Upper Body Training Secrets

The key to training your push & pull movements efficiently lies in your shoulder blades, the scapulas.

The muscles that attach to the scapula allow it to perform six movements:

• Elevation: shoulder shrugging, (the upper trapezius and levator scapulae raise the scapula).

• Depression: shoulders pressing scapulas down away from your ears, (thee lower trapezius brings down the scapula).

• Retraction: scapulas pinch together towards the mid back opening/ stretching out the chest, (the rhomboids and middle trapezius separate the scapula from the thoracic wall, active when performing rowing motions).

• Protraction: scapulas separate, moving down the ribs rounding the back, (the serratus anterior brings the scapula against the thoracic wall, active when reaching forward

• Upward rotation: arm raises above the head, aka shoulder press (the upper and middle trapezius rotate the scapula during upper extremity abduction

• Downward rotation: arm goes down,(the rhomboids rotate the scapula when reaching behind the back and downward

Click to watch how the scapulas move in these positions.

Understanding while feeling how the scapulas move on your ribs/thoracic wall will enable you to properly stretch, squeeze, pause and apply tensions to the pulling and pressing movements so that you can recruit and build more muscle over time.

One mistakes I often see people do in the gym is keeping shoulders elevated/shrugged while performing back rows and chest presses. This could be due from lack of awareness or from a formed habit, poor posture, stress or a shallow breathing pattern.

One exercise I like to do to bring awareness to one’s tension in the shoulders or upper traps is by holding a shrug intentionally for a 20 seconds.

Awareness throughout the day, stretching the chest, strengthening the mid back muscles along with the lower lats usually helps people correct their elevated shoulders.