Unless your name is Phil Heath or Flex Lewis, you probably have some weaknesses in your physique.\u00a0 <\/span>Lagging body parts, muscle imbalances, atrophy, and asymmetrical muscle groups can all play a role in how your physique looks.\u00a0 <\/span>For those of us competing it is a very big deal.\u00a0 <\/span>For those not competing, it is still a big deal when you are trying to look your best.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Since the world\u2019s largest bodybuilding show was recently, this conversation has come up a lot.\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cHe had him everywhere but the back.\u201d\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cHis arms need to grow to match his chest.\u201d\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cHis quads dominate his upper body.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Lagging body parts are frustrating, especially when it seems like you are doing everything to improve them.\u00a0 <\/span>When we begin training everything seems to grow at such a high clip that it takes a while before you even begin to realize that certain body parts are not growing at the same rate as others.\u00a0 <\/span>Larger muscle groups take longer to develop than the smaller muscle groups.\u00a0 <\/span>Genetics also play a critical role in where you can pack on muscle mass.\u00a0 <\/span>Some people just aren\u2019t meant to have 21 inch arms.\u00a0 <\/span>While that is a hard reality to accept; you can still progress to where you have a muscle bound and symmetrical physique.\u00a0 <\/span>You must learn to train smarter, not just harder.\u00a0 <\/span>Let\u2019s look at some different methods to bring up lagging body parts.<\/span><\/p>\n

Increase Frequency<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

If you have been hitting the same weekly split for years and nothing is happening, why not change it up?\u00a0 <\/span>Increase the workload from once a week to two or three times a week.\u00a0 <\/span>The increased frequency and volume will elicit more muscular damage, which will hopefully in turn mean more muscle hypertrophy.\u00a0 <\/span>Frank Zane was a big proponent of overtraining lagging body parts to bring them up. \u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

By increasing frequency, overall volume within the training session may need to be taken back to ensure recovery is still optimal.\u00a0 <\/span>I would try to limit the overall work sets to under 10.\u00a0 <\/span>That means if you do three different exercises, only do three sets of those exercises.\u00a0 <\/span>It\u2019s also a good idea to mix up the exercises during each session.\u00a0 <\/span>For example, if you do flat barbell bench press on Monday, don\u2019t do barbell bench press on Wednesday.\u00a0 <\/span>Choose a different compound chest exercise such as incline dumbbell press.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

If increasing frequency is the route you take to try and bring up lagging body parts, skip the advanced training techniques such as drop sets and supersets.\u00a0 <\/span>The nervous system can only handle so much, and by increasing frequency it will already be taking more of a hit than normal.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

By increasing frequency, your overall recovery ability will be compromised to a certain degree.\u00a0 <\/span>It\u2019s important to remember this when constructing your training program, as other areas of training need to reflect this change in frequency.\u00a0 <\/span>Also focus on bringing up only one lagging body part if it is a large muscle group.\u00a0 <\/span>You will run your body into the ground if trying to bring up both legs and back simultaneously.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Decrease Frequency<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

How can decreasing frequency be a benefit, when we just talked about increasing frequency?\u00a0 <\/span>You could actually be training too much; not allowing your body to fully recover between training sessions.\u00a0 <\/span>It typically takes 72 hours after a muscle is worked before it is fully recovered, and protein synthesis starts to dissipate.\u00a0 <\/span>A lot of times we use muscle indirectly when targeting other muscle groups, like triceps during a chest session for example.<\/span><\/p>\n

Typically this is much less likely of a scenario than needing to train more frequently, but nevertheless it is still a possibility.<\/span><\/p>\n

Using Proper Form<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

This probably seems like a no brainer, but not using proper form to target a muscle is a surefire way to miss out on some growth.\u00a0 <\/span>It\u2019s important to consciously visualize the muscle being worked.\u00a0 <\/span>You may need to lower the weight and focus on the contraction of the muscle.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Working the muscle in a full range of motion will also give the greatest return when it comes to muscle hypertrophy.\u00a0 <\/span>Remember, we are trying to build muscle here not just move weight.\u00a0 <\/span>The weight is secondary to form when hypertrophy is the main goal.<\/span><\/p>\n

Pre Exhaust<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

This technique could be the most important to bringing up a lagging body part, especially for those who have trouble \u201cfeeling\u201d the muscle being worked.\u00a0 <\/span>Pre exhausting a muscle is the idea of pre fatiguing the muscle by isolation before any compound exercises.\u00a0 <\/span>This is typically done with an isolation movement like pec deck for chest or straight arm pulldowns for back.\u00a0 <\/span>Choose an exercise that will not exhaust any other muscle than the one you want to target.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This will force blood into the target muscle, making it easier to feel the movement.\u00a0 <\/span>When setting up a program with pre exhausting incorporated, it\u2019s crucial that the muscle being pre exhausted is not too much of a secondary muscle.\u00a0 <\/span>For example, do not pre exhaust the biceps before a back session.\u00a0 <\/span>If you do set up your training with two muscle groups being worked, always pre exhaust the larger muscle group first.<\/span><\/p>\n

