| Last week we discussed the importance of horizontal | | | | pencil tip faces directly forwards, then you have health |
| and vertical pulling in relation to horizontal and vertical | | | | shoulders. |
| pressing. Protracted shoulders can be a nasty | | | | The shoulder consists of the deltoids muscles: anterior |
| condition; what makes it even worse is 70% of the | | | | deltoids (front of the shoulder), lateral deltoids (side of |
| people that have it aren't even aware that they have it | | | | the muscle), and posterior deltoids (rear of the |
| nor of the condition itself! And people wonder why | | | | shoulder). All deltoids need to be strengthened in order |
| rotator cuff injuries are the most frequent injury in the | | | | to overcome the condition. We should, as weightlifters, |
| fitness center. | | | | work every aspect of the shoulder. The rotator cuff |
| First off, lets again analyze the posture and its cause. | | | | muscles consist of SITS: Supraspinatus, infraspinatus, |
| Protracted shoulders comes from overactive pushing | | | | teres minor and subscapularis. |
| muscles and underdeveloped pulling muscles; it is a | | | | Overhead pressing focus on development of the |
| condition of the internal rotators overpowering the | | | | protractors of the shoulder more specifically then the |
| external rotators. The internal rotators of the shoulders | | | | retractors, on top of that you're already bench |
| are the lats, pectorals and anterior deltoids. The | | | | pressing. Overhead pressing gives slight work to the |
| external rotators are the trapeziums, rhomboids, | | | | rotator cuff by is by no means a solution to protracted |
| posterior deltoids, infraspinatus and teres minor. | | | | shoulders. It works different parts of the shoulders |
| The main cause of the condition in terms of | | | | differently and if protracted does not allow specific |
| movement specificity is performing bench presses and | | | | muscles to fully contract. |
| overhead presses without working their opposites: the | | | | During the concentric phase of your bent over barbell |
| row and pullup. Bench presses and overhead presses, | | | | row, make sure your body is parallel to the floor. Once |
| however, are not the only cause of the condition. In | | | | you make sure of this: keep your elbows flared out |
| fact, there are some people that do not even lift | | | | and pull the external resistance towards you and |
| weights with protracted shoulders! | | | | pause at the top focusing on the retraction phase of |
| Driving and office seated jobs (those including | | | | the scapula. Before each workout, incorporate cuban |
| secretaries, bus drivers and general computer works | | | | rotations and the poor mans shoulder horn to focus on |
| all the way to a regular school student) are prone to | | | | development of the rotator cuff. You should also |
| and often do suffer from the condition. When their | | | | include scapular depressions (reverse shrugs) three |
| internal rotators tighten up and their external rotators | | | | times per week (after each workout) and eventually |
| get long and weak from sitting and slouching forward | | | | begin adding weight to those. |
| for the majority of the day, the result is your body and | | | | Pullups are often believed to be "all you need" for back |
| posture naturally leaning the way. | | | | development and this is a false statement. Pullups |
| The solution to this condition is to stretch the shoulders | | | | specifically target the lats and do not target the inner |
| internal rotators (pecs, lats, anterior deltoids) and | | | | back muscles and external rotators: posterior deltoids, |
| strengthen external rotators (rhomboids, lower traps, | | | | rhomboids, trapeziums as specifically a barbell rows do. |
| infraspinatus, teres minor). The question you're probably | | | | Pullups also predominantly focus on development of |
| wondering is - HOW! The answer? Horizontal pulling. | | | | the lats which are part of the internal rotators and not |
| Barbell rowing has an important aspect that most | | | | the external rotators. |
| other pulling movements do not compromise of - and | | | | Solutions: incorporate rotator cuff work pre-workout |
| that is scapula retraction. You must contract the | | | | before each session, incorporate doorway stretches |
| scapula to perform a proper bench over barbell row. | | | | to stretch the internal shoulder rotators, incorporate |
| Now, lets give an activity to you to see if you have | | | | horizontal pulling to a 2:1 ratio of horizontal pushes and |
| this condition. Go to the nearest room and grab a | | | | vertical pulling with a 1:1 ratio of vertical pushing. |
| pencil. Hold that pencil and ball your first up with the tip | | | | Incorporate scapular depressions if you have access |
| of the pencil facing forwards. If the pencil tip faces | | | | to a dip station and if necessary, incorporate face pulls |
| inward (towards you) then your humerus is internally | | | | and bent over lateral raises. |
| rotated and the result is protracted shoulders. If the | | | | |