Using quotations to express desire or to inspire is nothing new. It never gets old and it never fails to work 100% of the time to give you something, maybe not everything, but something. Sometimes you need something to help you hang in there and to keep fighting.

What better way to start off a post about quotes, than with a quote?

1. Life itself is a quotation. – Jorge Luis Borges

2. To be awake is to be alive. Time is but the stream I go a-fishing in. Every man is a builder of a temple, called his body, to the god he worships, after a style purely his own, nor can he get off by hammering marble instead. We are all sculptors and painters, and our material is our own flesh and blood and bones. Any nobleness begins at once to refine a man’s features, any meanness or sensuality to imbrute them. Rather than love, than money, than fame, give me truth. – Henry David Thoreau

3. Lack of activity destroys the good condition of every human being,
while movement and methodical physical exercise save it and preserve it. – Plato

4. The only man who is really free is the one who can turn down an invitation to dinner without giving an excuse. – Jules Renard

5. Science may set limits to knowledge, but should not set limits to imagination. – Bertrand Russell

6. Education is the ability to listen to almost anything without losing your temper or your self-confidence. – Robert Frost

7. Stupid is forever, ignorance can be fixed.  – Don Wood

8. I was always looking outside myself for strength and confidence, but it comes from within. It is there all the time. – Anna Freud

9. If you greatly desire something, have the guts to stake everything on obtaining it. – Brendan Francis

10. Hope is a waking dream. - Aristotle

11. Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are. – Anthelme Brillat-Savarin

12. A man’s health can be judged by which he takes two at a time – pills or stairs. – Joan Welsh

13. Every man is the builder of a temple called his body. – Henry David Thoreau

14. It’s choice – not chance – that determines your destiny.  – Jean Nidetch

15. Change your thoughts and you change your world. – Norman Vincent Peale

16. There is small danger of being starved in our land of plenty; but the danger of being stuffed is imminent.
- Sarah Josepha Hale

17. It’s not the load that breaks you down – it’s the way you carry it. - Lou Holtz

18. Destiny is no matter of chance. It is a matter of choice. It is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved.  – William Jennings Bryan

19. They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself. – Andy Warhol

20. Character – the willingness to accept responsibility for one’s own life – is the source from which self respect springs. – Joan Didion

21. Health is not simply the absence of sickness. - Hannah Green

22. The first question I ask myself when something doesn’t seem to be beautiful is why do I think it’s not beautiful. And very shortly you discover that there is no reason.  – John Cage

23. The superior man is modest in his speech, but exceeds in his actions. - Confucius

24. It’s not that some people have willpower and some don’t. It’s that some people are ready to change and others are not. – James Gordon

25. Few people know how to take a walk. The qualifications are endurance, plain clothes, old shoes, an eye for nature, good humor, vast curiosity, good speech, good silence and nothing too much. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

26. Aging is not ‘lost youth’ but a new stage of opportunity and strength. - Betty Friedan

27. Our bodies communicate to us clearly and specifically, if we are willing to listen to them. – Shakti Gawain

28. Only I can change my life. No one can do it for me. – Carol Burnett

29. Food is an important part of a balanced diet. - Fran Lebowitz

30. LI stand in awe of my body. – Henry David Thoreau

31. Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm. – Winston Churchill

32. Let my name stand among those who are willing to bear ridicule and reproach for the truth’s sake, and so earn some right to rejoice when the victory is won. - Louisa May Alcott

33. Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could; some blunders and absurdities have crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; you shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

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When doing a back sided athletic squat

1. Assume a shoulder width stance.
2. Keep both feet flat on the floor. (Flat shoes with a hard sole are recommended).
3. Pull your shoulder blades together and stick your chest out.
4. Look down slightly at a spot on the wall about belt height. This will then have you looking straight ahead when in the bottom position.
5. Keep the bar’s center of gravity over your feet (note the vertical line).
6. Stop descending as soon as your back starts to round forward (see next photo 3).

