Many of us struggle with tight lats and triceps. We use these muscles for lots of exercises, and they can get stiff when we sit all day at work. The bad news: Over time, tight lats and tris can negatively impact our shoulder mobility and contribute to pain in our shoulders, neck or lower back.

But there’s good news, too. You can loosen up your upper back, arms and shoulders — and improve your shoulder mobility — using a drill called the bench prayer stretch.

The bench prayer stretch, also known as the bench thoracic spine mobilization, is a simple drill where you place your elbows on a bench and rock backward to stretch your upper body.

You can use this exercise to stretch your back and arms, and it can also improve mobility in your thoracic spine and shoulders.

The prayer stretch primarily stretches your latissimus dorsi and the long head of your triceps. You may also feel some stretching in your neck and glutes along with activation of your core muscles.

Add it to your warmup, workouts or daily mobility routine to move better now — in and out of the gym.

The prayer stretch on a bench is very effective at stretching your lats, which are the large muscles that span most of your middle back. You can also use it to relax tight triceps.

Both of these muscles see lots of action at the gym because you use them in so many different exercises. Tight lats and triceps can both limit joint mobility and potentially contribute to aches and pains.

You can use the bench prayer stretch to loosen up so you feel better in and out of the gym. For best results, do this at least once or twice a week. Consistent practice is essential to see lasting benefits.

Your thoracic spine is the portion of your spine running from the bottom of your ribs up to your neck. This area should be able to easily flex (bend), extend (arch) and rotate.

T-spine mobility is an essential if you want to keep your neck, shoulders and low back healthy. Unfortunately, many factors can make your T-spine more stiff. Lack of use, too much sitting in front of a computer and even an unbalanced training program can all contribute to T-spine mobility limitations.

The bench prayer stretch can help you reclaim mobility here, particularly your ability to extend. Focus on gently arching your upper back each time you perform the stretch.

The combination of looser lats and triceps plus improved T-spine mobility often leads to better overhead mobility. That’s because you need to be able to extend your T-spine and lengthen your arms in order to push or pull weights overhead.

If you struggle to get your arms overhead without bending your elbows or arching your lower back, the bench prayer stretch can help.

The prayer stretch is the perfect addition to your pre-strength training warmup. If you’re using this before you train, use the dynamic version where you actively rock back and forth. Perform 1 to 2 sets of 5 to 10 reps.

You can sprinkle sets of prayer stretches throughout your workout to stay loose using a strategy called active rest. This is where you perform stretches or drills in between sets of strength exercises to sneak in extra mobility work.

The bench prayer stretch works particularly well paired with exercises that restrict T-spine movement, such as the barbell and dumbbell bench press. You could also use it with overhead pushing and pulling movements, like overhead press or chin-ups.

If you already have a daily stretching or mobility routine, it’s easy to add the bench prayer stretch. Try performing the static version where you hold the stretch position for 30 to 60 seconds. You can use a sturdy couch or chair if you’re doing this at home.

First, let’s clear up one common misconception about barre: It’s ‌not‌ a dance workout.

Yes, it includes ballet-based strength exercises (as well as elements of Pilates and yoga). You will hear words like “plié” and “relevé.” And it was developed by Lotte Berk, a dancer who sought to rehabilitate her body after struggling with a spinal injury.

But despite barre’s connections to dance, it’s not about performing. You don’t need a dance background or a sense of rhythm to try it. In fact, anyone who wants to build muscle, strengthen their core, improve their posture or switch up their current resistance training program can benefit from barre workouts — even if they have two left feet.

Programmed by Lauren George‌,‌ CPT, fitness instructor, educator and founder of Lauren George Fitness, the following barre workout contains six movements that, when performed together, deliver a low-impact, full-body workout. Set aside about 15 minutes to cycle through the series twice, resting for 30 seconds after each exercise.

You’ll need a chair and enough space to move your arms and legs. Wear comfortable clothes and kick off your shoes, but keep your socks on.

There’s more than one reason barre appeals to strength-training newbies who find the weight room intimidating ‌and‌ seasoned gym-goers seeking a change of pace: It’s fun, challenging and offers a ton of health and fitness-related benefits.

