Muscle:
Upper Trapezius
Origin:
At the occiput, ligamentum nuchae, and the spinous
process of the seventh cervical vertebra
Inserts:
At the acromion process and the lateral third of the
clavicle
Function:
Elevates the shoulder and laterally flexes the head and
neck; it also assists in cervical extension
Muscle:
Middle Trapezius
Origin:
At the spinous processes of the sixth cervical to the
third thoracic vertebra
Inserts:
At the acromion process and the spine of the scapula
Function:
Assists in flexion and abduction of the humerus by
rotating the glenoid cavity and assists in maintaining a
normal kyphotic posture in the upper thoracic spine
Muscle:
Lower Trapezius
Origin:
At the spinous process of the third to twelfth thoracic
vertebra
Inserts:
At the medial aspect of the spine of the scapula
Function:
Assists in flexion and abduction of the humerus by
rotating the glenoid cavity and assists in maintaining a
normal kyphotic posture in the upper thoracic spine
Muscle:
Rhomboid
Origin:
At the spinous processes of the seventh cervical to the
fifth thoracic vertebra
Inserts:
At the medial border of the spine of the scapula
Function:
Elevates and retracts the scapula toward the spine and
provides stability for both the scapula and shoulder.
The rhomboid prevents winging of the scapula when the
arm is lifting a weight.
Muscle:
Latissimus Dorsi
Origin:
At the thoracolumbar fascia, crest of the ilium, lower
six thoracic vertebrae, and the last four ribs
Inserts:
At the intertubercular groove of the humerus
Function:
Depresses the shoulder and extends the humerus. It also
adducts and assists in internal rotation of the humerus.
Bilateral contraction of the latissimus dorsi assists in
extension of the thoracic spine.
Indications of
Weakness: Weakness in the
upper trapezius causes dropping of the shoulder on the
affected side. If both are weak, the head is anterior
to the thoracic cage.
Weakness in the middle
trapezius gives a round-shoulder appearance and causes
forward protraction of the scapula. The thoracic spine
may also have an increased kyphotic curve.
Weakness of the latissimus
dorsi allows the shoulder to elevate and move anteriorly
in a standing posture. It may also cause difficulty in
depressing the shoulder when the arm is overhead and
pulling down.
OPTIMAL TRAINING
PRINCIPLES:
Upper Trapezius: The
best exercise for the upper trapezius is the shrug
performed in the standing calf machine. Unlike the
dumbbell shrug, all the stress in this exercise is on
the upper trapezius and not the forearms. The head
should remain neutral throughout the exercise (dropping
the head and rounding the shoulders has become popular
among many bodybuilders to recruit more fibers by
getting a little extra stretch in the trapezius).
Unfortunately, when the cervical spine is flexed, the
risk of cervical disk injury increases dramatically.
Despite the stretch felt in this position, there is very
little additional recruitment of fibers, so it is
certainly not worth the risk. Another popular variation
is to “roll the shoulders” during the exercise; this has
minimal additional fiber recruitment and places considerable
stress on the shoulder capsule, acromioclavicular, and
sternoclavicular joints. Optimal performance is
achieved by keeping the head neutral and fully
contracting the trapezius by elevating the shoulders
straight up as high as they will go and lowering them
straight down as low as they will go.
If a standing calf machine
is unavailable, then dumbbells or cables can be used,
utilizing wrist straps will reduce stress on the forearms.
Keep the dumbbells/cables alongside the body during the
entire exercise. Allowing the dumbbells/cables to drift
forward causes torsion and shear on the acromioclavicular and sternoclavicular joints.
Middle Trapezius:
The bent-over dumbbell lateral raise with elbows in line
with the shoulders will stress the posterior deltoid and
middle trapezius. Retract the scapulae fully at the top
of the exercise by “pinching the scapulae together”.
Use a slow, controlled movement; avoid “throwing the
weight up” to keep the stress on the muscles.
Lower Trapezius:
Dumbbell single-arm-extended-back extensions on back
extension bench. Work one arm at a time by placing a
dumbbell in the left hand at the 11:00 position or in
the right hand at the 1:00 position (non-working arm:
place hand behind lower back). Position bench
seat high enough so that when your hips are on the bench
and your working arm is hanging straight down, no part
of your hand/dumbbell is touching the floor. Start in
the hanging down position with the torso completely
rounded and down. Begin the movement by contracting the
upper back muscles to begin lifting the dumbbell upward
with thumb up and arm nearly straight. Continue lifting
the arm while uncurling the torso to arrive at the
completed “Back Extension Position,” arm maximally
elevated, back muscles maximally contracted, and
shoulders squarely facing forward (rotating one shoulder
backward is an advanced version of the exercise).
