Fitness Mantra: Muscle groups guys usually neglect

Unfortunately, ignoring certain areas during strength training can cause muscle imbalances that could wreck performance and predispose men to injury. Plus, they could actually make those afore-mentioned vanity muscles look less chiselled than they otherwise would. So, here is a list of muscles men should stop ignoring for your entire body works as a unit. 

This muscle, located on the side of your chest along your ribs, attaches to and allows you to rotate your shoulder blade (a.k.a. scapula). It plays a vital role when you raise your shoulder to flex your arm and move it away from your body; that’s why it’s prominent in boxers but not your average guy. The reason? Blame the bench press. Because of the support provided by the bench, the serratus anterior doesn’t receive much direct challenge during this popular exercise. 

Standard pushups strengthen the muscle, but doing pushup variations is the quickest way to correct a weakness. Use a power rack to perform incline pushups on a barbell. Start with your body at the lowest incline that doesn’t allow your shoulders to wing—which means placing the bar relatively high. Perform 3 sets of 8 to 12 repetitions. As you become stronger and learn to control your scapular motion, work your way down the rack until you’re doing regular pushups with perfect body alignment. 

This muscle near your gluteal (butt) region helps with thigh rotation and tends to suffer from overuse. Why? Because weak hamstrings and glutes force the piriformis to take on some of the work those big muscles should be doing. This creates back and hip pain, and weaker lower-body performance. 

Increase your mobility with windshield wipers, says Robertson: Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet placed wider than shoulder-width apart on the ground. Press your knees together, and then return to the starting position. Do 2 sets of 10 to 15 repetitions. Now add some soft-tissue work: Sit on a foam roller with your weight shifted to your right butt, and place your right ankle on your left knee. Roll your right glutes from top to bottom, working any painful areas. Continue for 45 to 60 seconds, and switch sides. Do this daily. 

The psoas (pronounced so-az) muscle runs through your hips to connect the lower portion of your back to the top of your thigh. It’s one of your body’s main back stabilisers and hip flexors (the muscles that line your hips and allow you to bring your knees toward your chest). If you sit all day, the psoas becomes rounded like a banana; then, when you stand up, the psoas pulls on your back, making you more prone to pain and lower-back injury. A weak psoas also means you’ll end up with assorted knee issues, because other secondary hip flexors take over and cause pain.

The only way to strengthen a weak psoas is by bringing your knee above 90 degrees. Sit with your knees bent on a low box or bench (6 to 10 inches high) (3). Maintaining good posture and keeping your abs tight, use your hips to raise one bent knee slightly higher than your hips. If you lean forward or backward, you’re not performing the exercise correctly. Hold for 5 seconds, and return to the starting position. Complete 3 sets of 5 repetitions per leg. Also, to help release some of the pressure you may feel, use your thumb to press on your hip flexor; it’ll be on your side and a little lower than your belly button.