Barre is a muscular endurance workout, according to George. “That means it’s typically a higher rep, lower weight workout. We’re using the principle of increasing time under tension [the amount of time a muscle is under strain] to help the muscles get to the point of fatigue where they break down and build back stronger,” she says.

This makes barre an ideal workout for someone who wants to gain strength and enough muscle mass to create visible definition but not necessarily maximize hypertrophy (muscle growth), like traditional weightlifting and bodybuilding.

Proper barre form emphasizes good posture, and many common barre exercises target the muscles that allow you to stand up straight and maintain alignment as you move.

“You work a ton of muscles that are really important for good posture, like your upper back, your middle back and your core,” George says.

With barre, you don’t need to lift ‌and‌ do additional core exercises — they’re built right into the workout.

“Barre is a great way to improve your core strength. Not only do you do core exercises on the ground in barre, but also the movements that you do standing in the middle of the room and at the barre all require dynamic stabilization of the core. That’s because so many of [the movements] require balance work,” George says.

After your first few barre classes, you may be sore in places you didn’t know you could be sore, George warns. “You work so many of those small stabilizer muscles we don’t use a lot in our everyday life,” she says.

By targeting these muscles and creating more stability in your body, you can move more efficiently and potentially reduce your risk of injury.

Most barre exercises are low-impact, which means they’re well-suited for people who don’t want to place a lot of stress on their joints. “But that doesn’t mean they’re easy,” George says. “They can be high-intensity or challenging and still be low-impact.”

We spend most of our time in the sagittal plane, moving forward and backward. “We sit, we walk, we run, even cycling is a forward and backward motion. We don’t go side to side a ton,” George says.

In barre, your feet are often turned out, and many of the exercises are lateral. “So, it’s a fabulous way to cross-train,” George says, and build strength in different planes of motion.

Your body works most efficiently when it has regular movement. In fact, your body lets you know, in both subtle and not-so-subtle ways, that it is craving more exercise.

Most people equate not moving or exercising enough with seeing the numbers creep up on the scale or not feeling as toned — and those are definitely signs. However, things like difficulty sleeping, joint pain and feeling anxious or moody can also be indicators your body needs to move.

And even if you exercise for 30 minutes each morning, if you sit the rest of the day you still may not be getting enough movement to keep your body happy. This is why the National Institutes of Health recommends that you set an alarm and stand up and move around for two or three minutes each hour.

Here are the top 10 physical and mental signs that your body is craving more movement.

“Many people don’t exercise because they think it will increase joint pain and stiffness. While there may be some transient increase in discomfort in the beginning, there is an overall net positive effect in the long run,” says Bradley Dyer, DO, physician and founder of Premier Integrative Health.

“It’s actually physical inactivity that leads to chronic joint pain and stiffness by increasing inflammation and reducing joint mobility. Regular physical activity supports joint health by promoting the production of synovial fluid, which lubricates the joints, reducing friction and enhancing mobility.”

If you feel like you can’t concentrate or are having difficulty solving a problem at work, inactivity may be to blame. “Lack of exercise can lead to reduced blood flow, affecting the brain’s ability to function optimally and impacting concentration, memory, and overall cognitive abilities,” Dr. Dyer says.

“Physical activity enhances blood flow to the brain, promoting the growth of new neurons and improving neural connectivity. Exercise also turns on several genes that improve cognitive health and is a potent stimulator of BDNF [Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor] which is like ‘miracle grow’ for the brain,” he says.

Feeling sluggish or falling asleep at your desk? Your body is telling you it needs more movement.

“Nobody just ‘has’ energy, we have to generate energy,” Dr Dyer says. “The organelles in our body responsible for generating energy are called mitochondria. The best way to improve mitochondrial function and encourage the body to make more mitochondria is to engage in regular exercise.”

“High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is one of the best ways to accomplish this,” he says.

“Tension in your neck, shoulders, legs or other areas can be a sign that you need to move. This is your body communicating with you,” says Jen Aks, embodiment coach and founder of The Power of Gesture.

Moving frequently helps to increase circulation, loosen up your muscles and prevent muscle imbalances from staying in one position too long. “A great way to relax the tension is to move. Walk, dance, or do a simple and achievable practice,” she says. “You would be surprised at how much tension can be released by just moving your hands.”

