Mini Back and Chest Workout by Dan Watt, PT
(nwhealthfitness.wordpress.com co-blogger)
Interesting that young women (18-20ish) are concerned that weight training will decrease their chest size, women (27-35) don’t care, and women (36-50) want to know if it will decrease their chest size. If you are dieting it will effect your chest size. Weight training just tones the muscles underneath.
Always warm-up: walk briskly, get on a cardio machine for 5-10 minutes, or step on the spot.
The back and chest are considered opposing muscle groups so we’ll alternate a back exercise with a chest exercise to give the working muscles recovery time without actually taking too long of a non-exercise break.
One Arm Back Rows: we blogged about this before. You can put your supporting hand on your thigh, a bench, stability ball, etc. Hold the weight lightly with your hand and contract the lats (wings). You can do a slight turn. Do not lift with your arms (its not a curl and you’ll feel it more in your traps than your lats if you do it incorrectly).
Gloria Antwi (certified personal trainer) gloria.antwi@bell.net
Notice Gloria’s back is stretched out in a neutral position. You want to keep it like that throughout the set (12 reps of 1-3 sets each arm based on your fitness level).
Push-ups with your arms wider than your shoulders works the chest more than the triceps. A push-up is a moving plank so you also work your core. If you can’t do a full push up, do kneeling push-ups. You can also so graduated push-ups off of stairs, adjustable bench, or Smith Machine. Absolutely keep your butt higher than your shoulders or you’ll compress the vertebrae of your lower back. You might do 3 push-ups for 3 sets or more. Push yourself but don’t hurt yourself.
Kneeling Push-ups
The Bent-Over Back Row will focus on your back muscle slightly higher than the One-Arm because of your hand position. Only grip as tight as you need to and contract the upper lats (under armpit) and rhomboids (between shoulder blades). Remember to breathe and keep neutral posture throughout.
* Note: Gloria’s hands are turned in. You want your palms to face back.
The Stability Ball Chest Press will also challenge your core. You can also try one arm at a time. If you don’t feel ready for the stability ball or don’t have one and you don’t have a bench, you can do chest presses off the floor (on a mat or comfortable carpet). Keep your chest out and your spine neutral throughout. If you are on the floor keep your knees bent to protect your lower back.
Arla Kasaj, ND akwellness@gmail.com,
You can stretch the pecs (chest muscles) and lats lightly throughout the workout between sets. You can stretch them longer at the end.
Tight pec minors pull the shoulders in and make the chest look sunken (they tighten if you walk around hunched).
During the workout just go be feel and don’t hold the stretch too long. After the workout hold until you feel a release (don’t contract the chest muscles let them go loose and don’t force a stretch). Inhale and hold, exhale to further a stretch. The problem with counting is you might forget to let the muscles relax.
Lat Stretch
Pec Stretch
Taylor Norris, RMT office@unionwellness.ca
(twhealthhumor.com co-blogger)
Dan Watt is also an author of young adult e-books Healing the Temple of the Soul (kobo.com) and Learning the Garden of the Body (yahoo.com). And other e-books * go to caedar-writing-artwork.com
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