reason why so many of us have back pain,” says Hall. The good news: When you train the hip flexor’s full range of motion, it’ll keep you more flexible and actually stretch out those short hip flexors, relieving the stress on your low back.
Work It: Squats, Squats, Squats
Squats rule when it comes to strengthening and lengthening the hip flexors, in part because this exercise also strengthens the gluteus maximus. “Glutes attach on the opposite side of the pelvis as the hip flexors, so if you’ve got tight hip flexors that pull the pelvis downward, strong glutes will help pull in the opposite direction, helping your spine stay in a straight line,” says Hall.
To squat, start with your feet hip-width apart and back straight. Bend as if you are going to sit in a chair, making sure your knees don’t go past your toes, and return to your starting position. Repeat until your glutes are fatigued.
The Forgotten: Core
You may think you’ve got your middle covered when you do sit-ups and hold the plank at the end of your workout, but odds are you’re not targeting the deep, internal abdominal and lower back muscles—like the transverse abdominus (your lower ab muscles) and multifidus (the muscles in your low back that run along your spine)—that make up this area. “The best part about working these lesser-known core muscles is that when they’re strong, they help stabilize your entire body during any activity, preventing all kinds of injuries,” says Martin. “And they’ll help you get rid of those love handles and post-baby pooch.”
Work It: Squats and Cable Presses
Once again, squats are a great way to tackle your entire trunk effectively, says Hall. This time, hold a weighted body bar on top of your traps. “Your transverse abdominus and multifidus muscles have to fire in order to stabilize your body when there’s weight high on your back,” he says. Another good move: Do cable presses keeping your feet together instead of hip-width distance so your core has to work harder to keep you stable.
The Forgotten: Mid-Trapezius
For many men, developing a broad, muscular back is high on the goal list. But when the upper traps are overworked, it can actually lead to weak mid- and lower-traps, says Martin, which can result in an increased risk of back pain. “The problem is that the lower traps are harder to target, so most people forget about them,” says Martin.
Work It: Bent Over Row
Stand with your feet hip-width apart, knees soft and bent over at the waist so your torso is parallel with the ground. With a dumbbell in each hand, pinch your shoulder blades together and pull your hands up to your sides. Get a good squeeze at the top and slowly lower to the starting position. Repeat. For an extra challenge, try performing the exercise while standing on one leg or lying face-down on a stability ball.