The above two photos, plus the photos that follow below, are designed to help the average trainee ascertain whether they are performing their squats properly for athletic weight training. You will notice that there are two lines on all the profile photos, one horizontal and one vertical. The horizontal line shows the relation of hip joint to the knee joint, which is what determines adequate depth. And the vertical line shows the center of gravity of the bar in relation to the feet, which determines proper balance.

A trainee’s goal should always be to squat as low as possible. If a rock bottom position can not be reached, at least a below parallel position should be the trainee’s goal. A “parallel squat” is where the hip joint is in line with the knee joint. Always try to get lower than parallel while still maintaining a straight spine with the center of gravity of the barbell over the feet. For ideal balance, the center of gravity of the barbell should be over the feet, between the balls of the feet and the front part of the heels of the feet.

3: Because of long legs combined with
a short truck, the back rounds forward
when descending too deep.

This is a dangerous position and could
result in a lower spine injury. Always try
to hold a straight back as shown in photo 1.

Note 1: The amount of forward lean depends on each individual’s body leverage. Long legs with a short trunk will cause a person the lean forward more. If you have the fore mentioned leverage, and you want to squat deeper, Front Squats are recommended.

4 & 5: A regular “hands on” front squat.

6 & 7: A “no hands” front squat

Note 2: When front squatting, wearing shoes with heels will allow a more upright stance, but holding the proper position requires more flexibility in the knees, hips, and lower spine.

8: A back squat with heeled shoes.
Also known as an Olympic Style Squat.
Note less forward lean in the upper body than
the previous heeless shoe back squat, but there
is still more forward lean than the Front Squats.

Also because of poor leverage, notice the depth is compromised.
To get lower the subject here would have to round the back.
Front Squats are still recommended with this body leverage.

Overhead Squats

9: Note the upper body is more
upright than a back squat.

Also, note the center of gravity line
intersects over the feet. This particular
body leverage requires extra shoulder flexibility
to maintain this proper positioning.

Leverage of a longer trunk with shorter legs will allow
a trainee to sit more upright with the bar more directly
overhead, rather than slightly behind the head as shown.

The Good Morning

10: Note the center line intersecting
with the feet. This is a must.

Also note: the shins are vertical, the
hips are back as far as they can go, and
most important, the back (spine) is straight.

GM’s done in the above fashion will
strengthen the necessary muscles to hold
proper squat positioning. In this case this is
known as stabilizing strength rather than prime
mover strength. .

How NOT To Squat!!!
The following six photos show two trainees who I have worked with. Both examples show flaws in their squat form. The first suggestion I made to both young men was not wear their the spongy basketball/ jogging shoes, but rather squat in their stocking feet, until they got some adequate footwear to maintain a solid footing for squatting.

Subject One: shows an OK stance from the back, but you can see
the barbell is too far forward in the profile. This in turn compromises
his depth. Thus he’s too high.

Also on the right, notice that he’s pulling his knees inward as he rises.
This is a NO NO! Always track your knee joints like door hinges, keeping
your knees pulled out and in line with your feet.

Subject Two: shows an OK stance, but the hands could be in closer.
However, in the profile, notice the excessive forward lean. This is
caused by too much tightness in the lower spine, and compromises his depth.

To counter this weakness I suggested Good Mornings be done once or twice
a week. NOTE: If you’re also doing deadlifts in your training, it’s recommended
that GM’s be done just once per week.

On the right, just 3 weeks later, notice the improvement. You can now see
better depth, plus the center of gravity of the barbell is back over the feet
where it should be. This is not a perfect squat, but it shows that the trainee
is headed in the right direction.

Good luck to your all with your training. JVA

–

This article originally found here.

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One of the things that makes Dan John so great is the way he explains really complex positioning. His cues to movement are really easy for the everyday jane/joe to understand. Even a baby can do it.

In this video Dan covers:

-Chest position
-Goblet Squats
-Correct Windmill Cues
-Mr. Universe/Budda Belly
-Flexibility
-Potato Sack Squats
-Deadlift form

Tons more.

All will help improve regular training to Olympic lifts.

