When a lot of people train, they focus purely on the larger muscle groups, or the muscles they can see in the mirror. Can you relate to this? Only training the larger muscles, or the muscles you can see in the mirror, is holding you back from performing at a higher level, and feeling your best!
Here are 5 important muscles you are probably not training (or not training enough). Don’t worry, you are not alone!
#1) Tibialis Anterior Raises
The tibialis anterior muscle, which starts under the knee and runs down the shin, plays a key role in deceleration, and can play a key role in how your knees function and feel. The tibialis anterior muscle also acts to dorsiflex and invert the foot.
This is an awesome tibialis anterior strengthening exercise!! This exercise also improves ankle mobility (particularly active ankle dorsiflexion).
Everyone should be doing foot and lower leg strengthening exercises!
Coaching Tips:
- Stand with your back against a wall. Your head, torso, and hips should be in a stacked position.
- Place your heels about 12 inches from a wall (this will vary on an individual basis).
- Now, lift your toes and feet/dorsiflex your ankles (point your feet towards you), and press up onto your heels.
- Pause for a count in the top position, and contract the muscles on the front of your lower leg.
- Return to the bottom/starting position with complete control.
- For the duration of the exercise, do not allow your knees to fall inside or outside of your feet.
- For the duration of the exercise, your head, torso, and hips should remain in a stacked position, and pressed against the wall. Do not allow your lower back to hyperextend, round, or flex laterally, ribcage to flare, torso, spine, or hips to rotate, or hip to drop on one side.
- For the duration of the exercise, keep your core muscles braced (360 degree brace around your spine).
- In terms of breathing, do what works and feels best for you.
#2) Standing Banded Hip Flexor Marches + Kettlebell Hold
Lets fix those “tight” hip flexors!! I have tight in quotations as there are different reasons they feel this way! While this might surprise some, ‘’tight” hip flexors often need to get stronger! Stretching your “tight” hip flexors isn’t always the answer.
This exercise also strengthens the muscles in the foot and lower leg, and improves lumbo-pelvic stability.
Coaching Tips:
- Place a band around your feet, and hold a kettlebell (or dumbbell) in a goblet position.
- Adopt a square stance. Your head, torso, and hips should be in a stacked position.
- On the planted side, form a tripod base by placing your weight on the back portion of your foot, and the base of your big and baby toes. Pretend you are suctioning or screwing your foot to the floor.
- Before each rep, take a deep breath in (360 degrees of air around your spine), brace your core (360 degree brace around your spine), tuck your ribs towards your hips (close the space in your midsection/think about wrinkling the front of your shirt), and squeeze your glutes (on the planted side).
- Now ‘’march’’ and bring your thigh so it is at least parallel to the floor.
- Gain a moment of control, then lower to the floor with complete control. You may alternate sides, or you may do all marches on the same side before switching sides.
- For the duration of the exercise, do not allow your knee on the planted side to fall inside or outside of your foot.
- For the duration of the exercise, your head, torso, and hips should remain in a stacked position. Do not allow your lower back to hyperextend, round, or flex laterally, ribcage to flare, torso, spine or hips to rotate, or hip to drop (keep your hips level).
- For the duration of the exercise, keep your core muscles braced (360 degree brace around your spine).
- In terms of breathing, do what works and feels best for you.
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#3) Push-Up + Press-Back
This push-up variation also strengthens the serratus anterior muscle, improves shoulder and scapular controlled mobility, and overhead mobility.
As I talk about a lot, the serratus anterior is a key muscle that is overlooked by countless people! The serratus upwardly rotates, protracts, and posteriorly tilts the shoulder blades. If you struggle to get your arms into an overhead position, the serratus anterior might be the culprit!
Coaching Tips:
- Get into a plank position from your hands and feet.
- Position your hands so they are shoulder width apart or slightly wider. Figure out what hand width and positioning works and feels best for you.
- At the top of the push-up, your shoulders, elbows and wrists should be in a relatively stacked position.
- Your weight should be evenly distributed throughout your full hands and fingers, not just at the base of your hands/wrists. Pretend you are trying to spread your full hands and fingers to the floor (or elevated surface if you are modifying).
- Before each rep, take a deep breath in (360 degrees of air around your spine), brace your core (360 degree brace around your spine), tuck your ribs towards your hips (close the space in your midsection/think about wrinkling the front of your shirt), and squeeze your glutes.
- Descend into the push-up and retract your shoulder blades. Think about lightly drawing your shoulder blades together and towards your spine as you are performing the eccentric component, but do not overdo this movement. Imagine you are pulling or “rowing” your body down. Do not just drop down.
