Even if you train regularly, you could still be disappointed at body areas that don’t seem to be responding to your hard work. The reality is that some body areas are harder to train than others, or tend to get neglected in our training especially if you don't have the benefits of a personal trainer. So today, we’re looking at 5 of the hardest to train body areas- and the best exercises to target them!

1) Obliques. Your obliques are the muscles at the sides of your abs. You have both internal and external obliques and they are really big, potentially strong muscles that need specific exercises to target them. So if you’re just crunching, you could have defined abs but weak obliques. Exercises to target obliques are all about twisting your body from the sides, so instead of straight up crunches add in a twist.

Side Crunch
Side Bridge
Elbow to Knee
Side Planks
Side Planks with twist

2) Calves. The calves though can be a really tricky body part to train, which is probably down to the fact that we don’t know how best to train them! The two significant errors most people make when training their calves are not using a full range of motion and performing reps too fast. Due to how the muscle and calf joint are set up, calf exercises have a limited range of motion. Calf exercises are split between two types of movements – seated and standing variations. Additionally, you can perform them with both legs simultaneously or one leg at a time.

Standing calf raise
Standing smith machine calf raise
Standing dumbbell single leg calf raise
Seated calf raise machine
Leg Press calf raise.

3) Forearms. We tend to focus our attention on the upper part, and the lower forearm usually gets overlooked. As the most often exposed area of the arm though, and aiding mobility in your hands and wrists, the forearm is a good muscle to work. But aside from helping with everyday lifting tasks, your forearm muscles play an important role in your overall appearance — not to mention that a strong grip is linked to a longer lifespan.

Dumbbell wrist flexion
Dumbbell wrist extension
Reverse curl
Hammer curl
Chin-Up

4) Triceps. Even with training, the triceps can be a really difficult body part to improve. It’s an area that tends to accumulate fat, so often you’ll be working the muscle underneath the fat with no real visible difference. Also, in the fight between the upper arm muscles, the biceps always wins the most training time. The triceps muscle makes up 75% of the mass of your arm. Your triceps muscles need the right amount of resistance coming from three different angles.

Close-Grip Bench Press: Use a narrow grip to focus the contraction in the triceps, not the chest muscles.
Rope Triceps Pushdown: The closer you hold the handles, the easier the movement.
Seated Dip Machine: Go slow with this one and be sure to fully extend to activate the triceps.
Triceps Dumbbell Kickbacks: Keep your upper body straight throughout the movement. Focus the activation in your triceps only.
Overhead Triceps Extension: You can use the single or double dumbbell method so long as you keep your elbows toward the ceiling.
Skullcrushers (Lying Triceps Extensions): Keep your elbows skyward and lower the bar slowly to protect yourself.
Straight Bar Triceps Pushdown (Underhand Grip): Fully lock out the arms to target the medial head of the triceps. Be sure to maintain a tight core throughout.
Underhand-Grip Bench Press: Use a lighter weight that allows you to have a narrower grip.

5) Lower stomach. The lower part of your abs are usually weaker, not only because we focus more on upper abs when we train, but because lower abs have to lift the entire lower body when we train them. The only way to lose fat on your lower stomach is to lose fat overall. A calorie deficit helps with this. If worked enough, they can also help you lose belly fat and harden to form defined muscles called a six pack.

Lying Leg Raises
Scissor Kicks
Knee Tucks (With Sliders or Exercise Ball)
Toe Touches
Reverse Crunch

No matter what your body transformation plans are – whether it’s to gain strength and bulk up, lose weight and improve endurance, or just lean out and look impossibly good in the mirror – I can study your body type, eating habits and lifestyle choices carefully, and then recommend a completely custom diet and fitness plan to help you achieve that perfect body! Contact me for enquiries.

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