From bodybuilders to the casual fitness enthusiasts, I think it is safe to say we all sometimes have a tendency to neglect training certain body parts and even avoid doing certain exercises we know we should be doing. Here are a few body parts that I believe everyone should prioritize.
Transverse Abdominis
The TA (transverse abdominis) is a muscle layer of the anterior and lateral (front and side) of the abdominal wall. Think of it like a thin, sheath of muscle tissue which sets under the obliques, and is one of, if not the most significant muscles of the CORE.
Perhaps more importantly, If your goal is to lose fat and slim the midsection, any good trainer will tell you that you’ll also need to be in a caloric deficit in addition to exercise.
There was a time when I was trying to get big, put on as much muscle as I could, but while I did add size, my mid section also grew (blew out) and got way out of hand. The fact that I neglected my TA was the primary reason. We must make the distinction between exercises that target the rectus abdominis (six-pack), and the other muscles of your core especially the TA. Think of the TA as a weight belt that wraps around your core. You must engage it with every movement you do, otherwise you could end up “blowing out” your mid section.
Jeff Cavaliere does an excellent job explaining how to think of the TA here
Hamstrings
If you have knee problems this muscle group should be trained with priority in my opinion. I injured my knee many years ago and suffered from patella tendonitis for many years after. During that time I rarely trained my hamstrings which was a colossal mistake. To take pressure off your knees, your hamstrings must me strong and developed. It wasn’t until I blew my knee out and had to have major surgery that I began prioritizing hamstrings. Since I began to really prioritize hamstrings (and glutes) My knee doesn’t hurt quite as bad as it did before.
Here’s a great hamstring program
Glutes (Men)
Another muscle group that must be trained if you have bad knees is the gluteus maximus. It is the largest muscle group in the human body believe it or not! Think about it, we ask a lot of our glutes, the muscle responsible for keeping the trunk of our body upright. It is comprised of gluteus maximus, gluteus medius and gluteus minimus. Its is important to target all three sections of the buttocks, and there are specific exercises (see training video below) that do just that.
Guys tend to neglect training the glutes. In fact, at my home gym, aside from yours truly, I have yet to see a man training his buns. Many guys are prioritizing the wrong body parts. Guys with big arms and tiny legs doing nothing but upper body. Or someone with huge chest development and literally no back muscles. Put it this way, if you’re a guy and are trying to lose bodyfat, you should be prioritizing glutes, legs, & back at least as much as your other body parts. The larger the muscle, the more calories that are going to be burned while training it. Oh, and by the way, women love great glutes!
Check out this must watch training video