| If you are a Guy, You have Probably been doing | | | | Stabilization. |
| Chest Exercises Since your Childhood. | | | | With weak and lengthened muscles in your upper |
| From push-ups in P.E. class to bench pressing in the | | | | middle back it will be difficult or impossible to stabilize |
| weight room a majority of your resistance training | | | | your shoulders. Stabilizing your shoulders is the key to |
| probably consists of working on those pecs. You may | | | | effective chest exercise. If you bench press with your |
| be preparing for the inevitable question, "How much do | | | | shoulders protracted you will not work the significant |
| you bench?" You may just want to fill out your shirts | | | | portion of your chest muscle fibers needed to build |
| better. The common goal for most men and weight | | | | your chest. |
| training is to increase chest size, definition and strength. | | | | The Key to Building your Chest is to Strengthen Your |
| If you have Not Achieved the Desired Results or | | | | Upper Middle Back! |
| Want More Results. | | | | Maintaining scapular retraction will allow you to use the |
| Maybe you are not lifting enough? Maybe you are not | | | | highest percentage of chest muscle fibers hence |
| performing enough sets? Maybe you should work | | | | helping you strengthen and build the chest most |
| your chest every day of the week? Usually the | | | | effectively. Retraction is when your shoulder blades |
| method is to change or increase number chest | | | | come together in the back. If you "stick out your chest" |
| exercises. This will most likely result in little or no | | | | your shoulder blades will most likely be retracted. It is |
| change. Sometimes this causes people to give up and | | | | imperative to keep the shoulder blades stabilized in |
| accept failure. This does not have to be the case. | | | | retraction during the entire duration of all chest |
| The Problem May Not be Your Chest, but Your Upper | | | | exercises. |
| Middle Back! | | | | To strengthen the muscles which retract your |
| An increased incidence of poor posture due to our | | | | shoulders (rhomboids & lower trapezious) you |
| sedentary lifestyle exists. The average person spends | | | | should be performing the seated row. If performed |
| many hours sitting in front of a computer or on a | | | | correctly the seated row will help you keep your |
| couch. The constant forward posture while using the | | | | shoulders retracted during chest exercise. To perform |
| computer will most likely lead to protracted scapulae or | | | | the seated row correctly, make sure you focus on the |
| shoulder blades. Protracted shoulders are commonly | | | | last part of the range of motion where you squeeze |
| referred to rounded shoulders. | | | | your shoulder blades together. Do not let your shoulder |
| The effects of poor shoulder posture is characterized | | | | blades protract, or come forward. Make sure they go |
| by tight lats and chest along with lengthened, weak | | | | from the neutral position to retraction every repetition. |
| rhomboids and lower trapezious (muscles of upper | | | | Also do not shrug your shoulders while you are |
| middle back.) This leads to movement irregularities and | | | | performing the seated row. This will take the emphasis |
| overdevelopment of the synergist muscles. This | | | | off the muscles you are intending to work. |
| synergistic dominance during the bench press causes | | | | Once you improve your posture and strengthen your |
| the anterior deltoids (front of shoulders) and triceps to | | | | upper middle back your normal chest routine which has |
| perform most of the work. The results are a poor | | | | not provided you with the results you want will start |
| looking rounded shoulder physique and concave chest. | | | | showing the results you have been looking for. |
| The Key to Properly Working Your Chest is Shoulder | | | | |