“Exercise is a natural stress reliever. It reduces the production of stress hormones like cortisol and triggers the release of endorphins, which are natural mood boosters,” Dr. Dyer says.

If you haven’t exercised in awhile, getting some movement in — even just some gentle yoga — can reduce your cortisol levels and boost your mood, according to a small 2013 study in the ‌Indian Journal of Psychiatry‌.

“Regular physical activity also promotes relaxation, improves sleep quality and increases self-confidence, all of which contribute to reducing stress, anxiety and mood swings,” he says, referring to a 2023 systematic review in the ‌British Journal of Sports Medicine‌ which shows that ‌“‌consistent exercise was 1.5 times (150 percent) better than the leading antidepressant or psychotherapy at improving symptoms of depression and anxiety.”

Don’t believe the maxim that exercise will always make you more hungry: A 2018 study in ‌Nutrients‌ found that exercise actually helps curb your appetite.

A more recent 2022 animal study in ‌Nature‌ discovered that high-intensity exercise, such as running, swimming, weightlifting and cycling, turned on an “anti-hunger” molecule that helped curb appetite.

And even if you don’t do high-intensity exercise, lower intensity exercise like going for a walk outside can help prevent snacking out of boredom.

“Feeling fidgety or irritable can definitely be a sign that your mind is craving an outlet,” Aks says. “Movement relaxes the energy and allows for more fluidity. As a result, the energy releases, and the fidgeting is replaced with a sense of calm.”

If you’re angry, a short bout of moderate-intensity exercise might help, according to a small July 2019 study published in ‌Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise.‌ After 30 minutes of moderate-intensity cycling, 16 college students had lowered levels of anger.

While more research needs to be done specifically on exercise’s effect on anger, irritability is often a symptom of depression and anxiety. And as we mentioned, science and experts agree that exercise is an important method of improving mental health.

Do you feel like you keep getting sick or can’t get over that lingering cough? Your body may be telling you it’s time to move more.

A 2019 review in the ‌Journal of Sport and Health Science‌ found that moderate exercise has an anti-inflammatory response and that regular exercise improves your immune system and decreases your illness risk.

Make sure you’re not overdoing it, though: The study found that over-exercising can lower your immune response.

If you are having trouble getting to sleep and staying asleep, John Hopkins Medicine says that not getting enough movement may be to blame. They report that 30 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise helps you fall asleep faster and improves the quality of your sleep.

On the other hand, not getting enough exercise not only affects your sleep but also leads to lower levels of activity the next day, which can turn into a vicious cycle.

As far as when to exercise, they recommend exercising whenever it works out best for your schedule — however, avoid vigorous exercise an hour before bedtime.

Feeling a bit backed up? If so, it’s time to get moving. A 2019 review and meta-analysis in the ‌Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterology‌ found that those who did 140 min or more of aerobic exercise per week (around 30 min per day, five days a week) improved their constipation symptoms.

Even more research backs up the idea that people who move regularly have more regular bowel movements: A June 2022 meta-analysis in ‌‌Contemporary OB/GYN‌‌ found that moderate and high levels of activity were associated with a lower risk of constipation and that getting more physical activity can help manage chronic constipation.

The bottom line: Movement stimulates your intestines to also get moving!

“If you find yourself craving movement or exercise, make sure you listen,” Aks says. “Too many times we ignore the signals that the body gives us.”

Make sure you follow the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans guidelines of at least 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity physical activity (30 minutes a day, 5 days a week) and two days of muscle-strengthening activity.

In addition, if you are sitting throughout the day, stand up at least once an hour and walk around or do some quick stretches or dancing for two to three minutes.

Find other opportunities to sit less and get more movement in your day, through parking farther away, taking the dog for a walk or walking instead of driving to lunch. You can also consider a stand-up or treadmill desk so you can walk while you work.

“There are many ways to move, it’s about finding the one that works best for you,” Aks says.

If you want to get faster or feel stronger when you run, incorporating plyometric exercises into your cross-training routine may be your answer.

Plyometrics are moves that involve jumping, bounding and quick force production. In conjunction with regular strength training, they help build power.

