Shoulder Blade Movement

6.08.2020

Blog|Equipment

A man working out on a Pendulum 3 Way Row

The seated row is an tremendously effective upper back exercise for the latissimus dorsi, commonly referred to as – the lats, also recruited during this movement are the muscles that reside between the shoulder blades, the middle trapezius and rhomboids.

Contracting the shoulder blades prior to a repetition on a seated row is often advocated by instructors. The thought is to stabilize the muscles between the scapulae in order to optimize shoulder movement and increase their activity. In actuality the process of retracting the middle trapezius and rhomboids before initiating movement does not aid in their recruitment during training. Performing the seated row allowing the shoulder blades to move away from the spine (pronation) produces similar myoelectric activity and suggests that these muscles are just as engaged during a repetition regardless of the position of the scapulae.

Contracting the scapulae before the beginning of a rep has a place in program design, as it can help in shoulder stability and be effectively used in athletes recovering from shoulder issues. If healthy and the goal is to Get the muscles of the upper back Strong simply extend the arms on the Pendulum 3 Way Row and get started.

Beginning with a Pronated Scapula

Pendulum 3 Way Row

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Closed And Open Chain

Open kinetic chain exercises of the lower limb are movements, where the distal segment is unloaded and free to move. The opposite is true of closed kinetic chain exercises, whereby there is enough resistance to prohibit free motion.

Closed kinetic chain exercises are movements such as squats, Pendulum Squat Pro, leg presses and lunges, while open chain exercises are actions like leg curls, leg extensions and the Pendulum Reverse Glute Ham.

The kinetic chain can be understood as interrelated joints and body parts working with one another during motion. This creates a chain of events that affects the movement of neighboring joints and segments.

The advantage of open chain movements is that they tend to be better at isolating muscle and often are selected for specific rehabilitation and used to accentuate performance. While closed chain movements in general would be classified as more functional and closely approximating movements that are used in sport and daily life.

Open Chain Reverse Glute Ham

Closed Chain Pendulum Power Squat Pro

Closed Chain Pendulum Power Squat Pro XT

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Arkansas Baseball Weight Room

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2-for-2 Method

Some trainers, coaches and athletes use what is called the 2-for-2 Method for increasing training load. The rule is if the trainee can perform two or more repetitions over one’s ‘repetition goal’ in the last set of an exercise, for two consecutive workouts, the weight is added for that particular exercise the next training session.