We are all familiar with building and sculpting the major muscle groups into our weekly splits. We tend to focus on the larger and more prominent areas of our bodies. But to complete the overall look of a complete and balanced physique, we still need to put some work into a few other areas which might not seem as important or are easily glossed over. Incorporate these minor detail exercises into your split to add the finishing touches to your physique.
Forearms
You have no issue remembering to blast out set after set on your triceps and biceps, but how about the muscles in your lower arm?
There?s no debate, your forearms do get worked out by holding the weights. However, your whole arm would be better off if you complimented your upper arms with some direct forearm work. Be it plates, a loaded trap bar, kettlebells, or something as simple as a farmer?s walk with dumbbells, working out your forearms is important too.
Besides impacting the overall appearance of your arms, training your forearms can improve your grip strength tremendously. And training them isn?t complicated. With just these three moves, you can trigger muscle growth in just a few weeks. Do these as a finisher at the end of your arm workout, or on an entirely different day if you want to hit your forearms while they?re fresh.
- Reverse barbell curl: 2-3 sets of 10-12 reps
- Reverse cable pushdowns: 2-3 sets of 10-12 reps
- Farmer?s walk: 3 sets to failure
Wide delts and thick traps don?t mean much if they?re supported by a pencil neck. A strong neck helps protect the cervical spine and spinal cord, can protect you from potential injuries, improve your posture, and improve overall functional strength. Without adding too much time to your workout, here are three things you can incorporate to help train your neck:
Superset: 3 sets, 60 seconds rest between sets:
- Lying face-down plate neck resistance: 15 reps
- Lying face-up plate neck resistance: 15 reps
Inner and Outer Thighs
When it comes to leg day, our eyes are usually focused on our quads, hamstrings, calves, and possibly glutes. So really the focus is on the front and back of the legs. But how much work are you putting on the abductors and adductors?
If you want to complete the fullness to your legs, the inner and outer thighs are just as important as the front and the back. The adductors bring the kegs back into the midline of the body, as well as pull them across. The abductors pull the legs away from the midline of the body, allowing athletes to move from side to side faster. If you?re an athlete in a sport with kicking or a bodybuilder looking to fill out your legs, pay attention.
The abductor and adductor machines aren?t the only choices you?ve got when it comes to workout out your inner and outer thighs. Be creative with cables and bands (no, they?re not just for the ladies) to work your thighs, or you can lay on your side and use free weights. Try these exercises to help you complete your developed look:
- Band hip adductions: 3 sets of 20 reps (each leg)
- Lateral band walk: 3 sets of 20 reps (each leg)
Superset: 2 Sets:
- Abductor machine: 10 reps
- Adductor machine: 10 reps