The more powerful you are, the less oxygen and energy you must expend as you propel yourself forward as you run. This is because your muscles can contract faster while producing more force with each stride — ultimately leading to more efficiency and faster running speeds.

Not only can plyometrics help you run faster, but they can help you become more resilient to injury. Plyometrics are basically “shock training.” The nature of the fast, explosive movements prepare your body for the impact it will experience while running.

Running is a high-impact exercise — there’s no way around that. But with every hop, skip, leap, jump and bound done during plyometric exercises, you’re training your joints and tissues to better absorb force upon landing, more efficiently store energy in your muscles and generate more force off the ground and into your next step. These drills can also increase bone density and strengthen connective tissue, which helps with injury reduction.

The key with this type of exercise is to emphasize quality over quantity. Power development typically comes from lower volume reps, high-quality effort and long periods of rest.

Chose two or three of the following exercises to perform at the beginning of a strength session after a dynamic warm-up, or after a hard run once or twice a week. Sets, reps and recovery between sets varies with each exercise, so we’ve listed each below.

Before you train to jump or hop with greater force, velocity or height, it’s important to first train for proper landing and force absorption.

Depth falls do just that by training your joints and tissues — mainly your glutes, quads and hamstrings — to absorb shock and impact effectively upon making contact with the ground.

Pogo hops help translate to decreased ground contact time during your runs, or the amount of time your foot is in contact with the ground during your running stride. The less time your foot spends on the ground after your initial contact, the greater your running efficiency becomes and the less injury risk you’ll have.

You can add this move to your cross-training sessions and/or incorporate a set or two before a handful of your runs each week after a dynamic warm-up.

This is an advanced progression of the pogo hop (above) because landing on one foot requires more balance than landing on two feet. This move trains single-leg power and landing.

This pogo hop variation gets you moving with power and coordination as you switch your legs between hops — a skill necessary for runners. This is solid addition before a run to prime your muscles and running technique.

Yes, running is a repetitive up, down and forward movement, but your knees, hips and ankles need to resist rotational and lateral forces acted on them upon landing. That’s why this pogo hop exercise is a must.

You can use cones as a marker if you have them, but you could also hop to the corners or edges of a floor tile or just use your imagination.

Box jumps train your joints and tissues from a bent-leg position, rather than a straight-leg position. This variation is important in your training because running incorporates these different joint angles.

Running power doesn’t just come from your legs. Your chest also produces power as you swing your arms during your stride. Transferring force effectively through your core from your upper to lower body is a recipe for running success.

Just because you’re off your feet, it doesn’t mean that you aren’t able to work your legs. In fact, many athletes and bodybuilders do leg workouts lying down to build stability in their core and lower body, including their glutes and quads.

Your thigh muscles, which include your hip adductors and abductors, are often a neglected part of your leg day routine. But it’s important to strengthen these muscles because they help stabilize your hips while standing, walking, running and even lifting weights.

You can do this 20-minute workout lying down to zero in on those hip-stabilizing muscles. These non-weight-bearing leg moves also work the smaller muscles of your glutes and core, which aren’t as easy to target.

Do this lying-down workout several times a week to improve your lower-body strength and stability. It includes single-leg exercises to ensure that you have equal strength on both sides, which is crucial for injury prevention. Best of all, you’ll tone up your legs without having to stand up!

Contrary to popular belief (or perhaps your social media feed), you don’t need a super-heavy barbell to build strength with deadlifts. A pair of dumbbells works perfectly fine — and offers more benefits than you might think.

• ‌What is a dumbbell deadlift?‌ This is a lower-body exercise that involves pushing, or hinging, your hips back, lowering a pair of dumbbells toward the floor and then standing up.
• ‌Are deadlifts with dumbbells effective?‌ Barbell DLs are great in their own way, but the dumbbell variation puts more focus on your body’s stabilizing muscles. Also, because you can do it at home, it’s easy to make a consistent part of your full-body weightlifting routine for strength and muscle gains.
• ‌What muscles does the dumbbell deadlift work?‌ It mainly targets your hamstrings and glutes. But with proper form (more on that below), it also helps strengthen your core, lats, shoulders and quads.

Trying this exercise for the first time? Or want to find out if you’re lifting the right way? Read on to learn everything you need to know about DB deadlifts.