Take your time over the next three days and watch just a little, bit by bit. I promise you will learn something you didn’t know, either about how to communicate as a speaker, or how to be better as a trainee.

Click here to watch video

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by Mike Robertson

Screw the Rotator Cuff!

That’s right, screw it. Seriously, it’s about as over-hyped as Kevin Federline’s big “debut.” We think the rotator cuff gets way too much attention. Whenever shoulder pain creeps up, what’s the first thing that everyone brings up? The rotator cuff, of course. (Or for those of you from Indiana, that would be your “rotary cup”).

“My shoulder hurts when I bench press.”

“Well, you need to strengthen your rotator cuff.”

“It hurts when I reach overhead or do barbell presses.”

“You’re probably impinging your rotator cuff.”

“I hurt my shoulder pitching and now I can’t collect my million dollar performance bonus.”

“Sounds like you tore your rotator cuff.”

We’ve had it up to our shoulders with the rotator cuff! While the rotator gets all the chicks, all the glamour, and all the attention, the real star of the show is forced to the background. In fact, it never even gets any mirror time at the gym, unless you’re picking at your backne. (We’ve seen you do it).

Allow us to introduce the real star of the show: the scapula!

Our Favorite Bone

The scapula is our favorite bone and we’re not afraid to admit it. (Insert way-too-easy penis joke here.) No other bone in your body functions like the scapula, nor does any have so complex or important a job. Without the scapula, your shoulder is nothing!

When you really examine the scapulae (plural for scapula), one of the first things you’ll notice is that it’s position on the body, and it’s function, are almost entirely determined by the function of the muscles attached to it. If it weren’t for your tiny acromioclavicular (AC) joint and a couple of ligaments, your scapulae wouldn’t have any bony attachments to the rest of the bony skeleton.

Since the scapula is half of the glenohumeral joint (the shoulder joint) and is essentially the foundation of the shoulder, this becomes an important point. Any altered scapular muscle function, weakness, or inability to position the scapula and then stabilize it results in a direct affect on the shoulder joint with dire consequences. These include glenohumeral instability leading to arthritis, impingement, rotator cuff tendonitis/tendinosis, rotator cuff tears, labrum injuries, and so on.

Rather than blindly give you a series of exercises and a program, we think it’s important that you have at least a rudimentary understanding of how the scapula functions.

Functional Anatomy Surrounding the Scapulae

We live in a 3-D world, so the scapulae function in three dimensions. The scapulae tilt forward and backward, rotate inward and outward, and rotate upward and downward.

Through the combined efforts of some 17 muscles it can also protract and retract as well as elevate (shrug) and depress.

Of the typical 180 degrees of overhead reach in a healthy shoulder, the scapulae’s upward rotation is responsible for about 60 degrees of it. It does so through the synergistic efforts of the “upward” rotators: the upper trapezius, the lower trapezius, and serratus anterior.

Now imagine what would happen if you were unable, for whatever reason, to get that necessary movement from the scapulae. What would happen then? In all likelihood, when one (or all) of our scapular upward rotators are weak, inhibited, or simply not able to control and produce movement like they should, impingement syndromes develop and your rotator cuff is at a significantly increased risk of injury.

Contrast this with our downward rotators comprised of the levator scapulae and rhomboids. In her text Diagnosis and Treatment of Movement Impairment Syndromes, Shirley Sahrmann discusses a phenomenon called scapular downward rotation syndrome. In essence, due to poor training, behavioral demands and flat-out poor posture, our scapular downward rotators have a tendency to become short and stiff.

Class, what does all this mean? Let’s use a simple math equation to put the pieces together:

Lack of proper training for the upward rotators + excessive training and postural demands placed on the downward rotators = a recipe for rotator cuff injury!

But as bad as that sounds, it gets worse before it gets better. Let’s delve even further into the matrix, looking at how the majority of us develop our training programs.

Flawed Programming

Flaw #1: Focus on external/internal rotation movements only vs. role as a humeral depression

At the risk of sounding heretical, we’ve got to tell you that all those internal and external rotations aren’t bad, but they’re not doing as much for you as you’d like to think. This is even more true if your only goal is to have a jacked physique or push around heavy iron.

