THE GREAT EIGHT Australian Institute of Fitness 1 / 13
ABOUT THE GREAT EIGHT Exercises that is! Eight GREAT exercises. By now you should have opened your Master Trainer elog Book (see Welcome section) for you to complete during your Master Trainer journey. Your elog Book is an assessment stored on your ecampus Google Drive which you will submit towards the end of this course. The first experience in your elog Book is The Great Eight. We introduce you to commonly prescribed strength training exercises in the first eight sessions of your course. These are exercises that you see every day at the gym, in personal training sessions and in some group fitness classes as well. You will notice in your elog Book that in session 1 (FI 1), you are to focus on the Bench Dip, session 2 the Squat and so on until all eight are mastered! Your elog Book requires you to identify the target muscles, that is, the ones getting the workout. At this stage, we refer to the muscle names commonly used in the gym but don't worry, we will get more technical when we get to our anatomy sessions. You are also required to include some basic technique cues and to practice using the techniques described for each exercise (see following sections). If you have never performed these exercises and need assistance, approach an instructor or trainer to take you through the basics. These exercises are in your practical assessments so start working on your technique early. You will notice that some exercises have an asterix (*) - these exercises are in your PT Fitness Challenge. Refer to your elog Book for more information. Australian Institute of Fitness 2 / 13
1. Bench Dip Make sure you complete the Bench Dip in your elog Book as part of Session 1. Target Muscles: triceps brachii, pectoralis major 1. Start by sitting on a bench - place your hands underneath your shoulders 2. With fingers positioned forwards, move trunk forwards so that the buttocks are just off the bench and body weight is being supported by the upper body 3. Feet are on the floor and the knees are bent if good posture can be maintained, the legs can be straight 4. Keep the spine in neutral alignment, keep the shoulders down and make sure the buttocks stay close to the bench 5. Bend the elbows (they will point backwards) and lower the trunk slowly keeping good posture you may be able to go as low as ninety degrees at the elbows joints but only if good technique is maintained 6. Extend the elbows to lift the body up keeping elbows close to the body and buttocks close to the bench 7. Keep elbows soft on extension and shoulders down Australian Institute of Fitness 3 / 13
2. Squat* Target Muscles: quadriceps, gluteus maximus The squat can be performed using either body weight, holding dumbbells by the sides or with a barbell balanced on the back of the shoulders. Get your technique right with your body weight first then add resistance. 1. Stand with good posture and soft knees (slightly bent) 2. Place feet shoulder width apart and activate the abdominals to keep your trunk stable 3. Bend the hips and knees simultaneously to sit down and lower the body keep the knees in line with the feet (2nd toe to be exact) 4. Go as low as you can maintaining good technique (about 90 degrees or slightly lower with thighs parallel to the floor is recommended for most gym users) 5. Lift the body pushing through the heels and stand up keeping the knees soft on extension Body Weight Squat Australian Institute of Fitness 4 / 13
Barbell Weight Squat Australian Institute of Fitness 5 / 13
3. Lat Pulldown (Vertical Pull) Target Muscles: latissimus dorsi, biceps brachii There are numerous variations of the pulldown from grip to body position. Let s kick off with the simple version of a wide overhand grip with the body relatively upright. 1. Adjust the machine to secure thighs under knee pads with feet aligned under the knees 2. Check the weight 3. Sit down with your trunk quite vertical; reach up to the bar and hold it in a overhand grip about 1½ times shoulder width if you cannot reach the bar from a seated position, stand up to grip it then sit down 4. In the start position, your arms should resemble a V make sure the shoulders are down then pull elbows towards ribs so that the bar is lowered to about chin/neck depth 5. Slowly return the bar to the starting position 6. Keep spine neutral and wrists neutral (straight) Now try the same exercise but with your hands in a underhand grip about shoulder width apart this time. This is called a Narrow Grip Lat Pulldown. Australian Institute of Fitness 6 / 13
4. Lunge Target Muscles: quadriceps, gluteus maximus Let s start with a Static Lunge to ensure you have good balance and stability before you do lunge by stepping either forwards or backwards 1. Stand with good posture and soft knees (slightly bent) 2. One foot steps backwards (or forwards) so that one leg is forward and the other leg backward at a comfortable distance that you can balance the heel of the back foot is lifted off the ground 3. Weight is supported through the front foot and the ball of the back foot with relatively equal weight distribution 4. With each foot in line with the hips, bend hips and knees simultaneously and lower body so that the back knee approaches the ground 5. Push through both feet and lift body to return to the starting position Australian Institute of Fitness 7 / 13
