One of the most important concepts you need to pin down when working with weights is the concept of “plugging up all the leaks.” This refers to what most trainers would call stabilization - tightening up your musculature so as to become resistant to change of position or condition. Without stabilization, some of the force and effort you exert against a weight “leaks” out. By properly stabilizing your body (i.e., contracting your muscles in the correct manner), you minimize loss of force and are able to apply as much pressure as possible to moving the weight from Point A to Point B.
By far, the most common area (especially for newbies) to “leak” is at the shoulders. What we’ll explore today is the concept of creating a frame with your shoulders; properly stabilizing your shoulder girdle so as to maximize force application.
What’s the proper position for a strong shoulder frame? Briefly:
- Shoulders down. Your shoulders should be down, not shrugging up by your ears.
- Shoulders back. Pretend as if you’re pinching a Mont Blanc fountain pen between your shoulder blades.
- Chest up. Raise your chest by arching your back slightly. No need to overarch your lower back.
Sounds simple, no? Well, it can be - but for most folks, communicating with the specific muscles that perform these three actions while lifting a weight is nigh impossible, at least at first. If you find yourself lifting your shoulders up or collapsing your chest, a helpful procedure is to first identify those muscles that control shoulder stabilization, and practice using using them until you find it easy to communicate with those muscles. Here’s a nifty way:
First, position yourself in a wall push-up position. Keep your body rigid.
Next, you’re to perform scapular protraction. Keeping that rigid push-up position, keeping your arms straight, push your arms into the wall, as if to push your arm bone out of the shoulder socket. Then, return them back to the starting point. Repeat. Confused? Watch this guy perform shoulder protraction.
Next, you’re to perform scapular retraction. From that same push-up position, again keeping your arms straight, pull your shoulder blades back, as if to touch them together. Then, bring them back to the starting point. Repeat. This fellow does them hanging, but you should be able to put two and two together.
Performing protraction and retraction helps you identify and communicate with the muscles that control shoulder movement, and make it easier for you to figure out how to maneuver your shoulders into the proper frame - down; back; chest up.
By keeping your shoulders in this frame, not only do you “plug up the leaks” at the shoulder, allowing you to apply more force to moving the weights properly, you take the strain off of the feeble rotator cuff muscles, protecting your shoulder from injury. Framing, as you can imagine, is a very good thing.
Use these methods next time you’re performing upper body work, especially pushes. And don’t let me catch you slumping those shoulders ever again.
One of the most important concepts you need to pin down when working with weights is the concept of “plugging up all the leaks.” This refers to what most trainers would call stabilization - tightening up your musculature so as to become resistant to change of position or condition. Without stabilization, some of the force and effort you exert against a weight “leaks” out. By properly stabilizing your body (i.e., contracting your muscles in the correct manner), you minimize loss of force and are able to apply as much pressure as possible to moving the weight from Point A to Point B.
By far, the most common area (especially for newbies) to “leak” is at the shoulders. What we’ll explore today is the concept of creating a frame with your shoulders; properly stabilizing your shoulder girdle so as to maximize force application.
What’s the proper position for a strong shoulder frame? Briefly:
Sounds simple, no? Well, it can be - but for most folks, communicating with the specific muscles that perform these three actions while lifting a weight is nigh impossible, at least at first. If you find yourself lifting your shoulders up or collapsing your chest, a helpful procedure is to first identify those muscles that control shoulder stabilization, and practice using using them until you find it easy to communicate with those muscles. Here’s a nifty way:
First, position yourself in a wall push-up position. Keep your body rigid.
Next, you’re to perform scapular protraction. Keeping that rigid push-up position, keeping your arms straight, push your arms into the wall, as if to push your arm bone out of the shoulder socket. Then, return them back to the starting point. Repeat. Confused? Watch this guy perform shoulder protraction.
Next, you’re to perform scapular retraction. From that same push-up position, again keeping your arms straight, pull your shoulder blades back, as if to touch them together. Then, bring them back to the starting point. Repeat. This fellow does them hanging, but you should be able to put two and two together.
Performing protraction and retraction helps you identify and communicate with the muscles that control shoulder movement, and make it easier for you to figure out how to maneuver your shoulders into the proper frame - down; back; chest up.
By keeping your shoulders in this frame, not only do you “plug up the leaks” at the shoulder, allowing you to apply more force to moving the weights properly, you take the strain off of the feeble rotator cuff muscles, protecting your shoulder from injury. Framing, as you can imagine, is a very good thing.
Use these methods next time you’re performing upper body work, especially pushes. And don’t let me catch you slumping those shoulders ever again.