There are many deadlift benefits you can cash in on when you add this functional fitness exercise to your strength workouts.

Although there are a million ways to do a deadlift, dumbbell variations are a great starting place, Schumacher says. Whereas a typical unloaded barbell weighs around 45 pounds, using dumbbells lets you use lighter weights.

Pro tip: If you’ve never done this move before, start conservatively with 15-pound dumbbells. Nail your form before pushing the weights. (Then you can consider working up toward national average deadlift weights.)

Dumbbell exercises load each side of your body separately. During DLs, this means you can position each shoulder and arm in the way that feels best to you. (Nope, bodies aren’t perfectly symmetrical!)

This can make the exercise more comfortable if you have limited mobility in your upper body or hips, Schumacher says.

You probably do most day-to-day activities in front of your body. Think: typing on your computer or cooking dinner. On its own, this can make the front side of your body (aka your anterior chain) stronger than your backside (your posterior chain).

Such muscle imbalances can contribute to poor posture, especially if your workout routine doesn’t include a lot of posterior chain exercises.

Fortunately, this move strengthens your entire posterior chain, spanning from your calves all the way up to you shoulders. As a result, you even out imbalances, improve posture and reduce your risk of injury.

Included in your posterior chain are all of your back muscles. Although DLs get a reputation for causing lower back pain, it’s really incorrect form that’s the issue.

Proper dumbbell deadlift form turns the move into a terrific back-strengthening exercise. And, according to a July 2015 study in the ‌Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research‌, can even help relieve mild back pain.

DB deadlifts are a compound exercise, meaning they work several joints and muscle groups at the same time, according to the American Council on Exercise (ACE). That’s why they’re so effective at improving mobility and muscle coordination.

Compared with isolation exercises, which target just one muscle group at a time, compound movements are also better at building strength and muscle.

The biggest disadvantages of dumbbell deadlifts present themselves when your form lags or you make other common DL mistakes like these.

Holding the dumbbells too far in front of your legs is a common mistake Schumacher sees with this exercise. The biggest problem is it can put unwanted stress on your lower back. On the flip side, when the weights stay close to your legs, you can really work your glutes and hamstrings.

As you lower and raise the dumbbells, they should stay within an inch or two of your legs.

To target the right muscles, you want to place your feet no farther than shoulder-width distance apart, Schumacher says. When you stand with your legs too wide, your core can struggle to stabilize the weight, making you more prone to injury.

Plus, the wider your legs, the less force you can produce and the less weight you can lift. The ideal leg width varies from person to person, so take some time to experiment and find what feels strongest for you.

Two 30-pound dumbbells actually feel lighter than one 60-pound barbell. So, even if you’ve lifted with a barbell before, don’t think you need to go super heavy with your DBs, Schumacher says.

Choose lighter weights until you become comfortable with the motion of the exercise. Try starting with 15-pound dumbbells. Increase from there.

While there is definitely a hip-thrust component to the DL, you don’t want to get overeager. If, at the top of the move, your hips push forward in front of your body, you dump unwanted weight into your lower back, Schumacher says.

Instead of focusing on thrusting your hips forward, try pushing through your feet to stand up as tall as possible. You want a long, neutral spine throughout the entire exercise.

This dumbbell exercise can benefit the stabilizing muscles in your shoulders and upper back. You just need to make sure you keep your shoulders strong and engaged at all times. Having them loose doesn’t help your muscles and can put you at risk of injury.

As you set up for the move, squeeze your shoulder blades down and back. Hold that position as you lower and raise the weight, Schumacher says.

It’s easy to confuse this exercise with a squat, Schumacher says. But they aren’t the same thing. Squats involve hinging, or bending, the hips and knees. Deadlifts are all about the hips. Only bend your knees as far as is necessary to really get your hips back behind you.

Instead of holding two dumbbells, hold a single one with both hands. This can help you really perfect your form.

Set up with your feet slightly farther than shoulder-width apart and your toes flared out diagonally to the sides. Your arms should hang straight down in front of your body between your legs.

This deadlift variation focuses even more on your hips, and is often a more comfortable position for people who are tall.

For some hamstrings emphasis, stiff-leg dumbbell deadlifts (SLDLs) are the way to go. The form here largely stays the same, but you bend your knees even less than usual. At the bottom of the move, you should feel a good stretch in the backs of your thighs.

