Whether you are getting in your daily workout or bodybuilding, there are usually days designated to a specific muscle group. The most common are chest day, arm day, and the dreaded leg day. Creating a plan like this isn’t a bad idea, but you might be missing out on strengthening a few key muscles. Focusing on your arms, chest, and abs might make you beach ready, but it can negatively affect your shoulders and upper back. Continuing to ignore certain shoulder and back muscles can also delay their increase in strength. Here are a few muscles that you might be ignoring.
External Rotators
External rotators are small muscles that lie on the top of your scapula (shoulder blade). The two primary external rotators are the infraspinatus and the teres minor. When your arm is at your side and you rotate it, the infraspinatus is doing most of the work. If you lift your arm 90 degrees and you rotate it, the teres minor does the work. These muscles need to be targeted to increase shoulder strength and stability. Keeping these muscles maintained also help develop your internal rotators or pectoral muscles.
Lower Traps
While most tend to focus on upper trap muscles, the lower part of the trap muscle needs love, too. Lower trap muscles not only help your posture, but they are key in helping you increase the weight you can handle during your bench presses. Lower traps work with your upper trap muscles to help stabilize your back while doing certain exercises. If your lower trap muscles aren’t being worked along with the upper traps, you could find yourself unable to increase the weight you can lift. You could even risk sustaining a serious injury.
Neck Muscles
Neck muscles are inherently weak. After doing certain exercises, you might feel pain or tightness in your neck. When you’re not working out, your neck usually leans forward in some way or in a different awkward position. Your daily life negatively affects your neck muscles, which is why you should add a small neck workout at the end of your routines. A short standing isometric neck exercise can strengthen your neck to help ensure that you don’t strain it during more intense workouts.
These three muscle groups are among the most ignored muscles when it comes to workout routines. Failing to target these muscles can slow down your body’s progression and cause an injury. At Titanz Fitness, we have personal trainers ready to get your muscle groups back on track. Contact us today to schedule a free personal fitness evaluation with a knowledgeable and qualified personal trainer.