- In the bottom position, your elbows should be positioned over your wrists, and forearms in a vertical position. Do not allow your elbows to flare out. In the bottom position, your body and arms should resemble an “arrow,” not a “T”.
- Once your upper arms are approximately parallel to the floor (or elevated surface if you are modifying), press your body diagonally/back, and get your arms into an overhead position. Your hips should also pike.
- When you are pressing your body diagonally/back and are getting your arms into an overhead position, really think about spreading your shoulder blades apart and moving them away from your spine, around your ribcage, and away from your opposite hip. Do not keep them pinned. In this movement you should be getting significant scapular protraction, upward rotation, and posterior tilt.
- For the duration of the exercise, your head, torso, and hips should remain in a stacked position. Do not allow your lower back to hyperextend, round, or flex laterally, ribcage to flare, torso, spine, or hips to rotate, or neck to collapse.
- For the duration of the exercise, keep your core muscles braced (360 degree brace around your spine), and squeeze your glutes.
- In terms of breathing, do what works and feels best for you.
#4) T-Raises From Bear Crawl
This exercise strengthens the traps (most notably, the mid traps), improves shoulder and scapular controlled mobility, and lumbo-pelvic stability. This exercise is extremely anti-rotational in nature, and is so much tougher than it looks!
Coaching Tips:
- Hold a light dumbbell or other weighted object. You will not need to use much resistance to make this both challenging and effective.
- Get into a bear crawl position. Your head, torso, and hips should be in a stacked position. Your thighs should be vertical, knees bent, and several inches above the floor.
- Place your feet so they are about hip to shoulder width apart.
- On the planted side, your hand should be underneath your shoulder. Spread your fingers, and pretend you are suctioning or screwing your hand and fingers to the floor.
- Before each rep, take a deep breath in (360 degrees of air around your spine), brace your core (360 degree brace around your spine), tuck your ribs towards your hips (close the space in your midsection/think about wrinkling the front of your shirt), and squeeze your glutes.
- Now perform a lateral/t-raise and retract your shoulder blade. Think about drawing your shoulder blade in towards your spine.
- Once you hit your end range, really contract the muscles around your shoulder blade.
- Then lower your arm and the weight to the starting position with complete control.
- Your shoulder blade should perform the opposite movement and should protract (move away from your spine, and around your ribcage).
- For the duration of the exercise, do not allow your shoulders to shrug or round, or shoulder blades to elevate. Really focus on keeping your shoulders and shoulder blades down.
- For the duration of the exercise, your head, torso, and hips should remain in a stacked position. Do not allow your spine to hyperextend, round, or flex laterally, ribcage to flare, torso, spine or hips to rotate, or weight to shift from foot to foot.
- For the duration of the exercise, keep your core muscles braced (360 degree brace around your spine), and squeeze your glutes.
- In terms of breathing, do what works and feels best for you.
#5) Tibialis Posterior Raises
This exercise strengthens the tibialis posterior muscle, and the calf muscles. The tibialis posterior plays a huge role in supporting the medial arch in the foot, and is responsible for the inversion of the foot and the plantarflexion of the foot at the ankle. By squeezing the ball, there is a focus on planterflexion, inversion, and external rotation.
Coaching Tips:
- Stand with your feet on the floor. Your head, torso, and hips should be in a stacked position.
- Squeeze a ball between your heels. The ball should be underneath your ankle bones (medial malleoli). For the duration of the exercise, squeeze the ball. This will target the tibialis posterior muscle.
- You may lightly support yourself using your hands.
- Press up onto your tiptoes using both legs. Go to your full range.
- Pause for a count in the top position, contract your calf muscles, and really squeeze your feet into the ball.
- Now lower your heels down to the floor. Do so with complete control.
- For the duration of the exercise, be very mindful that you are pressing evenly through your forefeet/all of your toes.
- For the duration of the exercise, do not allow your knees to fall inside or outside of your feet.
- For the duration of the exercise, your head, torso and hips should remain in a stacked position. Do not allow your lower back to hyperextend, round, or flex laterally, ribcage to flare, torso, spine or hips to rotate, or hip to drop on one side.
- For the duration of the exercise, keep your core muscles braced (360 degree brace around your spine).
- In terms of breathing, do what works and feels best for you.
Get a package of The Ultimate Pull-Up Program and The Ultimate Pistol Squat Program for $157. Both programs regularly cost $97 each, so you save $37.
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