A great option for people with a lot of hamstring flexibility, this variation involves lowering the weights all the way to the floor, Schumacher says. Can you still go farther? Do the move on an elevated platform. Lower the weights past your feet with each rep.

Instead of holding a DB in each hand, use just one dumbbell in one hand. Leave your other arm at your side. Your core will work overtime to keep your body stable, Schumacher says.

As the name suggests, the staggered-stance deadlift variation has your legs staggered. Stand with your feet hip-width apart and then step one leg behind you. Keep most of your weight in your front leg as you lower and raise the dumbbells. Use your back leg as a kickstand.

Get ready to work on your balance: With the single-leg deadlift, you keep all of your weight in one leg and raise the other straight behind you as you lower the weights.

Push-ups are more versatile than most people think. The best push-up variations — like incline push-ups, wide-arm push-ups and diamond push-ups — can strengthen your abs, back and legs, in addition to your arms, chest and shoulders.

Plus, there’s a push-up variation or modification for everyone. Beginners and experienced athletes alike can find a new type of push-up to try in the list below. Add these push-ups to your workout (or try them as part of our 30-Day Push-Up Challenge), and you’ll see — and feel — powerful results.

Tweaking the way you do biceps curls can help you target different muscles of your upper arms. And one of the most popular biceps curl variations to help you do just that is the hammer curl.

The biceps, on the front of your upper arms, are the biggest muscles trained when performing dumbbell hammer curls; however, your brachioradialis also performs a lot of work, according to ExRx.net. The brachioradialis runs from your wrist, across the inside portion of your elbow and into your upper arm bone.

The rotation of your forearms toward your body allows the brachioradialis to contribute more to the upward motion of the hammer curl than traditional curl exercises even though it is smaller than your biceps.

Your brachialis is also worked during these curls and provides important stabilization for your arm as it moves. It also runs across the elbow joint, but is much smaller than the brachioradialis, according to ExRx.net.

Regularly training these muscles with hammer curls will help them grow stronger over time. You’ll see even bigger benefits if you strategically build up in weight and/or sets and reps over time, which is called progressive overload.

As the three biggest muscles located on the front of your upper arm are being worked, your biceps acclimate to the resistance by getting stronger and growing in size.

You can best target muscle growth — called hypertrophy — by regularly performing 3 to 4 sets of 8 to 12 reps of an exercise using a moderately heavy weight, according to the American Council on Exercise (ACE). Aim for a weight that feels challenging for your final 2 reps, but not ‌so‌ challenging that your form falters.

Plus, your developing brachioradialis will make your forearm muscles look bigger and create the illusion of a smaller elbow joint. That further accentuates the size and shape of your biceps, leading to a perception of even more biceps muscularity.

Your wrist and finger flexors also work when performing dumbbell hammer curls, according to ExRx.net. While these muscles are not the ones being actively trained during hammer curls, they do benefit from the simple task of holding the dumbbells.

The more reps you perform of the dumbbell hammer curl, the longer these muscles must work to keep your hand in a closed position and the better trained they become.

Just like with regular biceps curls, it’s important to avoid common curl mistakes when you’re doing hammer curls, too. Make sure to follow these safety and form tips:

• Keep your shoulders stable throughout the movement. Don’t use your shoulders to swing the weights upward.
• Keep your torso stable and upright throughout the curl. This provides a stability challenge for your core muscles and protects your back.
• Don’t arch your lower back, which can lead to back pain.
• Make sure to move through your entire range of motion and don’t rush your reps.
• Consider trying some other biceps curls variations during your next arm workout with dumbbells — like Zottman curls — to work different parts of your biceps.

Yes, free weights are the foundation of a strong muscle-building plan, but if you want stronger thighs, the leg press machine also deserves a starring role.

“The leg press machine ‌really‌ works the leg muscles,” says physical therapist Grayson Wickham, DPT, CSCS, founder of the Movement Vault. The leg press mainly works the quadriceps, but also strengthens the glutes, hamstrings, calves and shins.

Below, Wickham breaks down exactly how to use the leg press machine with sound form, as well as the overall benefits of including the leg press in your strength-training routine.

