[quote]on edge wrote:
Modi wrote:
on edge wrote:
It’s obviously good to keep your training balanced, however, the idea that developing your pecs and not developing your upper back or Lats will cause your shoulders to “round” is complete bullshit.
This is one of the pervasive misconceptions that everyone mindlessly blathers about and everyone just believes it without a second thought. (I’m talking skeletal posture, not distribution of muscle mass and the appearance it may cause).
Where are you getting your information from?
The majority of people who overtrain their pecs and undertrain their mid-back end up with overly tight pecs. This leads to rounded shoulders and potentially forward head posture. Training the mid-back will help keep the shoulders back with less conscious effort.
What makes you think this is some urban legend?
Also, as was said earlier, the pecs and lats are both internal rotators, that’s why I don’t advocate balancing bench press/pushups with pulldows/pullups.
Most people would benefit from adding external rotator cuff work into their program, as well as balancing push/pull exercises (both horizontally and vertically)
I get my information from original thought. I see no reason to believe that developed pecs, with underdeveloped midback will lead to “tight” pecs. A big muscle is going to be relaxed most of the time and about the same amount of time as if it were a small muscle. It’s not going to “pull” the structure forward.
This idea is less of a leap than believing it will pull the shoulders forward and way less than believing it will pull the neck forward. I could see a neck subluxation forming from constantly pressing the head back on a bench but that might happen regardless of the balance of training.
I agree with the rest of your post.[/quote]
Dude original thought is not good enough. While it may not always be the cause of rounded shoulders a strength imbalance should always be looked at as a possible cause. I am taking this straight out of a great book.