Reverse direction by lowering the arm and “curling” the
torso downward. The lower trapezius is usually the
weakest muscle in the upper back, and this muscle
weakness can cause upper back pain and shoulder
instability.
Rhomboid Muscle:
Rhomboid modified one-arm seated cable row. Keep the
elbow at the same height as the shoulder. Drive the
elbow back using the back muscles. Focus on keeping the
biceps relaxed by concentrating on the latissimus
dorsi’s insertion point on the humerus and by focusing
on the latissimus dorsi, drawing the humerus backward
(bicep stays soft). Focus on humerus/lat until the hand
is in line with the shoulder.
Now focus on the origin of
the rhomboid and draw the arm, shoulder, and scapula
backward as one unit until the scapula is maximally
contracted. This maximally contracts the rhomboid that
is both weakened and stretched by people who sit in
front of a keyboard all day with their shoulders rounded
forward. This exercise will increase the strength of
the rhomboid and reduce the pain between the shoulder
blades when working at a computer.
Latissimus Dorsi:
Lat pull-down-to-the-front is the most popular of the
latissimus dorsi exercises because it is an excellent
all-around developer. Begin seated under the pull-down
bar with lower body anchored by knee rolls. Start with
arms fully extended and shoulders and scapulae fully
elevated. Begin the concentric action by depressing the
shoulders and scapulae all the way to their lowest
position. Then begin driving the elbows down by
contracting the latissimus dorsi and keeping the biceps
soft (relaxed). Focus on the insertion point of the
latissimus dorsi, driving the elbows downward until the
bar touches the top of the chest and fully retract the
scapulae. A slight lean back is allowed to save
yourself a bloody nose or loose teeth.
The
behind-the-neck-lat-pull-down is a contraindicated
exercise (high risk of injury—not recommended for the
average client). Some bodybuilders feel that this
exercise provides a greater stretch to the latissimus
dorsi; the greater stretch they feel is actually greater
stress to the shoulder capsule and rotator cuff
muscles. This action does NOT allow enough arm
extension (remember the lat inserts at the humerus) to
completely stretch the lat.
In all back exercises, it is
critical to visualize the origin, insertion, and
function of the muscles involved. When performing back
exercises, it is a fundamental mistake to think of
pulling the hand, bar, dumbbell, etc. to the shoulder.
This will naturally cause you to concentrate on the
biceps brachii and brachialis instead of concentrating
on the muscles of the back you would like to target. It
is highly effective to imagine where the muscle inserts
and the function it performs during the exercise. In
the case of the lat pull-down, focus on the lat’s
insertion on the humerus and its function of driving the
arms down and backward. Focus on driving the elbows
down and keeping the biceps relaxed to maximally stress
the lats.
If you incorporate “Touch
Training” with your clients, you can help the client
relax the biceps by poking on the bicep and telling the
client to keep the bicep relaxed. As you poke on the
bicep, tell the client to “keep the bicep soft.” You
can also touch the client’s thoracic vertebrae (T-6
through T-12) and bottom four ribs, crest of the ilium,
and thoracolumbar fascia to have them FEEL where the lat
originates, and stroke your hands from the origin, over
the muscle belly, and into the intertubercular groove of
the humerus where the lat inserts into the upper arm.
After the client drives
their elbows all the way down in the lat pull-down and
they think they are done, you have one more surprise in
store for them. Place your fingertips on their spinal
column between their scapulae and have them try to pinch
your fingers by squeezing their shoulder blades
together. This maximizes stress on the latissimus dorsi,
rhomboids, and middle and lower trapezius.
When they begin the
eccentric contraction, continuously remind them by your
touch training technique of the muscles they want to
work and the muscles to keep relaxed (biceps brachii and
brachialis).
This touch training
technique is highly effective for all muscle groups,
provided you follow the rules for touch training as
specified in the IFPA training manual, “The Book on
Personal Training,” (2006) by Jim Bell, PhDc and as
depicted in the IFPA training video, “How to Take a
Client Through a World-Class Workout” (2005) by Jim Bell
and Francine Phelps, produced by the IFPA.
Pull-up (palms facing away
from the body) and chin-up (palms facing toward the
body) are two of the very best upper-back exercises.
These two exercises replicate gymnast-type movements
that are known to dramatically increase muscular
adaptations as well as neurophysiological adaptations
due to the body being forced to make significantly more
biomechanical movements than the relatively simple
movement of pulling a bar down and/or into the chest.
