Geek Back and Shoulder Mobility

I have a geek back. You know the type, shoulders rolling forward and shoulder blades sticking out a bit (nothing dramatic though). Right now I’m training with an emphasis on back (doing chins and rows) and the ratio of sets for back/chest is about 3:2. I’m starting to see difference and the geek back is slowly vanishing.

Apart from training, should I bother with some kind mobility work? What works best for my situation?

Plus a question about stretches. Right now I don’t stretch my back at all. Should I? I obviously do quite a lot of chest stretching.

I think you’ve got a pretty good idea of the biomechanics at play here, and you’ve made a good start.

Yes, you should stretch the back and traps. While you are seeking stability in certain parts of your back remember that other parts (levator scap, traps for a start) will probably be quite tight. Some massage might help get the ball rolling, too.

I would also throw in scap push-ups, pushups, face-pulls and shoulder rotations (external rotations to begin with, then progress from there). Do those in the higher rep ranges and do them often.

While I didn’t neglect these exercises completely, I didn’t do enough of them and I’m paying for it right as we speak.

There are some excellent articles on T-Nation addressing shoulder mobility if you haven’t seen them yet. From memory, Mike Robertson wrote the more notable articles.

Heal that Hunchback by Mike Robertson
http://www.T-Nation.com/readArticle.do?id=459846

…it has some stretching/mobility suggestions.

I always hear about face-pulls being very beneficial in this area. Why is that?

[quote]LetMeFly wrote:
I always hear about face-pulls being very beneficial in this area. Why is that? [/quote]

From the article linked to above:

"Face Pulls

This exercise really focuses on the scapular retractors, specifically the rhomboids and middle fibers of the trapezius."

Basically, they strengthen the muscles that hold your scapula in place, particularly the ones that become relatively weak if you do a lot of pressing.