Specific muscles of the rotator cuff do promote certain movements (e.g. the subscapularis promotes internal rotation, the teres minor and infraspinatus promote external rotation, etc.), but there’s a bigger, more functional role that’s very rarely discussed. That role is humeral depression.

Go back to our example of upward rotation — as you move your arm upward, the scapula rotates upward as well. If your rotator cuff is working appropriately, it will exert a downward pull on the humeral head, which keeps it from impinging on the acromion. If the rotator cuff is weak or inhibited, it can’t exert this downward pull, and again we’re left with impingement.

Luckily for you, a lot of the exercises we’ve included focus on the stabilizing role of the rotator cuff. But don’t skip ahead just yet, there’s more to learn!

Flaw #2: Ignoring the effect of the thoracic spine on the scapula and shoulder

The scapula will talk to you if you listen. It will tell you when it’s SICK (yes, there really is a condition called a SICK scapula), it will tell you where you’re strong, and it’ll tell you where you’re weak simply based on its resting position on the ribcage and how it moves, or doesn’t move, when you do.

Because the scapula rests on the ribcage forming the scapulothoracic joint, the shape of the ribcage will also determine the resting position and the mobility of the scapula. In turn, the shape of the ribcage is determined by the postural alignment of the thoracic spine (upper back). This is also why we spend so much time focusing on proper alignment of the thoracic spine in our Inside-Out product line.

This makes your scapula the middleman between the spine and the rotator cuff. We already know that poor scapular mobility or stability can compromise the strength, function, and health of the rotator cuff. Therefore, to assure optimal shoulder function we must develop the relationship from the spine (inside), to the scapula, to the rotator cuff (out).

Let’s look at one example of how the thoracic spine posture affects your shoulder. In a normal thoracic spine/scapular relationship, as you reach upward, the scapula tilts backwards (posterior tilt) to make space in the shoulder joint for the rotator cuff. In a case of thoracic kyphosis (rounded forward upper back), the scapula is unable to tilt backward.

The result is a closing of the gap between the upper arm bone (humerus) and the acromion and impingement of the rotator cuff. In the photos below, you can see how the athlete compensates for an inability to tilt the scapula posteriorly and fully elevate the arms by arching in the lower back. To achieve full elevation, he’s most likely impinging the rotator cuff.

As spine mobility and upper back posture improved (check out the shape of the ribcage), the scapula was free to tilt backward, restore overhead reach, and reduce compensation and impingement.

Day 1	3 months	6 months

Flaw #3: Attempting to balance bench presses with rows

If you read the interview with Bill, you remember that he laid out what the basic movement pattern relationships should be based on the function of the scapulae and rotator cuff. It looks like this:

Abduction/scapular upward rotation to adduction/scapular downward rotation:

• Vertical push to vertical pull

• 0.85-0.95 to 1 (almost 1 to 1)

Protraction to retraction:

• Horizontal push to horizontal pull

• 1 to 1

For the rotator cuff:

• Internal rotation to external rotation

• 1 to 0.75

We all know that we should balance our pushes and pulls, especially with regards to our bench pressing and rowing, right? But what if it’s not so simple a relationship? Do we have your attention?

In essence, what we’re looking at here is balancing our ability to protract and retract the scapulae. Bench pressing is a horizontal pushing movement that you’d think normally produces protraction (forward movement of the scapula around the ribcage) and trains the muscle that cause protraction, a.k.a. the serratus anterior. The logical opposing movement would be a row of some sort. Balanced, right? Wrong.

Question: What’s the most effective scapular position to maximize bench press performance?

Answer: Retraction and depression

Question: What scapular position is achieved in the contracted phase of a rowing movement?

Answer: Retraction and depression

Balanced? Nope.

Get it? What looks good on the outside, feeds an imbalance on the inside. Serratus anterior becomes ineffective as a protractor, stabilizer, and upward rotator. Then there’s an added bonus. But first a quick anatomy lesson.