5. Push-up / Bench Press (Horizontal Push) The reason why two exercises have been included is that the movement pattern is the same. The exercises differ in position and resistance; the push-up is in a prone position and the resistance is body weight. The bench press is in a supine position and the resistance is the barbell. However, the mechanics of the movement are similar as follows: Spine and neck should be in a neutral position (hence in a push-up look down, not up) Hand placement should be about 1 1/2 times shoulder-width and level with mid chest Elbows and hands should line up with the mid chest (hence in both exercises, if the hands are lining up with the shoulders, this is incorrect; move the hands down to mid chest - not only is this better mechanics but will also reduce stress to the shoulder joint) On extending the arms, keep the elbows soft Push-up Target Muscles: pectoralis major, triceps brachii 1. Position yourself facing the floor on either the hands and knees (half push-up) or hands and toes (full push-up) pending your ability 2. Hands are positioned slightly wider than shoulder width (approx 1 ½ times) and in line with the mid-chest; complete the start position by looking down at the floor, not up 3. Lower the body towards the floor (the elbows will bend and point outwards) and maintain good posture throughout 4. Keep the abdominal muscles activated to help prevent the spine from arching 5. If possible, lower down so that the elbows bend about ninety degrees or as low as you can maintain good technique 6. Lift the body keeping the elbows soft (slightly bent) on extension Half Push-up (knees) Australian Institute of Fitness 8 / 13
Full Push-up (toes) Bench Press Target Muscles: pectoralis major, triceps brachii The technique is very similar to that of the push-up except this time you are lifting a barbell rather than lifting your body weight! 1. Lay down on a bench with your feet on the floor; if your knees are lower than your hip joints then you need to place a low step at the foot of the bench for your feet this will bring your knees higher than your hips and help you achieve a neutral spine (avoid placing your feet on the end of the bench as it is a less stable position) 2. Grip the barbell approximately 1½ times your shoulder width and keep the bar in line with the mid-chest check neutral spine and that the shoulders are set down away from the ears 3. Keep hands, elbows and bar level with the mid-chest wrists should be ain a neutral position 4. Lower the bar so that the elbows go slightly below the shoulder and trunk line keep the hands in a vertical line above the elbows 5. Lift the weight ensuring elbows stay soft on extension Using a bench and a bar as shown in the photos above and as performed in a group class (often the step acts as a bench) is acceptable for a light to moderate weight. When lifting heavy weights, it is safer to use the bench press rack as shown in the photos below. Australian Institute of Fitness 9 / 13
Australian Institute of Fitness 10 / 13
6. Seated Row (Horizontal Pull) Target Muscles: latissimus dorsi, biceps brachii This is known as a back pulling exercise and is performed on a weights machine always check the weight and read the instructions before using this machine. 1. Take a seat on the machine so that you can reach the handles; where possible, adjust the seat so that your knees are slightly lower than your hip joints and the handles are just below the line of your shoulder 2. Hold the handles so that the palms are facing and start with the arms outstretched in front of the body 3. Pull the elbows towards the lower ribs and gently squeeze the shoulder blades together 4. Keep spine neutral and elbows close to the body 5. Release and allow the shoulders to naturally move slightly forwards before you start the next row Many machines also allow a Wide Grip Seated Row in this exercise, the posterior deltoid and mid-trapezius/rhomboids get a workout. As the name implies, you take a wider grip and the palms face the floor. On the pulling action, the elbows move towards the upper ribs and the shoulder blades squeeze together without arching the lower back. Give this one a go as well! Australian Institute of Fitness 11 / 13
7. Shoulder Press (Vertical Push) Target Muscles: deltoid, triceps brachii, trapezius 1. Stand with good posture and soft knees (slightly bent) 2. Select dumbbells that you can lift overhead 3. Start with your hands at shoulder height and slightly forward of the body 4. Lift DBs in a vertical line to finish overhead keeping the elbows soft on extension 5. Return to the starting position 6. Keep spine neutral and wrists neutral (straight) Australian Institute of Fitness 12 / 13
8. Deadlift* Target Muscles: gluteus maximus, hamstrings, quadriceps 1. Stand with good posture and soft knees with your toes under the bar on the floor 2. Bend down to grip the bar by leaning forward at the hips and bending the knees 3. Grip the bar about shoulder width apart and for best support and control use a reverse power grip (one hand underhand grip, the other overhand grip) 4. Push through the heels to initiate the lift then extend knees and hips to stand up - keep the bar as close to the legs as possible and the back straight thoughout the lift 5. On standing, maintain a slight knee bend 6. On lowering the weight, the trunk leans forward at the hips as the knees bend to allow the bar to descend in front of the knees 7. Keep the bar close to the legs and lower to just above the ground or mid-shin for a easier option which is known as a Modified Deadlift Australian Institute of Fitness 13 / 13