The Quest for a Flat Back (Bye Bye Hunchback)

 

Two weeks ago we had the current 69kg American Open Champion, Spencer Arnold, stroll into the gym for a two day Oly lifting seminar. Besides his talent for being able to brave through country music while lifting absurd amounts of weight, he also has as keen of an eye as any 25 year old on the planet when it comes to lifting, fitness, and the body.

He noticed a rounded back in one of the baseball players we train while trying to perform a Pendlay Row and we quickly chatted about ways to correct it. Before he offered a solution he asked me a question. He said, "You sound like you are frustrated that his back is rounded. You know why it is?" My response, in a "come on and school me" tone was, "No, is it because he doesn't listen to me?"

He replied, "Probably but also it's because kids today spend a half of their time hunched over. They are either leaning over a desk, a computer, or over their own laps playing video games."

Boom! He hit the nail on the head. How can a trainer correct Kyphosis in one hour a day 5 days a week when over half the other time spent away from the gym is stuck in a Quasimodo like position.

There are ways to focus on strengthening the muscles that have become weak from these structurally unsound activities like chatting with Malaysian teens while playing Modern Warfare 3.

One way is to correct the internal shoulder rotation and weakness in the thoracic spine is Static Holds in Extension. You can see this pictured below but what I like to add in to activate the muscles that support the scapula is holding that static position while holding a stick out in front of the person's head with arms locked out and shoulder blades squeezed together. This will work the entire posterior chain all the way up into the thoracic and cervical spine.

 

 



Another great exercise would be a standing Row with a Theraband focusing on strict form and squeezing the shoulder blades while pulling.

Whether you are a teen, parent of a teen, an accountant, or a world class gamer, these exercises can help you make you straight as an arrow instead of crooked as a question mark. Good luck!

Like the wind...

7/15/13

Warm-up: #5

Skill: 5-10-5 x 3

Strength: 10x1 Clean and Push Jerk @ AHAP
-Rest 60 seconds between sets

Workout:

2 Min AMRAP
BL Rows at Maximal Angle

Rest 2 minutes

800 M

Rest 2 Min

400 M

No Rest

2 Min AMRAP
BL Rows at Maximal Angle


Barbell Club

Warm-up: #5

Skill: 5-10-5 x 3

Strength:

8x1 Snatch Pull + 1 Power Snatch @ AHAP

1) 4x2 Snatch Balance
2) 4x10 Supermans
-3 Second Hold

Back Squat
6x2 Pause Squats (3sec pause at bottom) at AHAP - work your way up