By Kathy Gilbert
Staff Writer
EDITOR'S NOTE: This is the first installment of a six-part series on toning and shaping muscles for health and beauty.
How do you sculpt a beautiful body - or at least one that won't strain the material in your swimsuit next summer?
In coming weeks, local trainers and body-sculpting experts will take us on a top-to-bottom tour of the body beautiful , with toning tips for different muscle groups.
Today: Upper back and shoulders
In body sculpting, out-of-sight, out-of-mind, doesn't cut it. The back of the shoulders, or rear deltoid, is the hardest muscle to see and often the most neglected in training, trainers said.
Yet balance is basic in building the upper body , trainers said.
"To get a great look in the upper body or from the side, you have to focus on those rear delts," said James Boyd owner of James Boyd's Personal Training in Hixson.
A good upper-back and shoulder workout targets these major muscles, trainers said: Latissimus dorsi or "lats," beginning under the armpit and flaring across the back. Trapezius or "traps," running across the base of the neck.
Rhomboids, in the center of the upper back.
Deltoids, a single muscle across the shoulder, with fibers running forward, side and back.
Jack Silberman, owner of Jack Silberman's Fitness Center in East Brainerd, said to use a weight slightly lighter than you think you need at first, "If you start out too heavy, you're going to be miserable," he said. "And you may hurt yourself."
An easy isometric for all back muscles that requires no weights is the "cobra" pose from yoga, said Christine Post, owner of Trim, Tighten and Tone in Fort Oglethorpe, Ga. Lie on your stomach and slowly raise your head. Arch your back while hips and toes remain on the floor. Don't use the arms for support. Look up, hold and lower, she said.
Bulking your back to create that perfect "V" shape means working your lats, said Mr. Boyd. Also do seated lat pulldowns, seated rows and bent-over pulls, he said.
Though many dislike them, pull-ups (chin-ups) are one of the best exercises for building big backs, he said.
Shoulder shrugs are the secret to thicken traps along the neckline, he said. Women, though, often pass on them, said Tracy Bacon, a world-champion bodybuilder and personal trainer at Tyner Recreation Center.
For shoulders, seated or standing overhead shoulder presses "are the meat on your plate," Mr.
Silberman said. Standing side laterals work the sides of the muscle.
To hit those rear delts, do seated rows with high elbows, bentover rows and reverse flys, the trainers said. To do a bent-over row, place left hand and knee on a bench. Hold a hand weight.
Lower and pull up as if starting a lawn mower.
Bulk builders use heavy weights for two to three sets of 10-12 repetitions, said Darin Johnson, owner of The Athletic Club in East Brainerd. Rest 1 or 2 minutes between each set, Mr. Johnson said. For endurance and toning without mass gain, use lower weights and higher (12-15) reps. Rest no more than 45 seconds between sets.
Be precise in your rest periods, Mr. Silberman said. If not, you won't know if you're progressing.
For endurance, you want your muscles challenged for a longer time, Mr. Johnson said. For growth, long rest periods allow you to hoist the heaviest weights. No matter how you structure your workout, the most successful body sculptors don't aim to be someone else's idea of a "knockout," trainers said.
"You have to like how you're created," Ms. Bacon said. "Then be responsible and accountable. Be your best."
E-mail Kathy Gilbert at kgilbert@timesfreepress.com
Staff Writer
EDITOR'S NOTE: This is the first installment of a six-part series on toning and shaping muscles for health and beauty.
How do you sculpt a beautiful body - or at least one that won't strain the material in your swimsuit next summer?
In coming weeks, local trainers and body-sculpting experts will take us on a top-to-bottom tour of the body beautiful , with toning tips for different muscle groups.
Today: Upper back and shoulders
In body sculpting, out-of-sight, out-of-mind, doesn't cut it. The back of the shoulders, or rear deltoid, is the hardest muscle to see and often the most neglected in training, trainers said.
Yet balance is basic in building the upper body , trainers said.
"To get a great look in the upper body or from the side, you have to focus on those rear delts," said James Boyd owner of James Boyd's Personal Training in Hixson.
A good upper-back and shoulder workout targets these major muscles, trainers said: Latissimus dorsi or "lats," beginning under the armpit and flaring across the back. Trapezius or "traps," running across the base of the neck.
Rhomboids, in the center of the upper back.
Deltoids, a single muscle across the shoulder, with fibers running forward, side and back.
Jack Silberman, owner of Jack Silberman's Fitness Center in East Brainerd, said to use a weight slightly lighter than you think you need at first, "If you start out too heavy, you're going to be miserable," he said. "And you may hurt yourself."
An easy isometric for all back muscles that requires no weights is the "cobra" pose from yoga, said Christine Post, owner of Trim, Tighten and Tone in Fort Oglethorpe, Ga. Lie on your stomach and slowly raise your head. Arch your back while hips and toes remain on the floor. Don't use the arms for support. Look up, hold and lower, she said.
Bulking your back to create that perfect "V" shape means working your lats, said Mr. Boyd. Also do seated lat pulldowns, seated rows and bent-over pulls, he said.
Though many dislike them, pull-ups (chin-ups) are one of the best exercises for building big backs, he said.
Shoulder shrugs are the secret to thicken traps along the neckline, he said. Women, though, often pass on them, said Tracy Bacon, a world-champion bodybuilder and personal trainer at Tyner Recreation Center.
For shoulders, seated or standing overhead shoulder presses "are the meat on your plate," Mr.
Silberman said. Standing side laterals work the sides of the muscle.
To hit those rear delts, do seated rows with high elbows, bentover rows and reverse flys, the trainers said. To do a bent-over row, place left hand and knee on a bench. Hold a hand weight.
Lower and pull up as if starting a lawn mower.
Bulk builders use heavy weights for two to three sets of 10-12 repetitions, said Darin Johnson, owner of The Athletic Club in East Brainerd. Rest 1 or 2 minutes between each set, Mr. Johnson said. For endurance and toning without mass gain, use lower weights and higher (12-15) reps. Rest no more than 45 seconds between sets.
Be precise in your rest periods, Mr. Silberman said. If not, you won't know if you're progressing.
For endurance, you want your muscles challenged for a longer time, Mr. Johnson said. For growth, long rest periods allow you to hoist the heaviest weights. No matter how you structure your workout, the most successful body sculptors don't aim to be someone else's idea of a "knockout," trainers said.
"You have to like how you're created," Ms. Bacon said. "Then be responsible and accountable. Be your best."
E-mail Kathy Gilbert at kgilbert@timesfreepress.com
