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MuscleWiki: Find exercises that work specific muscles

musclewiki.com

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Re: MuscleWiki: Find exercises that work specific muscles

#32

I see a lot of recommendations in this thread already, but any specific suggestions for a beginner whole body routine using bodyweight/dumbbells that also can help with stretching/flexibility? Edit: And also free. Not that I am opposed to people getting paid for putting out quality health education content - but free is preferable.

Reddit fitness subs have a surprising amount of information in their wiki(s)

https://www.reddit.com/r/bodyweightfitness/wiki/kb/recommend...

Re: MuscleWiki: Find exercises that work specific muscles

#33
post #6

I really like some of the accessibility and usability features here, like having a "copy" button right next to the exercise! I'm confused why it's called a "wiki" though, I didn't see how to contribute? Was that just a funsies name? Wiki to me means something that's editable by the community. I'm also not quite sure the audience here, because it seems to indicate "find exercise by muscle group" to be the way to use t…

We are building out a bunch of tools around the exercises. One is a "favorites/playlist" type feature. I think that's near "copy" you mentioned.

Again, this will come with tools. I built the original concept for the site out of frustration around SEO, and the general people taking for 10mins and not getting to the point. However, I see your point and as I mentioned above, we are working on more guided features and building search into the site to get people to the content faster.

The site started built on wikimedia but didn't blend well with clean ascetic, but that's pretty much the reason for the name and it stuck. I think one day we might build wiki like functions into.

Re: MuscleWiki: Find exercises that work specific muscles

#34
Working specific muscles is a terrible idea for the typical person looking to improve general fitness. The major compound movements are almost always what you want: barbell squats, overhead press, bench press, deadlifts, barbell rows, chin/pull ups, and dips[1]. Those will fix your posture problems among other things. From there you can work your way up to showing off on rings, glute ham raises, standing back bends, and even a planche progression if you really want to break the ice at parties.

I mean sure, if you’ve got the genetic gifts, the drive, eight hours a day to spend in the gym, and probably the gear to be the next Mr Olympia and you just need some hypertrophy on those posterior delts to put you over the edge then by all means target specific tiny muscle groups.

On the other hand if you just want the usable strength to handle life’s unexpected challenges then compounds all the way.

Edit: If you're a true beginner, get a good coach. Frankly I think beginners would be better served by a site on how to identify a good coach than one on how to do the movements.

[1] If you're a beginner you likely won't be able to do pull ups or dips unassisted, so either find a gym that has a machine that can give you assist, or use rubber bands. In fact if you're truly out of shape you might not even be able to do a proper bodyweight squat. If so, no problem, you can either assist by using rings, or progress with a leg press machine.

Re: MuscleWiki: Find exercises that work specific muscles

#35

As someone who knows almost nothing about muscle building, why would I want to work specific muscles? How do I know which muscle I should want to work? Do I look at a particular muscle and feel it's too small and that's how I choose? Do I target specific muscles that feel sore after I do some other activity that is the real activity I value? I'm genuinely curious. If this website is giving the "how", I want to know t…

You might have muscles that are poorly developed and imbalanced which lead to poor posture. An example common to people who have desk jobs would be your back muscles like traps and lats. Even just simple exercises of these muscles can greatly reduce the ‘slouched forward’ posture

Re: MuscleWiki: Find exercises that work specific muscles

#36
post #22
post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I just started gmb.io they have several programs similar to this

+1 for gmb.io - it's the only program(s) that i ever paid for - they are that clever. (i am athletic, walk my dog daily, have access to crossfit gyms etc). gmb.io "fills the gaps" of daily movement deficits and is for everyone.

How do you track your reps and weight per exercise? My trainer wants me to use paper. There are too many apps for this, and most of them are adware or junk. A glorified spreadsheet is what I’m looking for (mobile).

Re: MuscleWiki: Find exercises that work specific muscles

#37

As someone who knows almost nothing about muscle building, why would I want to work specific muscles? How do I know which muscle I should want to work? Do I look at a particular muscle and feel it's too small and that's how I choose? Do I target specific muscles that feel sore after I do some other activity that is the real activity I value? I'm genuinely curious. If this website is giving the "how", I want to know t…

In terms of athletic performance, often athletes work specific muscles or muscle groups to improve ability at the margin(e.g. a higher jump or more powerful kick) or to lower the risk of injury from sudden, unpredictable movements(wrestlers have powerful necks in part because neck injuries are career-enders). A general, untargeted approach like "carry a young calf around the stadium" (the approach claimed to be used by ancient wrestler Milo of Croton) also builds strength, but more in a sense of overall athleticism, which is generally good for health but doesn't necessarily optimize towards a specific activity: e.g. the possibility of becoming "too big" presents itself wherever you're relying on a blend of speed, strength, and stamina. Strongmen competitors are very strong, but they don't have as much stamina or speed as people who trained to be strong at a lower weight.

For many people, it's aesthetically driven: bodybuilding is a form of beauty contest where a certain kind of muscle development and leanness is considered ideal, depending on the specific contest you're entering. And so you train and diet accordingly: gaining mass in areas that need to be brought up, trying to even out two sides where their size differs, dieting down to show more of the anatomy. Even if you aren't aiming to enter shows, many people will use these parameters as an aesthetic target.

If you're in it for general health, the distinctions are interesting trivia, but you're basically served by doing exercises that are known to train all parts of the body. Combat sports offer a good model for this kind of training since they demand an overall balance of athleticism, and to eliminate exploitable weaknesses.

Re: MuscleWiki: Find exercises that work specific muscles

#38
post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

+1 for gmb.io - it's the only program(s) that i ever paid for - they are that clever. (i am athletic, walk my dog daily, have access to crossfit gyms etc). gmb.io "fills the gaps" of daily movement deficits and is for everyone.

How do you track your reps and weight per exercise? My trainer wants me to use paper. There are too many apps for this, and most of them are adware or junk. A glorified spreadsheet is what I’m looking for (mobile).

if you start tracking reps and weight, i guarantee you will loose interest fast. while tracking might certainly be useful for muscle building, gmb.io has a different approach and focuses on movements that are safe and help you in real life (mobilise wrist / shoulders, prevent back pain improve posture etc). A lot can be done without fancy equipment.

Re: MuscleWiki: Find exercises that work specific muscles

#39
post #34

Working specific muscles is a terrible idea for the typical person looking to improve general fitness. The major compound movements are almost always what you want: barbell squats, overhead press, bench press, deadlifts, barbell rows, chin/pull ups, and dips[1]. Those will fix your posture problems among other things. From there you can work your way up to showing off on rings, glute ham raises, standing back bends,…

This site is about finding specific exercises for specific muscles though, and I think it works really well for that, I’ve used it off and on for years.

There are plenty of reasons an individual may be looking for exercises to hit a specific muscle. I agree compound lifts are great for people interested in pursuing general fitness but there are plenty of people who can benefit from this.

I’ve used it because I needed to strengthen specific muscles after injuries or to protect from re-injury and wanted to explore options. I’ve also used it to mix up lifting routines by having multiple exercises I can rotate through that hit the same muscles. Clearly I’m a fan :)

Just like being in the gym, it’s important not to judge how others are working on their bodies^. You never know the story behind why someone is doing what they do.

^unless they’re putting themselves in honest to god danger of course!

Re: MuscleWiki: Find exercises that work specific muscles

#40
post #31

https://exrx.net/ is generally the go-to.

This. It’s built by a bodybuilder and not a techie and that shows, but it’s entirely serviceable.

Ryan (the founder of MuscleWiki) used to be a body builder. Iirc, he's also an accredited personal trainer.
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