10 Top Exercises For Anterior Chain Workouts For Full Body Workout

Anterior chain workouts are crucial in improving muscle strength, posture, core, balance, athletic performance, and injury prevention. In this article, we’ll dive into the benefits of anterior chain exercises, the muscles involved in anterior chain workouts and provide you with the 10 best exercises for anterior chain workouts that target the front of your body.

The anterior chain muscles also work to counteract the posterior chain muscles, or the muscles on the back of the body.

What Muscles Are Part of The Anterior Chain?

The muscles of the anterior chain are a group of muscles located on the front of the body. This includes major muscle groups such as the quadriceps, hip flexors, abdominals and chest.

The anterior chain muscles play a crucial role in nearly every movement we perform in daily life, such as walking, running, mantaining posture, and bending.

Anterior Chain vs Posterior Chain

The anterior chain includes muscles of the front of the body (quadriceps, hip flexors, abdominal muscles and chest), while the muscles of the posterior chain include the posterior muscles on the back of the body (glutes, hamstrings, lats, erector spinae, and calves.)

The anterior chain muscles are responsible for pushing movements while a strong posterior chain and posterior chain exercises are focused on pulling movements.

Posterior Chain Exercises

Posterior chain exercises are exercises that target the muscles on the back of the body such as glutes, hamstrings and back. These are examples of posterior chain exercises:

• Hip Thrusts
• Hip Extension
• Bent-Over Row
• Lat Pulldowns

List of Anterior Chain Exercises

Some examples of anterior chain exercises with pictures of each exercise are 1. Bulgarian Split Squats 2. Squats 3.Hip Flexor March 4. LAQ 5. Toe Raises 6. Straight Leg Raise 7. Lunges 8. Plank 9. Bench Press 10. Push Up. All of these anterior chain exercises include pictures of each exercise.

Anterior Chain Compound Exercises

All of the exercises included in this article are considered anterior chain compound exercises. A compound exercise is an exercise in which multiple large muscle groups are used at the same time. They will typically use at least two joints.

The easiest example of a compound anterior chain exercise is a squat because it uses both the the knee and hip joints and the quadriceps and hip flexor muscles.

Anterior Chain Workout Routine

All of the exercises included in this routine are strength training focused on the lower body, upper body and core. They target the muscles of the front of the body.

1. Bulgarian Split Squats

• Start by standing with one leg on an elevated surface such as a bench, chair or couch.
• Now bend your knees down until your back knee is a few inches off the ground and then push all the way back up until your front knee is straight.
• For proper form make sure that your front knee does not come too far forward over your toes and you do not lean too far forward with your torso.

2. Squats

• Stand with your feet hip width apart.
• Now squat down by bending both your knees and pushing your butt back.
• Now push up evenly with both legs until you are in the standing position again.

3. Hip Flexor March

• This exercise is resisted hip flexion and works on strengthening the hip flexors
• Start by standing with your feet hip-width apart with a resistance band wrapped around your feet.
• Now perform a “march” by lifting one foot up into the resistance band while standing on the opposite foot.
• Continue alternating feet as you perform this exercise.
• You can buy a set of 5 resistance bands with varying resistance levels here.
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4. LAQ (Long Arc Quad)

• Start by sitting on a chair and slowly kick your leg out in front of you.
• Pause at the top while squeezing your quad or thigh muscle and then slowly lower your leg back down to the starting position.
• If you are looking for variations of the long arc quad exercise you can find them at How To Do Short Vs Long Arc Quad Exercise With Variations.

5. Toe Raises

• This exercise targets the muscles at the front of your shins.
• Start by either sitting or standing and lift your toes off the floor as high as you can and then slowly lower them back down to the ground.

6. SLR (Straight Leg Raises)

• To perform straight leg raises you will start by lying down on your back with the leg that you want to focus on straight and your opposite leg bent.
• Now tighten your quad muscle and lift your enture leg up and then slowly lower it back down to the ground.

7. Lunges

• Start with your feet hip width apart and then take a large step forwards while bending both of your knees.
• Continue to bend your knees until your back knee is a couple of inches from the ground and then push back up to a standing position.

8. Plank

• This is a great exercise for core stability.
• There are many variations of plank positions that you can perform to target the core muscles, however this one is the traditional forearm front plank.
• Start by supporting yourself on your toes and forearms.
  • Hold for 30-60 seconds.
• Be sure to keep your back in a straight line and avoid the hips from sagging downwards or pointing upwards.

Anterior Chain Upper Body Exercises

The muscle groups that are targeted in the anterior chain upper body exercises are the chest muscles. Examples of the anterior chain upper body exercises are 9. Bench Presses 10. Push Up.

9. Bench Presses or Chest Presses

• You can perform this exercise with a bench and rack at a gym or perform a modified version at home with little to no equipment
• To perform the bench press exercise at home with no equipment you will start by lying on your back with both knees bent.
• Start with your arms bent and facing the ceiling and then straighten your arms as if you are trying to “push” the ceiling.
• For added difficulty, you can perform this exercise with a dumbbell, weight plate or even a heavy book.

10. Push Up

• Start in a high plank position on your hands and toes.
• Now bend your elbows and lower yourself down towards the ground until your chest is a few inches from the ground and then push back up to the starting position.
• If this is too difficult you can perform this push up on your knees instead.

Summary

This anterior chain workout will reduce the risk of injury, decrease muscle pain such as lower back pain, and improve overall muscle strength. For best results, it is important to perform these exercises consistently.

If you are looking for more bodyweight exercises you can find them at Ultimate Beginners Guide To Calisthenics Workout At Home.