3 key workout movements for packing on muscle
Whether you’re in your 20s building the foundation of your health and fitness or over 40 working to fight off muscle loss from age-related ailments, increasing muscle mass can be beneficial.
Building muscle mass has proved to increase the body’s metabolic rate because muscle tissue is more metabolically active than fat. This helps burn more calories at rest and can reduce the risk of chronic diseases, such as Type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
In sports, greater muscle mass can improve force production, which leads to better power output, a requisite for most athletes.
The National Institute of Aging has published research demonstrating how increasing muscle mass improves strength, balance and mobility, which are critical for performing daily activities and can help reduce the risk of falls and injuries.
Three key movements to help build muscle:
Pull
Pulling exercises such as bent-over rows, chin-ups and lat pulldowns engage several muscles of the back. These include the latissimus dorsi (lats), rhomboids, trapezius, biceps, forearms and the erector spinae.
These muscles are responsible for pulling the arms backward and aid in stabilizing the spine during these drills.
Many beginners to strength training tend to gravitate toward working the muscles they can see in the mirror first (pectoralis, abdominals, quadriceps), relegating the muscles on the backside of the body to an afterthought. That error can lead to muscle imbalances.
Chin-ups are performed with body weight, which has the benefit of not requiring any equipment, but does require an entry point that many unconditioned people may not be prepared for.
Rows are a better option for most people because you can adjust the load based on strength level.
The exercise is performed by either kneeling on a bench or standing in a bent-over position and pulling the load — a dumbbell or kettlebell — toward the lower rib cage, then lowering the weight slowly and under control.
It’s important to maintain a flat, neutral spine throughout the exercise.
To increase strength, select a load that allows you to perform six to 12 repetitions for three sets. If you can do more than 12 reps, graduate to a heavier load.
Press
Pressing exercises stimulate the deltoid (shoulder), triceps and core muscles. To safely and effectively lift weight overhead requires adequate shoulder mobility.
“For good pressing mechanics you must have the ability to get the arm overhead into a range of 180 degrees of shoulder flexion, partnered with good thoracic spine extension to eliminate arching in the lumbar spine,” says Gray Cook, a physical therapist and co-creator of the functional movement screen.
Pressing load overhead is a skill that can come in handy for everyday jobs such as putting items into high cabinets or loading a suitcase into an overhead bin.
Following the guidelines of the National Strength and Conditioning Association, you can safely press a weight overhead as follows: Stand with feet hip-width apart. Holding a dumbbell, kettlebell or barbell at shoulder height with a pronated or neutral grip, engage the core and glutes as you press the load overhead, using a full range of motion. Exhale during the ascent, then slowly lower the weight back to the starting position.
Use a weight that you can handle for three sets of six to 12 repetitions.
Carry
Loaded carries, such as the farmer’s carry and the suitcase carry, engage multiple muscle groups with a unique emphasis on hip strength, core stability and postural control.
To perform a farmer’s carry, stand between two evenly loaded weights. Hinge at the waist and pick up both weights with a neutral grip and stand up using leg drive. Begin to walk with short, controlled steps avoiding swaying laterally.
To improve general strength, walk 20 to 30 meters or 30 to 60 seconds.
Loaded carries have proved to aid injury prevention and boost athletic performance.
Doug Sheppard is a certified personal trainer with 34 years of experience and the owner of J&D Fitness Personal Training Studio in Las Vegas.
