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Full Body of Work: The Importance of Strengthening the Forgotten Muscle Groups

The following is a guest post from Brett Warren from Force Factor:

For many strength trainers, if you can’t see a muscle in the mirror, it just doesn’t matter. You’ve seen these “beach lifters” in the gym interrupting their workouts to admire their massive pecs and bulging biceps before cranking out yet another set of dumbbell flys. Let’s face it. There’s a little bit of beach lifter in all of us. It’s extremely gratifying to see our hard work pay off in a set of ripped abs (and to see the ladies notice those abs). But the serious lifter knows that it’s the less glamorous muscle groups you can’t see in the mirror that will take you to the next level of strength and flexibility.

We all know that muscle groups work in opposition to each other. When one muscle lengthens, another contracts. Yet we often structure our workouts as if we’ve never heard of this basic concept, overemphasizing the chest, biceps and abs, and ignoring the muscles of the back. Over time, the opposing back muscles become weaker and weaker, resulting in a hunched or slouching appearance and lower back pain. The same problem is common in leg workouts, where many of us focus heavily on the quads and forget about the hamstrings until we end up pulling one of them on the treadmill or the basketball court. In other words, neither your appearance nor your overall fitness level is well-served by the beach lifter approach.

The next time you hit the gym, spend some time on these less glamorous but equally important muscle groups. You’ll reap the benefits in increased strength, stability, flexibility, and yes, in your appearance as well.

1. Serratus Anterior: These muscles connect the anterior surfaces of the top 8 or 9 ribs with the scapula (shoulder blade), stabilizing the scapula by holding it against the chest. The serratus is often called the “boxer’s muscle” because it allows the scapula to move forward when you throw a punch. You won’t see it in the mirror, but because this muscle enables the forward and upward movement of the shoulders, a well-developed serratus is important for achieving maximum effectiveness in lots of the exercises you do on a daily basis. Think Manny Pacquiao and Georges St-Pierre don’t incorporate serratus work into their training? Think again. The incline shoulder press and incline shoulder raise are good exercises to help focus on this area. The good old-fashioned pushup works as well.
2. Rotator Cuff: The rotator cuff is the common name for the muscles that connect the arm to the shoulder blade, stabilizing the shoulder. There’s a really simple reason to work on strengthening the rotator cuff it’ll help you bench more. Since you can only bench as much weight as you’re able to stabilize, strengthening these muscles will help take your benching to the next level and improve your appearance with better posture. You can isolate the rotator cuff with cable external or internal rotation exercises or by doing arm circles.To do arm circles, stand with legs shoulder width apart with arms held tight and parallel to the ground to form a “T” with your body. Start with your thumbs pointing downward and begin moving the arms forward in tight circles for 15-20 seconds. Then reverse direction for another 15-20 seconds. Repeat these two cycles with the palms facing the ground, then with the thumbs pointing up, and finally with the palms facing upward. Think it sounds easy? If you’ve been neglecting your rotator cuffs, you may be surprised at how much of a burn you’ll feel from just a few minutes of this exercise. Arm circles are also a great warm up for lifting because it engages the arm muscles and promotes flexibility.
3. Lower spine: The lower spine and its muscles keep the body upright and are responsible for transmitting force evenly through the body. If you’ve ever had lower back pain, as many strength trainers do from time to time, you know how important the health of the lower spine is not just to your success in the gym but to your overall quality of life. When you’re regularly lifting large amounts of weight, it’s especially important to keep the core muscles in the abdomen and back strong and in balance with each other. Abs that are too weak can cause back pain, but more often abs that are too strong in relation to their counterparts in the lower back create problems for lifters. Doing back extensions on the roman chair or on a machine with weights can help strengthen the lower spine. For a lower impact workout, try a Pilates or yoga class; it may not feel quite as manly as pumping the heavy iron, but you’ll be surprised at how quickly you’ll see results.

Spend more time on these forgotten muscle groups, and you’ll quickly see gains in the major muscle groups as well. You’ll look better, you’ll feel stronger, and you’ll maintain a higher all-around level of fitness.

Brett Warren is a biochemical engineer from Boston, Massachusetts who develops sports supplements for Force Factor. He has done extensive research on nutrition and is an expert on nutraceutical science. He also has a passion for fitness and health. Brett’s work at Force Factor is supplemented by an active family life with plenty of gym time and outdoor recreation.