Unilateral Work<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Unilateral movement is working one side of the body, and then the other.\u00a0 <\/span>So alternating dumbbell curls, one arm pulldowns, and one leg extensions are all examples of unilateral movement.\u00a0 <\/span>This is a great way to bring up a lagging body part, and bring more balance to your physique.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Unilateral movements actually recruit more muscle fiber activation than bilateral work.\u00a0 <\/span>Typically if you were to add up the weight between the two sides of the body, you are stronger on unilateral work than bilateral.\u00a0 <\/span>Heavier weight means a heavier and bigger physique.\u00a0 <\/span>Unilateral training is great for repairing muscular imbalances, such as one bicep being slightly larger than the other.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Increase Overall Volume<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

I am strictly talking about within the session here.\u00a0 <\/span>We already touched on increasing frequency, which will in turn increase volume over time.\u00a0 <\/span>By increasing volume within each session the muscle is being taxed further.\u00a0 <\/span>Recovery will be compromised to a certain degree, so nutrition and supplementation should reflect this.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Volume does not just refer to the amount of sets and reps completed in a workout, but could also mean different advanced training techniques.\u00a0 <\/span>These could be drop sets, supersets, negatives, and time under tension.\u00a0 <\/span>Anything that puts the muscle under more stress during a session could be considered as increased work volume.\u00a0 <\/span>Negatives are a great way to increase volume, because the increased time under tension will recruit more motor units than a traditional rep tempo.\u00a0 <\/span>Pump sets are another great way to increase total volume.\u00a0 <\/span>Pump sets keep the muscle under tension the whole set, while not completing an entire range of motion.\u00a0 <\/span>Think of the difference between how a bodybuilder does the bench press compared to a powerlifter.\u00a0 <\/span>Now take that concept and exaggerate it even more.\u00a0 <\/span>This is a fantastic way to burn out the muscle at the end of a session.<\/span><\/p>\n

Increase Carbs around Workout<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Nutrition obviously plays a key role in growing any muscle group.\u00a0 <\/span>When a muscle group is lagging, this is especially crucial.\u00a0 <\/span>You will need every edge you can get to increase glycogen uptake into the target muscle group.<\/span><\/p>\n

Start by consuming slightly higher carbs before the workout.\u00a0 <\/span>Make sure the meal isn\u2019t too large, as you want blood going to the muscle and not just to the gastrointestinal tract.\u00a0 <\/span>Choose a carb source such as white rice or oatmeal.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

During the workout consume an intra workout carb source like Redcon1 Cluster Bomb.\u00a0 <\/span>This product has 25 grams of Cluster Dextrin per serving.\u00a0 <\/span>Cluster Dextrin is an easily digestible form of carbs with rapid gastric emptying properties.\u00a0 <\/span>This means that it will not weigh too heavily on the stomach, but will replenish glycogen to the target muscle group.\u00a0 <\/span>To bring up a lagging body part, try by increasing peri workout nutrition only on the days this muscle is being trained.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Isolate<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

We all know that compound exercises are king when it comes to getting bigger, but isolation movements have their place.\u00a0 <\/span>This is especially true for muscles that need to be brought up.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Complete your normal workout, but throw in some specialized isolation movements to really burn out the muscle.\u00a0 <\/span>This concept is like pre exhausting, but backwards.\u00a0 <\/span>Instead of exhausting the muscle before compounds, you will really burn it out after the heavy lifting is completed.\u00a0 <\/span>This is a great technique for those not wanting to lose strength before major compound lifts.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Turn Weaknesses into Strengths<\/i><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Give some of these ideas a go.\u00a0 <\/span>Remember that your physique was not built over night, and neither will lagging body parts.\u00a0 <\/span>You cannot just throw the whole kitchen sink at it and hope that it all sticks.\u00a0 <\/span>Try by implementing one or two of these at a time, and then move on to the next.\u00a0 <\/span>Give these some time and you will see your physique grow into the symmetrical statue you had always hoped.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

-Daniel Henigsmith <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Unless your name is Phil Heath or Flex Lewis, you probably have some weaknesses in your physique.\u00a0 Lagging body parts, muscle imbalances, atrophy, and asymmetrical muscle groups can all play a role in how your physique looks.\u00a0 For those of us competing it is a very big deal.\u00a0 For those not competing, it is still […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":4882,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2339,3877,5,1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/redcon1online.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4881"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/redcon1online.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/redcon1online.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/redcon1online.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/redcon1online.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4881"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/redcon1online.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4881\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4883,"href":"https:\/\/redcon1online.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4881\/revisions\/4883"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/redcon1online.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4882"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/redcon1online.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4881"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/redcon1online.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4881"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/redcon1online.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4881"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}