Next time you’re cutting on a cadaver (What? Doesn’t everyone?), check out the serratus anterior and the rhomboid. What you’ll find is that because of the fascia that covers everything in the body, they’re essentially the same muscle with the scapula kinda stuck in the middle.

So if the serratus anterior isn’t fully effective at producing an upward rotation force and the rhomboid (a downward rotator) is getting trained with both pushes and pulls, then guess who wins the tug-o-war with the scapula.

Correct! The rhomboids and downward rotation. This means you’re more likely to experience shoulder impingement. But that’s not all!

Remember how the thoracic kyphosis limited posterior tilt of the scapula with elevation of your arm? The kyphosis will also promote an anterior tilt of the scapula at rest. Over time, the pec minor (which attaches to the front of the scapula) will stiffen or shorten and the scapula gets “stuck” in an anterior tilt.

This will also result in weakness of the serratus anterior, lower trapezius, and the upper trapezius. These, as you now know, are the upward rotators. Weakness in the upward rotators will then allow the downward rotators to become the dominant force on the scapula. If you need to figure out what happens next, please reread the scapular equation in section two of this article.

So whether you’re a truck driver or a powerlifter, you can end up with the same shoulder dysfunctions.

Truck Driver	Powerlifter

The bottom line? Crappy scapular position leads to crappy scapular stability which leads to crappy rotator cuff function! As Matt Damon’s character in Good Will Hunting would say, “How you like them apples?”

So what’s the fix?

Long Live the Push-Up!

The push-up has been used for centuries to help everyone from cromagnon man to the ancient Greeks, to guys and gals like yourself, with one goal in mind — to achieve a jacked physique! And why not? It’s an amazingly simple exercise that anyone can perform anywhere.

Unfortunately, in recent years, the push-up seems to have fallen out of favor in a lot of circles. For those who like excessively detailed programs, it’s just not “complex” enough. For others, it’s only for the “bodyweight” guys. And lastly, some just don’t know how to fit it into their program and progress it correctly.

Before we get onto the push-up and its progressions, let’s look at some of the research that’s been done regarding push-ups. Obviously, our first goal of performing push-ups is to recruit and strengthen the serratus anterior. So how can we do that?

Lear and Gross determined that push-ups performed with the feet on an elevated surface (in this case the feet were elevated 45.7 cm) significantly increased the activation of the serratus anterior compared to traditional push-up variations. If it’s been a while since you performed traditional push-ups, it would be a good idea to start with basic variations, but elevating the feet is a viable progression if your primary goal is improved serratus function.

Another common question when performing push-ups is, “Where should my hands go?” Cogley et al. wondered this as well, and examined subjects to see how various hand positions affected EMG activity of the pecs and triceps. Researchers looked at three hand positions: shoulder width, hands together, and wide (approximately 90/90 position). The EMG for all trials showed that EMG was highest in the hands together position, which makes perfect sense — this is the position of least mechanical advantage, and therefore more musculature must be recruited to perform the movement.

Adding an unstable surface to the mix can also change which muscles are most heavily recruited. When push-ups were performed with the participant’s hands on a physioball, there was a significant increase in both activation of both the triceps and rectus abdominus. It appears as though the unstable surface increases the activity of the triceps as a shoulder stabilizer, and it also increases the demands of the rectus abdominus to produce stability.

Here’s where things get interesting. It seems the more weight you put on the upper extremity, the higher activation levels you get in the surrounding musculature as well. Uhl et al. examined multiple push-up positions that progressively increased loading on the upper extremity. Researchers started with patients in an all-fours position, and progressively moved them into more loaded positions such as push-up position, push-up position with feet elevated, and even single-arm push-up position.

As you can imagine, the one-arm push-up produced a significant increase in recruitment of shoulder stabilizers such as the supraspinatus, infraspinatus, and posterior deltoid over all the other conditions. It appears as though there are many ways to progressively increase the difficulty and function of the push-up, whether you’re elevating the feet, performing the exercise on an unstable surface, or performing single-arm variants, we’re going to give you a ton of options in the following section.

