Side bends with dumbbells
If you want to reduce your waist size, don't do this exercise too hard. It pumps up the oblique abdominal muscles and visually only enlarges this part of the body.
What to replace it with?
You can perform the same exercise, but without weights or with 1.5-2 kg dumbbells. The exercise should be done no more than once a week.
How to do?
Place your feet shoulder-width apart, place one hand on your belt or behind your head. Tighten your abdominal muscles and slowly lean to the side, keeping your back straight. Do 10-15 bends in one direction, then change sides.
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You can also perform a side plank - this exercise will stress the oblique muscles, but will not increase them.
How to do?
Lie on your side and lean on your elbow. Keeping your back straight, lift your hips off the floor and hold your body in this position for as long as possible. Lower yourself to the floor and switch sides.
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Injury prevention
To prevent injuries to ligaments and joints, follow these simple rules:
- Do not perform this exercise if you have had a recent injury or are feeling unwell;
- Don't forget about warming up. We do squats and lunges without weight, with feet and knees in place, bending forward;
- Hone your technique without load;
- When working with heavy weights, while taking a step, first place your back foot next to your front and only then step forward with it;
- If pain or discomfort occurs, stop performing squats immediately.
Squats with dumbbells
Squats are the basics and are considered one of the most effective exercises for the buttocks and thighs. But overweight people need to be careful - fat deposits will not go away, but muscle mass will increase and your hips will only become more voluminous.
What to replace it with?
You can still squat, but at first you should do without dumbbells and barbells. Start with 4-5 sets of 20-30 squats.
How to do?
Feet shoulder-width apart, toes to the sides, transfer your body weight to your heels. You can hold your hands in front of you, cross them over your chest, or put them behind your head. Lower yourself until your thighs are parallel to the floor (or lower). Keep your back straight, don't lean forward. Make sure your knees are pointing in the same direction as your feet. When getting up from a squat, do not straighten your legs completely.
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Push ups
This exercise strengthens the pectoral muscles, triceps and triceps brachii muscles, so that overweight people will have even thicker arms and shoulders after this exercise.
What to replace it with?
The plank works the same muscle groups, and at the same time strengthens the abdominal muscles, but at the same time your arms will not visually grow.
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How to do?
Lie on your stomach, then rise up, placing your hands and toes on the floor, with your palms directly under your shoulders. Legs and back should be straight, shoulder blades down. Do not round your back or stick your buttocks up, look forward. The abs should be tense, and breathing should be even and calm. Stay in this position for as long as possible.
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Preventing injuries when performing barbell squats
If an athlete often works hard during training, the risk of injury increases sharply. This is especially true for those athletes who have not sufficiently mastered the technique of performing exercises. Barbell squats are one of the most technically difficult exercises and there is a fairly high probability of injury when performing it. The lower back and knee joints are at particular risk.
Less common are problems with the elbows, shoulder girdle and upper back. It should also be remembered that in most cases injuries are cumulative. Just imagine an athlete who squats 160kg or more every week and wants to quickly progress in weight. At the same time, they are not planning fasting days using low and medium weights. It is quite obvious that it is extremely difficult to avoid problems with the knee joints in such a situation.
Often, bodybuilding enthusiasts simply do not think about the need for preventive measures. But for this you only need to eat right, do a cool-down, warm-up, etc. If you work with heavy weights, the training process must be organized correctly. Otherwise, the articular-ligamentous apparatus, which is not at all designed for serious loads, will fail. So then you have to think about how to replace squats with a barbell on your shoulders. To prevent this from happening, follow a few simple rules.
- Practice the technique of performing the exercise on light weights.
Squats should be performed smoothly with a straight back. Also keep an eye on the knee joints, which should not move apart or collapse. If you are not confident in the accuracy of your technique, it is best to stop lifting heavy weights for one or two months. You can also introduce another “technical” session into the training program, working with 40–50 percent of the maximum weight. First you need to master the technique and only then begin to progress the load. - Enter fasting days.