A heavy-duty piece of equipment that allows individuals to train their hip and knee extensor muscles from a seated position, the leg press machine is sometimes called the seated leg press or machine squat press.

This hard-to-miss gym machine involves sitting down, then extending your hips and knees to press a weighted platform away from your body.

There are two main types of leg press machines, with the biggest difference being the direction you’re pressing the weight.

When using the horizontal seated leg press, you push the weight straight in front of you with your legs relatively parallel to the floor.

This set-up is most accessible to people who don’t want to sit down close to the floor and have to get back up.

With the incline press, your legs extend above your body at a 45-degree angle. While it may look more difficult than the horizontal version, it’s actually not because you’re not working against gravity, but rather a cable. However, this position requires sitting down very low and close to the floor.

Worth noting: It’s often easier to keep your back flat against the pad during the incline press. This reduces the risk of form mistakes and resulting back pain.

The leg press primarily strengthens your knee and hip extensors (aka your quads and glutes), but it also activates your hamstrings, calves and shins, Wickham says.

The main leg press muscles worked are the quadriceps, in the front of your thighs. This set of four muscles is in charge of straightening your knees to help you press the weight away from you.

In the leg press, the quads also work eccentrically to help you control the speed at which you bend your knees. Slow down each bend for the greatest benefit.

Also, to increase how hard your quads have to work, set up with your feet closer to the bottom edge of the platform, Wickham says.

You can also get a glute workout with the leg press exercise because your butt muscles straighten your hips and stabilize your legs, Wickham says.

But because, in the leg press, you don’t fully extend your hips, it alone won’t significantly grow your glutes.

To get a little more glute involvement, set up with your feet closer to the top edge of the platform.

The leg press also works your hamstrings, just to a lesser degree, Wickham says. These muscles assist in both bending your knees and straightening your hips.

The farther up your feet are on the platform, the greater the hamstring activation, he says.

Your lower-leg muscles help stabilize your legs and serve as the connection between your feet and thighs.

However, when doing leg presses, you shouldn’t rise up onto your toes. Keep your feet flat on the platform at all times. With each rep, push through your heels and balls of your feet.

“The leg muscles that the leg press machine works are really powerful muscles, and strengthening them will increase power output and speed,” Wickham says.

This is important for both running speed and increasing vertical jump.

Unlike many of the compound exercises that work the quads and leg muscles, the leg press machine does not require the use of your upper body, Wickham says.

This makes the leg press an ideal move for a lower-body workout that won’t aggravate an existing upper-body injury.

As a general rule, the stronger the muscles around a joint are, the healthier a joint will be, according to Wickham. So, strengthening your quads — the upper leg muscle that connects to the knee — is good for your knee joints, he says.

Fortunately, even if you have frequent knee issues, the leg press machine is less likely than some free-weight lower-body exercises to cause pain. That’s because it’s a closed-chain exercise; your feet are stationary against the weight you’re moving.

Does the leg press hurt your knees? You likely need to adjust your form. Try stepping your feet closer to the top edge of the platform.

Most people have a “strong” side and a “less strong” side. Long term, this can increase risk the of injury to both limbs, Wickham explains.

Doing single-leg, unilateral work on both legs can help reduce the strength gaps between your legs. But compound unilateral moves like single-leg squats can be very challenging.

That’s where the leg press machine comes in. Drop the weight and you can do single-leg reps with the device.

The leg press machine and squats strengthen the same lower-body muscles, but the leg press is a closed-chain exercise and the squat is an open-chained exercise (your upper body isn’t stationary against the weight you’re moving).

That means the leg press better isolates your quads while the squat involves more muscles throughout your lower, and even upper, body.

The leg machine’s movement pattern also isn’t as functional as the squat. After all, you do not need to leg press to stand up from the couch; you need to stand up from a squat.

So, if you’re going to do one or the other, Wickman says the squat is generally more beneficial than the leg press.

However, if you’re really invested in leg gains, doing both lower-body exercises can help you reap more benefits. To really work your leg muscles, you can even do the leg press at the end of your squat sets.

If you hit the gym often enough, you’re bound to have an embarrassing moment. Think: falling off a treadmill, dropping a dumbbell or goofing up the choreography in a group fitness class. But nothing tops the red-in-the-face feeling you get when a fart slips out mid-squat.

