Know your muscles
When I started training seriously at the gym in my early 20s, I used to read a magazine called Muscle & Fitness. Whilst full of ridiculous-looking men with bulging biceps and quads, it had some great workouts and a monthly feature by a bodybuilder and academic called Jim Stoppani. Jim Stoppani is a bit of a legend - a fitness fanatic in amazing shape and a Yale academic - who explained the science behind muscle development in his columns and YouTube videos. Jim Stoppani introduced enthusiasts like myself to basic anatomy - the structure of muscles, the role they perform in the body and how to use specific exercises to focus on certain muscles effectively.
Fast forward to April 2020….
Having set up my own PT business and signed up some loyal clients, the first lockdown kicked in. So, I decided as all good ex-advertising account people do - to create some presentations. I created a series of ‘muscle masterclass’ presentations, showing the structure of key muscle groups (legs, arms, back, shoulders, core/abs) and exercises to perform to target specific parts of the muscle (/muscle group, heads).
The exercise routines (repetitions x sets) are aimed at muscle hypertrophy (growth) but are applicable for all types of fitness goal. The workouts were also created during a lockdown so are geared towards training at home but include free weight routines so are applicable for anyone training in a gym.