Hopefully you’re starting to see that whether you’re rehabbing a shoulder injury or just concerned with keeping your shoulders healthy, push-ups are an excellent and undervalued exercise. It should also be stated that just because it’s a great exercise, there’s also a correct way to perform it, and the basic principles of progression should be followed.

In other words, if you’re rehabbing a rotator cuff injury, don’t jump into the most difficult progression right away. As well, if you’re a strong and healthy individual, don’t mess around with the “on-knees” version — get right into something you can do correctly and that challenges you!

Performing the Push-Up

To correctly perform a push-up, lay face down on the floor with your toes pointed, hands and elbows at a 90 degree angle to the shoulders, and stomach tight. Press up to the starting position, making sure to keep the stomach tight throughout, and then lower under control to a point where the chest touches the ground. As you’re lowering, tuck the elbows such that the angle between your upper arm and torso is approximately 45 degrees.

One aspect that we can’t emphasize enough is to use a full range of motion. Be sure to lower under control, and at the top think of pushing your body as far away from the floor as possible. This extra “push” at the end will emphasize proper serratus function.

At this stage in the game, the powerlifters in the group are screaming, “We need more weight!” Trust us, we’re all for progression; we don’t want you using bodyweight resistance for the rest of your life. The easiest progression you can use in this case is a weighted vest such as an Xvest. If you need additional instruction on how to perform push-ups with an Xvest, maybe you shouldn’t be lifting weights at all.

Push-Ups with Bands and Chains

That’s not it though; let’s look at some other ways we can perform the push-up to increase the intensity of the exercise.

Using bands is another option when we want to increase the loading of our push-ups. Again, the progression is simple — once you’ve mastered one band for the desired number of sets and reps, bump it up to the next level. It’s that simple!

To perform push-ups with bands, you’re going to take the band behind your back and place your hands in the ends of the bands such that the band is in the palm of your hand.

As you can see in the picture, you have to make an ëX’ with the band. Simply twist the band, put it behind your back, and you’re ready to rock!

Still not enough variation? You can also drape chains over your back.

If one chain isn’t enough, either move up to the next size of chain or drape multiple chains over your back. The band and chain variations are also excellent for powerlifters looking to improve the lockout of their bench press.

We’ve included two variations of the chain push-up. The first version you cross the chains in a diagonal fashion over your back as in the picture above.

The behind-the-neck version is even tougher; moving the weight further up toward your shoulders will increase the activation of the rotator cuff and make the exercise a lot harder.

Finally, please note that getting the chains on your own back is a pain in the ass. Get a partner to help you out if possible.

Once you’ve mastered the basic push-up variations, feel free to move on to some of the following variations. They’re not only great for strengthening, but they also jack-up the rotator cuff involvement and force your body to stabilize the shoulder in a more dynamic environment.

Med Ball Push-Ups

The medicine ball push-up is a great variation, as it increases activation of the rotator cuff due to the unstable surface. There are multiple variations you can use here.

Start off using a small med ball under one hand, with the other hand pushing off the ground. This will limit the instability to some degree and allow you to learn the exercise. We shouldn’t have to say this, but make sure you’re switching hands either in-between sets or at the midpoint of every set.

If that isn’t enough challenge, move on to the double med-ball version. Place a small med ball under each hand and perform the exercise. As you increase the instability, not only will you recruit more shoulder stabilizing musculature, but you’ll also force your core to increase its stiffness as well. Just try these variations with a soft-tummy; we dare you!

Blast Strap Push-Ups

The blast strap push-up is very similar to the med ball push-up, so we’re not going to continue harping on the topic. Regardless, this is another effective variation you can use.

Enter the Face Pull: The Most Underrated Exercise!

The face pull may be the most underrated exercise in all of strength training. It falls into the horizontal pull category, but where rows potentially promote a downward scapular rotation syndrome and internal rotation of the shoulder joint, the face pull can do just the opposite.

