Transformation: what prevents your body from becoming beautiful?

Such are the stereotypes that most guys in brutal "rocking chairs" believe that aerobics and stretching exercises are not for them. The female half, for the most part, prefers not to go in for strength sports, wishing to remain flexible and graceful.

Why? The standard of a man means a pumped-up and strong guy capable of pulling several tens of kilograms without any effort, so it would seem, why does the pitching Apollo need flexibility? loads, because they are afraid to build up a pile of muscles and visually expand the shoulders. What if the figure will become like a man's?

But all this is nothing more than stereotypes and ignorance in matters related to fitness and sports.

We have collected several effective exercises for men and women that will help your body develop harmoniously and versatile.

Flexibility vs muscles

Many representatives of the strong half of humanity are wondering why they need stretching, flexibility and mobility exercises. The answer is simple: in order to get the most out of your workouts, you need to alternate strength loads with stretching. First of all, flexibility directly affects endurance (due to which muscles recover much faster after physical exertion) and joints. Also, such exercises are used after injury for rehabilitation purposes. They are all static and very easy to implement.

1. Stretching the back of the thigh

All flexibility exercises are based on the principle of muscle lengthening. Often men do not consider it necessary to stretch before or after training, but in vain. It reduces tension in the ligaments, which helps the body to relax. Stretching exercises also help with coordination, increase range of motion, accelerate the recovery of injured muscles.

Watch the full video on the official Do Yourself YouTube channel.

2. Exercises with TRX-loops

The advantage of these exercises in general and deep stretching of the body. Loop exercises develop mobility and prepare the muscles for heavier loads. Performing a complex warms up the body, relaxes muscles and reduces the likelihood of injury.

3. Lock

This exercise will help you correct your posture and stretch the muscles in your cervical spine and back. How is the exercise performed? We recall school physical education lessons: the back is straight, we join our hands in a lock behind our back. Chin up, breathing randomlye. The more you straighten, the easier it will be to join your hands.

Photo: istockphoto.com

If you complicate the exercise a little and add crossing in the legs, you get a yoga asana. Benefits of Gomukhasana:

- relieves back pain, sciatica, rheumatism, and also eliminates stiffness of the shoulders and neck;

- opens the chest, improves posture;

- eliminates muscle leg cramps making leg muscles more elastic.

Watch the full video on the official YogaClub YouTube channel.

4. Stretching the muscles of the chest and the front of the shoulder girdle

When doing the exercises, you should draw in your stomach and tighten the muscles of the lower back to avoid arching in the lower back.

Watch the full video on Vasily Ulyanov's official YouTube channel.

Strong women

Many girls believe that starting to engage in strength exercises, they will immediately begin to build muscle mass, and the figure will gain male outlines. This is not true. Women's physiology will prevent the body from rapidly gaining muscle mass due to the higher body fat content. Therefore, the idea that a woman will turn into a bodybuilder after a series of strength training is nothing more than another sports stereotype.

Exercises that just need to be added to the workout of every girl.

1 ... Swing with dumbbells

In addition to the biceps and triceps, this exercise involves the muscles of the press and lower back.

Watch the full video on Evgeny Esipovich's official YouTube channel.

2. Special walking on all fours

Special walking trains the shoulders, triceps, abs, buttocks and leg muscles. We rest our hands on the floor, straighten our legs, and raise our buttocks up. Thus, a slide should turn out. Several options for doing the exercise in the video.

Watch the full video on the official YouTube channel of the Center for Hockey Skills.

3. Weighted push-ups

During the execution, the shoulders, triceps, chest muscles, back, oblique abdominal muscles and abs work. Lower your knees to the floor (a light version of the classic push-ups), put your hands under your shoulders, keep your body straight. We begin to do push-ups, bending our elbows. Then we straighten and unfold the body to the left, doing a side plank on the right leg and arm.

4. Rope

This exercise puts a load on the abs and hips. We lie down on the floor, bend our knees, put our hands behind our heads. Then we raise them in front of us, as if we are reaching for the rope hanging above and begin to climb to it. Slowly tear off the head, neck, shoulders, back from the floor. We linger in the top position and slowly return to the starting position.