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2. Use the Right Pulling Exercises. Vertical pulling exercises, like pull-ups and lat
pulldowns, can exacerbate the problem. Rows and other forms of horizontal pulling can
help it.
3. Directly Work the Upper Back and Rear Delts. Train the upper back and rear delts
directly, using bodybuilding style, with high volume and increased time under tension to
improve your posture.
4. Use a Variety of Lifting Strategies. When training these areas, use constant tension,
isometric pauses, and slow eccentrics.
Straighten Up!
Posture is the biggest equalizer when it comes to orthopedic health and function. The
trends we're seeing in shoulder and spine injury and other dysfunction can be largely
attributed to the sedentary nature of our society.
But even if you're not sedentary, you need to take a closer look at your posture. I've
evaluated the posture of world-class athletes and will go on the record saying that high-
performing physical outliers have just as dysfunctional if not more dysfunctional
posture and positional awareness as the average desk jockey.
And people hate to hear (and see) that their posture sucks. But you know what they hate
even more? Hearing that bodybuilding-style training is the best cure for cranky shoulders,
achy necks, and posture that halts gains and leaves you hurting on a daily basis.
Weakness, stiffness, and general immobile muscles in the posterior shoulder girdle
secondary to sitting can be a recipe for disaster when athletes do not account for these
postural disturbances in their daily maintenance and more importantly their training
programming.
Think of the many muscles of the upper back as postural stabilizers for the most part.
The larger muscles of this group, most notably the posterior deltoid, teres major, mid and
lower trapezius, and rhomboid complex are often neglected in the average lifter's
program. And those who do make it a point to train the upper back often do so incorrectly.
Many programs revolve around mirror muscles like the pecs and biceps, but using bro-
science logic, many turn to targeting the latissimus dorsi directly to rein in that push-to-
pull focus into more generally acceptable ratios.
While the lats are located on the posterior aspect of the torso and connect into the
humerus proximally, one big detail is often overlooked. The humeral insertion point of the
lats is located on the medial aspect of the upper third of this upper arm bone, thus
making it a shoulder internal rotator when actively contracted.
So when training the vertical (lat pulldown machine, chin-ups, pull-ups, or any other
variation) you're digging the postural hole deeper and deeper, and actually adding to
dysfunction and poor positioning.
Sure, having a spread that resembles a stingray is awesome, but cranking your shoulders
and reinforcing the malposition won't give you the long term physical or functional
benets you're seeking.
If your shoulders are losing more mobility than the strength you're gaining, place a
stronger emphasis on the row and its many variations. Keying in on the horizontal pull
while maintaining a neutral or slightly externally rotated shoulder position will allow you to
rearrange your posture while also going heavy.
By training the area directly, even the deeper, more acute contractile tissues of the region
will be positively affected from a strength, stability, and functional standpoint.
The external rotator cuff comprised of the infraspinatus and teres minor can create more
effective joint positions and centration of the shoulder complex, leading to smoother,
more coordinated movement and contractions.
The smoother the movement of a joint, the better the gross action will be. This is why it's
important to achieve and maintain proper shoulder spiraling and torque setups before
going dynamic with your movements.
Traditional strength set and rep schemes won't cut it for upper back-emphasized training.
Matching a muscle's primary action and function with the type of training it will respond
more favorably to is the next step in achieving a posture that resembles more of a Greek
god than Quasimodo.
The upper back responds well to increased volume, high reps and time under tension.
This should be no shock, as many of these muscles function to keep your shoulders in
the sockets, and keeping your thoracic spine and neck somewhat erect when you're
interacting with your social environment.
Targeting these muscles with power or strength schemes is inappropriate for a majority
of athletes and lifters. Putting a larger emphasis on metabolic stress and the pump will
produce greater aesthetic results, in addition to more functional and transferable strength
results.
Here are two of the best upper-back specic movements and how to program them
throughout a number of variations for a thicker backside, stronger pulls and presses, and
overall less pitiful posture.
