More Than Lifts
Ever felt like something’s just...off? Your form looks fine, your lifts are solid, but your body still feels out of sync. That’s not exactly a motivation issue. It’s a muscle imbalance. And chances are, you’re neglecting some seriously important players. Here, we look at 10 forgotten muscles sabotaging your progress and 10 game-changing exercises that'll get everything working in harmony again.
1. Serratus Anterior
You've probably never heard of your serratus anterior, but every time you throw a punch or press weight overhead, this "boxer's muscle" is working overtime. Wrapped around your ribcage like serrated knife teeth, it keeps your shoulder blades glued to your back.
2. Tibialis Anterior
That burning sensation down your shins after a long downhill hike? That's your tibialis anterior screaming for attention. Most people discover this muscle exists only when shin splints strike, but smart athletes know strengthening it can add serious pop to their vertical jump.
3. Rhomboids
Modern life has declared war on your rhomboids, and these diamond-shaped muscles between your shoulder blades are losing badly. Every hour spent hunched over a computer stretches them into submission, creating that "forward head" posture that makes you look older and less confident.
4. Posterior Deltoids
Here's a sobering reality check: you probably have a 3:1 strength imbalance between your front and rear deltoids. Well, it's wreaking havoc on your shoulders. While you've been obsessing about bench press numbers, your posterior delts have been slowly shutting down.
5. Transverse Abdominis
Forget the six-pack obsession—the real powerhouse is a muscle you can't even see. The transverse abdominis acts like your internal weight belt, firing up before every single movement to protect your spine from catastrophic failure. Pregnancy can shut down this deep stabilizer.
6. Glute Medius
That attractive hip curve you see on elite athletes? Thank the glute medius, the side glute muscle that's probably been in hibernation since you started sitting for a living. For sedentary individuals, this muscle renders every single-leg movement a wobbly disaster.
7. Rotator Cuff Complex
Imagine four muscles no thicker than rubber bands holding your entire shoulder together—that's your rotator cuff in a nutshell. These tiny stabilizers work overtime during every arm movement, yet most people ignore them until injury strikes and sidelines them for months.
Gabrielle Henderson on Unsplash
8. Deep Neck Flexors
Your smartphone addiction has turned your deep neck flexors into weaklings. These muscles are your cervical spine's best friends, working tirelessly to counter the forward head position that modern life demands. Years of looking down at screens can cause rapid atrophy.
9. Soleus
Hidden beneath your flashy gastrocnemius lies the soleus. It is the calf's endurance powerhouse that rarely gets recognition. This "second heart" pumps blood back up from your feet with incredible stamina, yet most people train only the visible calf muscle above it.
10. Diaphragm
You're probably reading this while breathing incorrectly, using only the top third of your lungs and keeping your nervous system locked in fight-or-flight mode. Your diaphragm—the dome-shaped muscle separating your chest from your belly—is meant to be your primary breathing engine.
Anyway, here's how to wake up those sleeping stabilizers the right way.
1. Wall Angels
Stand against a wall and try sliding your arms up and down like you're making snow angels. This deceptively simple exercise targets your posterior deltoids, rhomboids, and lower traps simultaneously, revealing shocking mobility limitations that most people never knew existed.
Wall Angel Exercises for Better Posture and Back Pain Relief by Washington Park Chiropractic
2. Band Pull-Aparts
While everyone's obsessing over their bench press numbers, smart lifters are doing band pull-aparts between every set to wake up their dormant posterior chain. This high-repetition movement with light resistance reverses years of internal shoulder rotation damage caused by excessive pressing movements.
Band Pull-Apart Exercise | Onnit Tutorials by Onnit
3. Turkish Get-Ups
This ancient strongman movement will expose every weakness in your kinetic chain faster than any other exercise. Start with just your body weight. The Turkish get-up challenges your rotator cuff stability under load while integrating stability in the shoulder, core, and hips.
Turkish Get-Up by Testosterone Nation
4. Single-Leg Glute Bridges
Here's your reality check: if you can't perform 10 perfect single-leg glute bridges on each side, your glute medius is weaker than you think. This exercise isolates the side glute muscle that prevents knee cave-in and hip drop during unilateral movements.
Single Leg Glute Bridge by Middlebury College
5. Dead Bugs
Dead bugs build the kind of core stability that actually matters for real movement. Lying on your back, you'll slowly extend opposite arms and legs without letting your lower back arch, teaching your transverse abdominis to activate while maintaining neutral spine position.
Dead Bug Exercise For Core Stability | Pursuit Physical Therapy by Pursuit Physical Therapy
6. Farmer's Walks
Vikings and strongmen built legendary functional strength with this brutally simple exercise. You just need to pick up heavy things and walk with perfect posture. Farmer's walks strengthen everything from your deep neck flexors to your entire posterior chain under load.
How To Do A Farmer's Walk (Farmer's Carry) by PureGym
7. Calf Raises On Steps
Using just your body weight, perform the full stretch at the bottom and complete contraction at the top, targeting both your gastrocnemius and soleus muscles simultaneously. Most people rush through this exercise, but the deliberate tempo is what builds real strength.
Calf raises two legs step by Rehab My Patient
8. Diaphragmatic Breathing
This might be the only "workout" that provides immediate benefits while lying down, doing virtually nothing. Diaphragmatic breathing retrains proper breathing patterns and activates your parasympathetic nervous system, instantly reducing stress and lowering your heart rate. It can be done anywhere.
Diaphragmatic Breathing Exercises with Jenna Walton | evre | UCHealth by UCHealth
9. Serratus Wall Slides
Standing against a wall, you'll slide your arms up while actively pushing the wall away, specifically targeting the neglected serratus anterior muscle that prevents shoulder impingement. The movement teaches proper overhead mechanics while strengthening the "boxer's muscle" that keeps your shoulder blades stable.
Serratus Wall Slides by The Active Life
10. Tibialis Raises
For tibialis raises, all you need to do is sit with your heels planted on the ground and lift your toes as high as possible. This movement directly strengthens the shin muscle. The key is consistency rather than resistance. It is essential for runners.
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