Gymnasts are the most finely-tuned, kinesthetically
developed of all athletes because of the nearly
infinitesimal fine-motor adjustments of moving their
bodies around fixed (or not so fixed) bars, rings,
pommels, etc. These and other “functional” type
movements will be very useful for daily activities.
Chin-up—narrow to medium
grip stresses the upper latissimus dorsi and biceps
brachii.
Chin-up—“V-Bar”-hands
facing each other stresses the rhomboids and lower
latissimus dorsi and brachialis (the pronated hand
position places the upper arm in “Hammer Curl”
position).
Larry Scott (the first Mr.
Olympia and finest bodybuilder of his generation) is the
innovator of a technique that highly stresses the
latissimus dorsi, but be advised: THIS TECHNIQUE CAN
PLACE A HIGH RISK OF INJURY on the shoulder capsule and
rotator cuff. The Scott Lat Technique can be used for
all pull-ups, but the “V-Bar” would be safer on the
shoulder capsule (though NOT COMPLETELY SAFE) than
straight bar positions.
The Scott Lat Technique:
During the eccentric contraction (lowering phase), slow
down to a 10 second negative. At the halfway point,
pause and push the elbows forward, externally rotate the
arms, and “flare” the latissimus dorsi to the maximum
extent. Maintain this position and continue lowering
slowly to the bottom. This variation maximally stresses
the latissimus dorsi, but especially targets the lowest
part to develop a longer, fuller back width.
Seated Row (palms up or
palms inward): Arms are kept close to the body.
This technique stresses the latissimus dorsi and
rhomboids due to the amount of arm extension that can be
achieved as the bar is pulled in towards the abdomen.
Seated Row (overhand
grip): Elbows are kept at shoulder height. This
technique stresses the posterior deltoid, rhomboid, and
mid-trapezius as the bar is pulled to the chest.
Single-Arm Dumbbell Row
(arm close to the body) stresses the latissimus
dorsi and posterior deltoid.
Single-Arm Dumbbell Row
(upper arm at 90 degrees away from the body, palm facing
backward while pulling up): Once the arm is pulled
all the way up, you can maximally contract the rhomboid
muscles by retracting the whole arm, shoulder, and
scapula through the full range of motion of the
rhomboids.
Cross-bench pullover with
dumbbell or curl bar used to be one of my personal
favorite back exercises. Unfortunately, after numerous
abuses to my shoulder, I find the stiff-arm lat
pull-down far more gentle on my shoulder capsule. The
added benefit of this exercise is that it can stress the
latissimus dorsi, teres major, rhomboids, posterior
deltoid, the various scapular depressors and extensors,
and serratus anterior (if you add a deep breathing
variation to the exercise).
Overhead cable handles at
approximately shoulder width apart work best (though
rope handles on the overhead cable are a suitable
substitute). Grip the handles with an overhand grip,
arms extended overhead, with elbows straight, but not
locked. Step back, keeping the arms fully extended, and
bend over with bent knees and “weightlifter’s arch” to
an approximately 45 - 90 degree angle. Extend arms backward
until you feel a gentle stretch in your shoulders and
back. DO NOT EXCEED YOUR PAIN-FREE ROM! Inhale.
Begin concentric action by
contracting the back muscles and pulling the cables
downward and backward in a big arc, while maintaining
straight (but NOT LOCKED) elbows. In a manner
simultaneous to your arm motion, begin to stand up
straight, maintaining weightlifter’s arch, with scapula
retracted and head neutral. Continue a smooth,
controlled arm and torso motion until you complete the
concentric action with arms straight behind the hips as
far as your ROM will allow; the torso will be straight,
with weightlifter’s arch, the scapula will be depressed
and retracted, the chest will be out, the shoulders will
be back, and the head will be neutral.
Serratus anterior
variation: start with the deepest possible inhalation
and explosively exhale while performing a faster
concentric action. Eccentric action should remain slow
and controlled, but make sure you achieve the deepest
possible inhalation at the completion of the eccentric
contraction.
The serratus anterior aids
in exhalation.
Unfortunately, space and time allotted here do not allow
for a complete description of every back exercise and
every variation, but we will be demonstrating and you
will be performing many, many exercises at the
Fitness By the Bay Conference. David Sandler, PhDc,
and his faculty from Strength Pro will be demonstrating
and again you will be performing an extensive variety of
exercises for sports conditioning, speed, and power at
F.B.T.B. and the IFPA Speed and Power Workshop.
James
T. Bell, PhD.c. is the
founder and president of the International Fitness
Professionals Association, IFPA.
More
Books from Jim Bell, PhD.c.
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