Dynamic Warm-Up
VIDEO
Sets: 3-5
Reps: 8-12
Rest: 10-25 seconds
Tempo: 10X1
Notes: Using the accommodating resistance out of the band, explode back, maintaining
the elbows slightly higher than the shoulders. At peak contraction, your shoulders should
be slightly externally rotated with loads of torque and tension through the upper back.
Hold that position for a second and control your arms back straight and jump right into
the next rep.
Strength Movement
VIDEO
Sets: 5-9
Reps: 12-20
Rest: 30-45 seconds
Tempo: 21X1
Notes: Time to load up with the rope and cable rack setup. Drive your elbows back,
squeezing your shoulder blades together and hold for a second at peak contraction. As
you load heavier, the slight external rotation of the shoulders on the backside along with
the relative position of your elbows above the shoulders will both decrease. This is ne,
just be sure to control the eccentric portion of the movement and pause with elbows
extended to minimize the use of momentum.
Metabolic Shoulder Finisher
VIDEO
Sets: 2-4
Reps: 30-50
Rest: 30-45 seconds
Tempo: Constant tension no holds just smooth coordinated eccentric/concentric
movements.
Notes: Using constant tension with no holds on the front or backside of the movement,
crank out 50 controlled reps and ght the urge to quit. As the pain ensues, don't let your
form suffer. Keep those elbows above shoulders at all times.
Dynamic Warm-Up
VIDEO
Sets: 3-5
Reps: 10-15
Rest: 10-25 seconds
Tempo: 10X1
Notes: Get a light band under your feet and grab onto the ends with your hands in a
palms-down position. Slump over with your chest approximating your knees while
keeping your neck in a neutral position. Drive your arms up and hold for a second at the
top of the range before controlling your hands back down towards the ground. You'll really
feel these top isometric holds with the accommodating band resistance that will drive
blood into the upper back quickly and efciently.
Strength Movement
VIDEO
Sets: 5-7
Reps: 15-20
Rest: 20-30 seconds
Tempo: 20X1
Notes: Get a pair of dumbbells in your hands and don't let your ego drive your working
weights. From the same position as the dynamic warm-up variation, drive up the
dumbbells with your palms down, hold for a second and accentuate the eccentric portion
of the movement with a two second descent. A set of 20 will be excruciating towards the
end, that's why it's imperative to choose working weights that you can maintain your
range of motion into the top position for all prescribed reps.
Sets: 2-4
Reps: 30-50 with partial reps
Rest: 30-45 seconds
Tempo: Constant tension no holds just smooth coordinated eccentric/concentric
movements.
Notes: If you thought you had to go light in the strength variation of this movement, you'll
be humbled even more when programming for metabolic stress and nishing off a
training day. Use constant tension, working smoothly up and down with great scapular
retraction on every rep. Even at the lightest weights, 50 reps will catch up with you quickly.
Instead of cheating the movement and losing tension, continue to knock back reps with
constant tension with partial range reps. Focus on keeping the weights moving until you
get to 50, then enjoy that 30 second rest period because you'll have a few more rounds to
go.
Final Tips
You're not limited to these exercises. They simply show how you can manipulate any
movement that targets the upper back with three different training mechanisms: iso-
holds, constant tension, and straight loaded strength sets.
Bodybuilding-style execution and the mind-muscle connection are keys to reaching your
postural and performance goals. As a movement becomes more compound, the need for
clean and crisp movement with intention becomes that much more important.
Start slow with more isolated movements and work your way up to big rowing variations
and other more metabolically demanding movements.
The options are endless, but don't be the guy super-setting bench with lat pulldown three
times per week and bitching when your shoulders hurt and your upper back is about to
explode. You've been warned.
Dr John Rusin
Dr. John Rusin is an internationally recognized performance and tness expert
specializing in injury prevention and rehabilitation. He is also the author of Dr. John
Rusin's 12-Week Functional Hypertrophy Training Program
(https://drjohnrusin.com/fht-program/) . (https://facebook.com/drjohnrusin)
Follow Dr John Rusin on Facebook (https://facebook.com/drjohnrusin)
09/08/15