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Lower Back
(Erector Spinae) is a group of muscles
responsible for overall power of your body. It consists of three heads;
Iliocastalis, Longissimus, and Spinalis. A well developed
lower back is very important in many sports such as football, wrestling,
and, of course, power lifting.
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There are a myriad
exercises for pecs, here are some of them:|
Deadlifts |
Regular Deadlifts |
Straight-Leg Deadlift |
Stiff Leg Deadlift |
Hyper Extension |
Good Mornings |
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Deadlifts
have many variations, all of them work lower back as a
target muscle and quads, hamstrings, and glutes as synergists or
stabilizers. Here they will be discussed in detail and minor variations
will be pointed out. All deadlifts are basic compound movements.
[TOP]
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Regular Deadlift
is the original deadlift in which your legs bend at
the knees pretty liberally. Its almost half a squat. With feet flat
beneath the bar, squat down and grasp the barbell with a shoulder width or
slightly wider overhand or mixed grip. For better quality of the movement
use overhand grip, but if you choose to use a mixed grip (if your forearms
aren’t strong enough for overhand) that’s fine too, just remember to
alternate mixed grip from hand to hand. Lift the bar by extending hips and
knees to full extension. Pull shoulders back at the top of the lift if
rounded. Return, through the flexion of your lower back (which you must
feel) and repeat. Throughout the lift, keep hips low, shoulders high, arms
and back straight. Keep the bar close to body to improve mechanical
leverage. [TOP]
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Straight-Leg Deadlift In this variation of the deadlift, your legs
should remain nearly perfectly straight (almost), but not immobile,
throughout the entirety of the movement. You can do this on a platform, but
you will need good lower back and leg flexibility. Your back should be more
rounded than if you were performing regular deadlifts. Your legs and hips
should move back and forth as you are lifting the weight accordingly, but no
vertical movement of the legs should occur through the bending of the
knees. [TOP]
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Stiff Leg Deadlifts this variation is much like the straight-leg deadlifts except your legs bend
at the knees. But unlike the regular deadlifts the whole leg isn’t moving,
only the upper part, above the knees. From knee to ankle, there should be
no significant movement, it should remain as stationary as possible. You
can do this on a platform as well (8” should be enough). With knees bent,
lift the bar by extending at hips until standing upright. Pull shoulders
back at to of lift if rounded. Extend knees at the top if desired. Lower
bar to the top of the feet by bending the hips. Bend the knees slightly
during the descent and keep waist straight, flexing only slightly at the
bottom. Lower back may bend slightly during full hip flexion.
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Hyper Extension
(Back Extension) is an exercise that can be done with
or without weights. First, position thighs prone on the padding and hook
heels on platform. Hold the weight close to your chest or behind the neck
(don’t press on the neck). Lower body by bending the waist until it is
fully flexed. Raise, or extend your waist until the torso is parallel to
legs or in other words, your body is completely straight. You may go
further up if you want. Although articulation of the waist is emphasized,
some hip extension may accommodate the movement.
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Good Mornings
There is a very detailed description of this exercise on the
hamstring page.
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