Poll: Stubborn Muscle Groups

[BendtheBar]

Which muscle group(s) have been most stubborn for you to strengthen and/or build, and what are some of the ways you've tried to overcome this weakness?

[BendtheBar]

Someone on Facebook answered:

Trapezoids

[Off Road]

My most stubborn lift to build up is the deadlift. This has to do with my [severe] back injury. It keeps me from pulling hard off the floor for fear of injury. This leaves me with doing lighter weights and higher reps. Higher reps and lighter weights don't seem to build the strength as fast as heavy weights and lower reps, but I do what I can do.

My hardest muscle group to develop is my legs. Because of the before mentioned [severe] back injury I have some nerve damage, so the muscles in my legs don't seem to respond to training as well as my other bodyparts. Luckily my legs do respond to high rep training, so it's my main style of squatting. I avoid heavy low rep training for fear of re-injuring my back.

As you can see, my back injury is something I have to work with. I don't use it as an excuse to not squat and deadlift, rather I find a way that I can continue to progress with these important lifts. The only limits you have are the ones you place upon yourself.

[Off Road]

Originally Posted by BendtheBar

Someone on Facebook answered:

Trapezoids

Let me guess...
Lots of Shrugazoids and Upright Rowz

[Fazc]

Used to be shoulders and chest but that got sorted the last 5-6 years as my Bench went up. Even the ol' hamstring isn't playing up much these days either *fingers crossed*.

Not much else really.

[MC]

Three lagging parts I've worked on during my bulk:

1. My calves. Even with all my leg work and gains in leg size and strength, my calves lag in size and look (IMO). Some of it is due to my height and leg length (34" pant leg). I started working them twice a week (once with legs, once without) with a bent-knee and straight-legged movement. I've seen some slow gains since I've done this.

2. My chest. I switched to DBs for flat bench and really feel that it alone made a ton of difference in how my chest looks.

3. Lateral Delts. I wanted a rounded, more capped look. My PT taught me to do seated lateral raises with back support. Shrug shoulders up, back, then depress and keep in contact with the bench for entire lift. I did most of this work with 10-20# DBs over 8 months time. This and dual cable lateral raises have helped a lot.

[BendtheBar]

Originally Posted by Off Road

Shrugazoids

^ That cracked me up!


My weak spot was back. I always focused too much on mind muscle and not enough on power and explosiveness. I also was never a deadlifter.

The combination of adding deadlifts (in 2007) and focusing on forcefully rowing instead of babying my rows has really paid off. I still focus on pulling my rows properly. But now, my mentality is ripping them off the ground.

[BigFiveFive]

Chest for sure, my dad has a genetically small chest...

He blessed me with that as well. Our chests look exactly the same it crazy.

[Soldier]

Originally Posted by BendtheBar

^ That cracked me up!


My weak spot was back. I always focused too much on mind muscle and not enough on power and explosiveness. I also was never a deadlifter.

The combination of adding deadlifts (in 2007) and focusing on forcefully rowing instead of babying my rows has really paid off. I still focus on pulling my rows properly. But now, my mentality is ripping them off the ground.

Hell yeah! There nothing like throwing some weight on a bar and setting up to it, and you know everyone thinks you're doing deads, then you rip that frekker off the ground with a flat back and hit your chest so hard that everyone is surprised you don't fall backwards.

I love BOR's, and I used to hate them.

[bruteforce]

Forearms and chest.

My bench seems to be all triceps, which are one of my better groups. Hoping dips will help this out.

I've never really trained forearms, but they are one area I would like to grow for vanity reasons as well as for grip strength.