[quote]Oleena wrote:
I have a trick for learning to hold your scapula in the correct position during the big lifts:
Stand normally with your arms straight by your side. Pull your scapula together and depress them. This will cause your chest to rise a little. Hold the scapula in this position while you raise your arms (keeping the elbows locked) from your side all the way to over your head. It’s hard! Your body’s natural reaction will be to let go of the scapula about a third of the way up. It’s almost as if your body doesn’t believe that your shoulder socket is indepent of the scapula. Once you’re able to move your arms over your head while holding your scapula together the whole time (it will feel like they are moving up and down your spine, a bit like a weird massage), try moving your arms all the way together in front of your body, also keeping the elbow straight.
The purpose of this is that most of the problems that happen with keeping the upper back from rounding result from a lack of shoulder control with your arms at various degress from your body. By learning to take control, you’ll both improve the lift, and over all posture.
Hope this helps :)[/quote]
Oleena, thanks so much. This is SO AMAZINGLY HARD for me, that I’m speechless. I have had crappy posture my whole life, do alot of sitting at work, and hunch over bicycle handlebars. All coming back to bite me in the gym.
[quote]mmgalb727 wrote:
Yes… do not round your upper back like that at the bottom… maintain a neutral spine and bend more at the hips (which you will be able to do when you lower it a notch). You may even have to put a rolled up towel or two under your feet if you still can’t get your hips high enough over the edge. SO ANNOYING that these machines are made like this! I mean, I am almost 6’ tall and I use the 2nd to lowest setting. Seriously… who uses the top setting then? And what do people do when they are 5’ tall? I don’t get it!
EDIT: I have not been able to read your WHOLE LOG, so forgive me if I am pointing out the obvious… but you know you need SHIT-TONS of extra upper back work since you spend hours at a time on the bike, right? Like you need 2-3 upper back movements for every pressing movement you do…! Your upper back looks AMAZING in your avi… so clearly you train it well… but hours in that hunched cycling position (assuming this is how you ride as I don’t know that much about cycling) is killer on your back! =D Again, ignore this if it has been addressed and/or if I am incorrect in my assumptions about your riding form… =D[/quote]
Molly, you are more than 100% right about this. I am hunching my back when I ride, when I work…well all the time unless I’m actively thinking about shoulders back. There is a real weakness here that I’ve got to address.
Do you have a quick list of upper back exercises I should be looking at??? I do chins and bent over one armed dumbbell rows. I could add BB rows, cable rows…but my mind is blanking on more upper back stuff.
Also, should I be backing off my deadlift weight again in order to work on upper back form? I don’t want to be doing anything unsafe.
[quote]AlisaV wrote:
I have all the same back issues as you: my new project (if I can only concentrate long enough) is to practice standing up straight all day. In addition to religious use of hypers and good mornings. Let’s get good backs together![/quote]
Alisa, it is really, really nice to have some company in dealing with this. I’m sitting up straight RIGHT NOW! You??
warning…kumbaya moment ahead
Without the help of Powerful Women, I would not be getting better in my training. Thanks you guys for taking the time to help.