Because the shoulder is either flexed or abducted 90 degrees throughout the face pull, the scapula is in upward rotation to some degree. Right away this gives us greater activation of the upward rotators, especially the upper and lower trapezius. The upward rotation offsets the pull of the downward rotators and helps prevent the development of the downward rotation dominant imbalance.

Now let’s look at face pull performance. Traditionally, the face pull is performed with a rope handle or strap and a pronated grip.

In the contracted position, the pronated grip limits the degree of external rotation of the shoulder.

In thinking about movement pattern balance, we know that the internal rotators of the shoulder tend to be at least 25-33% stronger than the external rotators. We also tend to find that from a postural perspective, internal rotation of the humerus is quite common. Using the traditional pronated grip for the face pull can then potentially feed a rotation imbalance in the shoulder.

To remedy this situation, we recommend the use of a neutral grip. This allows you to pull the rope or strap past your face with the humerus in much greater external rotation and promotes shoulder rotational balance.

To further increase loading the external rotators, the lever arm can be altered by increasing the angle at the elbow. Make sure to adjust the weight accordingly; this is the second version that’s shown in the above video.

Remember those short or stiff pec minors? You can make your face pull more effective by taking advantage of the acute effects of stretching the pec minor for about 20 seconds on each side. You can do this effectively by placing the front of your shoulder against a door jam and leaning your body weight forward and simultaneously pulling the scapula backward.

Diagnosis Via Face Pull

In cases where the rotator cuff is known to be weak relative to the deltoid, the posterior deltoid can overtake the rotator cuff as the primary external rotator.

This will show up in the face pull as the humerus (upper arm bone) hyperabducts relative to the scapula. In other words, as you pull horizontally, the scapula stops moving and the upper arm bone continues to be pulled back along the horizontal plane. Rather than the upper arm bone and the scapula ending up in the same plane during the contracted phase of the face pull, the upper arm bone and scapula form an angle. The dead giveaway is a dent or a dimple that forms between the posterior deltoid and the infraspinatus.

If this is the case, your shoulder program would be better served by working on some isolated strengthening to the rotator.

The Only Shrugs You Haven’t Done Before!

One of the common findings in a downwardly rotated scapula is a lengthened upper trapezius. In this situation, the excessive length makes the upper trap weak and a less than effective upward rotator of the scapula. Ineffective upward rotation of the scapula, especially with overhead movements, is a recipe for rotator cuff injury.

The obvious fix would be to address the weakness with some form of shrugging movement to strengthen the upper trapezius and improve the upward rotation function. There’s just one catch: the typical barbell or dumbbell shrug may make the situation worse.

A shrug with the arms at the sides will certainly activate the upper trapezius, however it also strongly recruits the levator scapulae and the rhomboids, the downward scapular rotators. This feeds the imbalance causing the downward scapular rotation dominance.

The answer is to perform a shrugging movement with the scapulae in an upwardly rotated position with the overhead shrug.

Now if you have or have had shoulder problems resulting in pain, the overhead shrug may be problematic. In this case, the next best exercise is scaption with a shrug.

Scaption is essentially a thumb-side up, dumbbell lateral raise in the plane of the scapula. The plane of the scapula is about 30 degrees or so in front of a lateral raise performed straight out to the side of the body.

Summary

Proper training and injury prevention go hand in hand. You can’t have one without the other.

As you can see, we’ve presented one scenario where dysfunction, and potential injury, may exist that can’t be “fixed” with a few sets of external rotations for the rotator cuff. A lack of attention to proper daily postures and less than optimal exercise selection can, given enough time, be a recipe for rotator cuff injury and lost training time or worse.

So what does it take to assure a healthy rotator cuff? If we had to boil it all down to three principles it would be this:

1. Maintain adequate mobility and posture of the upper back to allow for adequate mobility of the scapulae.

2. Maintain optimal balance of the muscles around the scapulae and the shoulder joint.

3. Proper exercise selection with compound movements can correct and maintain those optimal relationships that not only improve performance but also prevent injury.

Sometimes an isolation exercise like external rotations may be an answer, but that’s an article for another time.

This article was originally published by T-nation and can be found here.

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