Blowing wind on occasion usually isn’t cause for concern. (Especially if it’s the silent type that can’t be traced back to you….) However, if exercise makes you fart like nobody’s business, it’s understandable that you’d be a little concerned.

Read on to learn why you keep farting while working out and how to nip it in the bud.

No, it’s not just your imagination: You fart more during yoga, heavy lifting and running.

“Movement makes your bowels move and helps you pass gas,” explains Peyton Berookim, MD, a gastroenterologist in Beverly Hills, California. “That’s why people who are bedridden in the hospital are often constipated or bloated — because they’re just lying still.”

“Any exercise that creates movement through your trunk — like bending, straining or twisting — can speed up your digestive process, and that can cause gas in the digestive tract to escape at a higher rate than if you were sitting behind your desk,” he says.

Take heavy lifting, for example: Many people bear down on their core and pelvic floor to help stabilize their torso when squatting and deadlifting heavy loads.

It’s kind of like when you have a bowel movement or are actually trying to fart, Dr. Berookim says. That pressure may force any gas that’s already in your intestines to be released. The result: Farting while working out.

Another possible answer to the question “Why do I fart when I work out?” has to do with how exercise affects your breathing.

When you exercise, your heart rate climbs to pump more blood and nutrients to your working muscles. When this happens, your breathing tends to get quicker and/or heavier, and you begin breathing through your mouth instead of your nose.

“By breathing rapidly through your mouth, you swallow air that can get trapped in the stomach or intestines,” Dr. Berookim says. And where does that trapped air end up going? Yep. Out the back.

This is a common reason many people complain of farting while running, but it can happen during any type of intense exercise.

Letting one rip mid-squat may be wildly embarrassing — not to mention offensive to anyone unlucky enough to cross your path. However, exercise farts usually aren’t a cause for concern.

Besides, passing gas is a normal, healthy thing. The truth is, you ‌want‌ to fart from time to time.

According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), the average person farts eight to 14 times per day. However, farting up to 25 times is still considered normal.

If you notice that you fart super often (think: more than 25 times a day) both in ‌and‌ out of the gym, there may be an underlying issue at play, especially if you can’t seem to control the release of gas.

According to the NIDDK, certain health conditions can make you gassier than normal, including:

• ‌Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)‌
• ‌Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO)‌
• ‌Celiac disease‌
• ‌Constipation‌
• ‌Food intolerances‌

Chat with your doctor if you have — or suspect you might have — one of these conditions. They may be able to help you remedy your gas problem.

Definitely get help if the gas is accompanied by pain, diarrhea or weight loss.

The truth is, you may not be able to nix gym farts entirely. However, you may be able to lower your odds of trumpeting through your workout.

Here are three exercise-fart prevention strategies to try.

Under most circumstances, you want to get fiber in your diet. Fiber — found mainly in fruits, veggies and whole grains — can help your poop schedule stay on track and boost the staying power of your meals.

But fiber-rich foods are a ‌terrible‌ choice for a pre-workout meal or snack. “Those foods don’t get digested, especially if it’s a non-soluble fiber. So it causes bloating, and the bloating can cause more gas and excessive flatulence,” Dr. Berookim explains.

He suggests keeping your plate clear of high-fiber foods at least two hours before your planned workout.

If you’re worried about gas, you may want to give pre-workout drinks, sports drinks and gels a pass and sip plain ol’ water before and during your workout.

Many sports drinks and gels contain artificial sweeteners or added sugars, along with a good amount of carbohydrates. For some people, this combo can cause excessive gas, says Courtney D’Angelo, RDN, a registered dietitian at GoWellness.

Sugars like fructose (found in fruit) can be hard for many people to digest. And just consuming carbohydrates without balancing it with protein — as in a sports drink — can mess with the way those carbs get broken down. “This can lead to fermentation by gut bacteria, which can let off gas,” D’Angelo says.

This may be a tough sell where exercise is concerned, but breathing through your nose instead of your mouth can help cut down on gas.

Granted, breathing through your nose may not always be doable, especially if you have sprints or heavy lifts on your calendar. Just do your best and breathe through your nose when you can.