Full-body traction exercises.
These exercises are the opposite of push - out exercises-eccentric contractions that involve lengthening the muscle and controlling resistance while removing the connection points. Examples of push-up exercises are chest presses or shoulder presses.Although there are some exercises that are often referred to as push or pull exercises, the truth is that most exercises involve both concentric and eccentric phases. For example, during the flexion of the arms on the biceps, the lifting phase is concentric (shortening), and the lowering phase is eccentric (lengthening).
A comprehensive strength training plan should include both pushing and pulling exercises. Concentric and eccentric workouts provide benefits and help increase muscle mass. Concentric training (traction exercises) also helps to teach the body to perform certain everyday activities with greater ease, such as lifting a heavy object or opening a heavy door.
Traction
You can use a barbell if you have one. If not, use dumbbells or kettlebells.
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Keeping your knees slightly bent, lean forward from your hips, keeping your back straight. The shoulders should be engaged when you pull them back and lower them slightly, also use the widest ones. Keep your core muscles tight. Lower your torso to the floor, keeping your weight close to your feet until it touches the floor. Squeeze your buttocks and hamstrings to return to the starting position, and repeat.
For the first approach, use less weight. If the movement is new to you, try it a few times without weight and look at your shape in the mirror. You can also try the movement with a PVC pipe or a broom to see how it would look with a barbell. Make sure your back doesn't sink forward as you lower your weight to the floor, and keep your shoulders away from your ears.
Dumbbell pull
The exercise forces the muscles in the middle of the back to work. It also targets the back of the shoulders (the posterior deltoid muscle). The easiest way to perform a deadlift is with dumbbells, but you can also use a kettlebell.
To begin, take a dumbbell in one hand and stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Turn your hips forward until your torso is roughly parallel to the floor. Let the weight hang under the chest, the palm will be facing the midline of the body. Keeping your abs and shoulders in tension, pull the weight up to your chest. When you pull up, your elbow goes up to the ceiling. Keep your hand close to your ribs and lower it to the starting position.
Deadlifts can be performed as a one-arm exercise or as a more complex task, you can work with both sides at the same time.
Pullover (pull from top to back) with dumbbells
This exercise is aimed at the chest and the broadest (large pterygoid muscles of the back). When you get comfortable with the movement, you can also add stability exercises to strengthen your body or buttocks.
Lie face up on the bench, holding one dumbbell in each hand. Keep your core muscles engaged so that there is no arch in your back. First, pull the kettlebells back and over your head to a fully erect position, where the kettlebells are behind your head, but not below. Keep your elbows extended, but not tense. When you reach full extension, slowly exhale and return your arms to the starting position on your chest.
Once you are comfortable with one weight, try this exercise with two weights (one in each hand). You can also add stability and stress to your core muscles by lifting your bent knees above your hips so that your feet are raised (with 90-degree flexion at the hips and knees). With these modifications, your body will need to work harder to keep your lower body balanced and stable, and your upper body moving.
Flexion of the arms on the biceps
The traditional arm flexion exercise targets the biceps muscle in the front of the shoulder. There are several types of biceps flexion that can challenge you by engaging other parts of the body. You can do arm bends with dumbbells, but you can also use barbells, ropes, and kettlebells. To do the bicep flexion, stand with one weight in each hand. Keep your body tense and your back steady as you bend your elbow joint and lift your weight to your shoulders. Make sure that your elbows do not move forward or to the sides. Slowly lower yourself to the starting position.
If you find that you need to swing the weights to get enough momentum to lift them, reduce the weight and try again. If this exercise seems easy, try to incorporate other movements to engage your entire body. For example, add the bicep flexion to the lunge exercise. Or add a stability test and do a bicep flexion while balancing on one leg.
Leg flexion
Work the calf muscles, buttocks, quadriceps and shins. Most people do the hamstring flexion on the leg flexor machine at the gym, but there are also ways to do this exercise at home.
To do the flexion on the simulator, lie on the bench face down. Make sure that the roller cushion is placed on the upper part of the lower leg between the calf and the heels. Squeeze the back of your thigh and lift your feet to your buttocks, bending them at the knees. Keep your hips in contact with the bench. Slowly return your feet to the starting position and repeat.
If you don't have access to the simulator, try using a dumbbell. To do this, lie on the mat face down. Place the dumbbell between your legs. Lift the weight off the floor, bending at the knees. You will need to keep your ankles together to hold the weight as you bring it closer to your buttocks. Return to the starting position and repeat.
Finally, hamstring flexions can be performed standing up with a fitness band. Stand up straight with your feet and knees together, using a chair for support if you want. Stand in the middle of the tape with your right foot so that it is securely fastened. At the other end, place your left ankle. You may need to adjust the strap position under your right foot to prevent the strap from sagging too much.
Now keep your knees together and tighten your abs as you lift your left leg (bending the knee) and bring it closer to your buttocks. Return to the starting position and repeat before changing sides to work out the other leg.
Pull-ups
Traditional pull-ups target the muscles in the upper body, particularly the latissimus dorsi. This complex exercise can be performed at home with a properly installed crossbar for pull-ups. But there are ways to do pull-up variations if you don't have a crossbar or aren't ready to do a full pull-up.
To begin, grasp the crossbar with a grip from above. The fretboard should hang high enough that you need to jump a little or get up on the bench to grab it. Keeping the body still under you (but tense), raise it, bending your arms at the elbows, so that your chin is at the level of the crossbar. Hold for 1-2 seconds, then slowly lower the body to the starting position and repeat.
If you have a barbell at home for pull-ups, but you can not pull up completely, you can use the help to perform the exercise. You can ask your partner to help you when you pull your chin up to the crossbar or put one foot on the bench to ease your movement. You can also perform an upper pull exercise to strengthen the same muscles.
Note that the usual version of the pull-up is only the elongation phase of the muscles. For this modification, you start with your chin at the level of the crossbar (using a chair or partner to stand in place), and then lower your body. But this option targets the eccentric (pushing) phase, not the concentric (pulling) phase of the exercise.
