flexors

Leg Raises

leg raises

What’s up ? This is THE stephane ANDRE ! I read a Frederic Delavier’s book « Strength Training Anatomy » and I learned good stuff.

On your elbows with your back on the backrest :

  • Inhale and back up your knees to your torso by rounding your back to feel your abs contraction.

  • Exhale at the end of the movement.

This exercise works the hips flexors, mainly iliopsoas, obliques and rectus abdominis (it’s the inferior part of the rectus abdominis which works intensely).

leg raises

action iliopsoas muscle

Variant

  1. To target the work on abs, it’s advisable to make small swings of legs with your rounded back, without ever lowering your knees below the horizontal.

  2. To increase the intensity, the movement can be done with your legs stretched but it’s necessary to have a good hamstrings flexibility.

  3. You can keep your knees grouped to your torso for a few seconds to have an isometric contraction.

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-Steph

Calves Over Bench Sit-Ups

bench sit ups

I read a Frederic Delavier’s book « Strength Training Anatomy » and I learned good stuff.

Your legs are on a bench with your back to the floor and your hands behind your head :

  • Inhale and raise your torso as high as possible to touch your knees with your head by rounding your spine.

  • Exhale at the end of the movement.

bench sit ups

This exercise works recuts abdominis and more intensely the parts above the navel.

It’s good to know that farther is your torso from the bench, this increases the mobility of the pelvis. This allows a greater range of motion and works more flexors muscles of the hips (iliopsoas, rectus femoris and tensor fasciae latae).

bench sit ups hand elbow position

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-Steph

How To Do Upright Rows

upright rows

I read a Frederic Delavier’s book « Strength Training Anatomy » and I learned good stuff.

Standing with your legs slightly apart and your back is straight. You hold the barbell with a pronated grip and the spacing of your hands is a palm’s width or a little more.

  • Inhale and you pull the barbell along your body to your chin by raising your elbows as high as possible.

  • Expire and return to the starting position by controlling the movement.

This exercise works mainly upper trapezius, deltoid and a little bit brachialis, brachioradialis, forearm flexors, abs, buttdock and sacrospinalis.

The more you put your hands apart, the more you work your deltoids and the less you work your trapezius.

Share this article if you think it can help someone you know. Thank you.

-Steph

Barbell Curls

barbell curls

I read a Frederic Delavier’s book « Strength Training Anatomy »  and there is good stuff.

Podcast

Standing with your back straight, take the barbell with a supinated grip and your hands are wider than your shoulders :

  • Inhale and flex your arms with an isometric contraction of your glutes, abs and spinal to not swinging your torso.

  • Exhale at the end of the movement

This exercice works mostly biceps, brachialis and a little bit the brachioradialis, the pronator teres and all the flexors of wrist and fingers.

Variants

When you change the spacing hands, you work deeply different part :

  • Widely spaced hands = short head of the biceps

  • Very close hands = long head of the biceps

close grip barbell curls

When you raise elbows at the end of flexion, you increase biceps contraction and you work the anterior deltoids.

You can do this exercice in a strictly way with your back to the wall without lifting your shoulder blades.

-Steph

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