Let's give an example - you work with a barbell weight of 200 kilos, performing five repetitions, then on fasting days use a barbell weight of 140-150 kilos with a large number of repetitions, but reducing the overall training volume. - Consume healthy fats and chondroprotectors.
Often, athletes do not pay enough attention to their nutrition. As a result, serious problems may arise, and even in the absence of crunching in the knee joints or pain, be sure to reconsider your diet. You must remember that any disease is easier to prevent than to treat. Even in the pharmacy you can find a good drug that improves the condition of the joint-ligamentous apparatus - teraflex. An excellent way to prevent joint injuries is regular gelatin from the supermarket. This product is made from animal collagen. Take one teaspoon of gelatin and fill it with 0.5 liters of cold boiled water, place it in the refrigerator. In the morning, you should eat the swollen gelatin on an empty stomach. The duration of this course ranges from one week to 10 days. After a pause, you can repeat it. - Use “pumping” exercises for your back and knee joints.
You can perform hyperextensions and hip extensions at the beginning of the lesson and at its final stage. However, you cannot use heavy weights so as not to aggravate the situation. Perform 15 to 25 repetitions at a slow pace until the work area feels warm.
Back exercises with weights
Strengthening your back is one of the most important goals in strength training, but if you do it often and use heavy weights, this part of the body will become wider and less feminine.
What to replace it with?
Perform such exercises no more than once a week and use light weights. You can even replace this exercise with hyperextension - it will also help strengthen your back, but without increasing muscle mass.
How to do?
Hyperextension can be performed in the gym on a special machine, but there is also a home option - on the floor, bench or bed. Consider an exercise option on the floor: lie on your stomach, bring your legs together, and place your hands on the back of your head. Inhale and lift your body as high as possible without lifting your hips off the floor. Hold this position for a few seconds, then lower to the floor.
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Alternative 5: Smith Machine Squats
Arguments in favor of replacement.
Anyone who blames the Smith machine for its lack of “practicality” is not opening their mind to the possibilities that this training tool offers. When applied to squats, the Smith machine has a number of undeniable advantages:
- Allows you to safely overload your lower body with heavy weights and maximize mass and strength gains without having to worry about balancing.
- Allows you to change the position of your feet and use different parts of your legs. For example, by moving your feet further forward (this will not work with a barbell), you will shift the load to the gluteal muscles, which will be very appealing to those who want to pump up this area with emphasis.
- Decreases ankle flexion and reduces stress on the knees as the feet move forward. Think of lunges, where a wider step forward prevents your knees from going past the plane of your toes.
Smith machine squats
Expert advice.
Smith machine squats are a particularly good choice if you're performing the exercise at the end of a training session. For example, when you want to work your muscles with less weight against the background of preliminary fatigue. If you squat on an incline machine rather than a vertical one (the bar moves up and down), place your feet at the front edge of the frame and look forward to make it easier to follow the natural trajectory of the barbell.
Seated hip abduction
The inner and outer thighs are one of the problem areas for many people who want to lose weight. In the hope of becoming thinner, women often get carried away with hip abduction while sitting on a machine. But this is strength training, which is not aimed at losing weight, but at strengthening muscles.
What to replace it with?
Lunges forward without weights or with dumbbells 1.5-2 kg.
How to do?
Stand straight with your feet shoulder-width apart. Lunge forward and slowly lower yourself down until your knees are bent at a 90-degree angle. Return to the starting position, switch legs and repeat.
Photo: istockphoto.com
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Weighted crunches
An extremely effective exercise that will help you achieve beautiful abs, but not a thin waist!
What to replace it with?
With a boat. This exercise works not only the superficial, but also the deep muscles of the back and quickly removes a bulging belly. In addition, the boat will help get rid of back pain.
Photo: istockphoto.com
How to do?
Lie on your stomach, stretch your arms forward or along your body. The core muscles should be tense, the back straight, the heels and toes pressed together, the gaze directed straight. Raise your legs and shoulders, leaning on the buttocks and sacrum area. Hold your body in this position for a few seconds, then slowly lower yourself down.
