The Muscle Groups Most Often Neglected In The Gym
Whether you’re guilty of working out like a classic ‘bro’, always training your chest and shoulders, or are constantly training your glutes to keep up with the latest Instagram hype, there’s a good chance you’re neglecting muscle groups in the body. Whilst there’s nothing wrong with having aesthetic or strength-related goals, this tendency to train what you can see can lead to massive imbalances and often injuries. So before you head to the gym to do yet another core session, be kind to your body and see how you can benefit from training some of these neglected muscle groups…
Hamstrings
It’s very common for people to be quad dominant, with our stronger quads taking the load in heavy lifts. And although the latest fitness trends mean more people are paying more attention to strengthening their glutes, our hamstrings can often get forgotten. Unfortunately, this is a sure-fire way to find your self suffering with knee pain later down the line.
Exercise to try: Stiff Leg Deadlifts and TRX hamstring curls
Wrists / Forearms
Thinking about training your wrists might sound totally ridiculous, but having a weak grip could be what’s holding you back on hitting that deadlift or clean and jerk PB. The wrists and forearms are needed in a huge number of lifts, so working on your wrist and forearm muscles will help to improve your overall strength as well as helping to prevent elbow or shoulder pain.
Exercise to try: Wrist curls
Calves
Having ‘chicken legs’ is a stereotypical curse for many guys (and some girls!), but despite training legs incessantly, it’s very common for people to neglect their lower legs. Your calves are much more functional than you might think, and by taking the time to make sure they’re equally as developed, will help your explosive power in sprints and will keep your ankles strong.
Exercise to try: Calf raises
Upper Back
There’s no denying that when it comes to weight lifting, a lot of people are pretty visual when it comes to their workouts and goals - we work the muscles we can see (such as our shoulders, core and quads). However just because we don’t see them so often, doesn’t mean our backs can be forgotten about. Counteracting your chest strength with a well-developed back will massively improve your posture - crucial for those of us who sit slouched at desk jobs all day long!
Exercise to try: Lat Pull Down and Bent Over Rows