Stay Balanced and Avoid Injury

The importance of having a workout program that stresses balance is no more vital in any region of the body than the thighs.

Sometimes when body building, people fall in love with one particular muscle and work and work it until it outgrows the muscles in the surrounding areas. The prominence of the muscle may look appealing but this superficial appeal is attained by sacrificing the body’s integrity.

Have you ever wondered why hamstring injuries are so common in professional athletics? Well, as it turns out, many athletes overwork the muscles (quads) in the front of the thighs as compared to the muscles behind them. And, yes, those would be the hamstrings. This imbalance can lead to injury even in the most conditioned competitors.

The ideal workout program will incorporate pulling and pushing motions and compound exercises (those that work multiple muscle groups) to develop the entire body in an even and balanced way.

The pulling motions in this workout should be both horizontal (from side to side) and vertical (up and down). This is also true with the pushing motions. By diversifying the movements of your routine you ensure that more muscles will be worked and from different angles. This will help create all around muscles growth and strength development.

If your thirty-minute workout consists of twenty five minutes working on the bench press and five minutes elsewhere, you should consider making adjustments.

Dumbbell presses are good vertical pushing exercises, and you can add chin-ups or pull-ups to meet the vertical pulling requirement. The previously mentioned bench presses use horizontal pushing motions and rows with dumbbells or barbells will satisfy the horizontal pulling requirements.

Those are just a few examples. There are enough exercises in each of the four categories to allow you to keep variety in your body building routine.