04-28-2009, 05:55 PM
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#5 (permalink)
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V.I.P. Member
Join Date: May 2008
Location: New Zealand
Age: 20
Posts: 2,212
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Heres 2 posts by Zir Red about these sorts of splits
Quote:
Originally Posted by ZiR RED
4 of your 5 days involve work around the shoulder joint. 3 of your 4 days all involve scapula protraction (chest, shoulders, arms).
I see two problems (on the surface):
1. Overuse injuries compounded over time.
2. Shoulder instability owed to a major muscular strength and flexibility imbalance due to your type of training.
And....3...
Your lower body comprises 48% of your muscle mass, results in the greatest releases of anabolic hormones, and yet you only dedicate 20% of your time to training it.
Br
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ZiR RED
I want you to think about this from a movement perspective, not a muscle perspective, as that is how the body opperates, muscles pull on tendons, tendons pull on bones, and bones rotate around joints to create movement.
If we break it down into movement (lets ignore the arms day for the sake of this conversation), you have:
Chest day: dedicated to pushing in t he horizontal plane
Shoulder day: dedicated to pushing in the vertical plane
And back day: Dedicated pulling both in the horizontal and vertical plane.
So your pushing out numbers your pulling 2:1. Now add in arms, which by all sake and purposes around the shoulder joint is most similar in nature to a pushing movement (protracting the scapula), you could say it is 3:1.
A muscular imbalance is starting whereby the muscles that retract the scapula are not strong enough to withstand the force of the muscles that protract the scapula. During pushing movements, when the scapula is protracted, and especially when the shoulder is externally rotated (as seen in wide grip bench, and over head presses, especially those behind the neck) the supraspinatus tendon is rubbing between the acromium and humorous. Overtime this results in impingement and supraspinatus tendonitis.
Meanwhile, the SS tendon is weakening, the muscles of the rotator cuff are not being strengthened, and the muscular imbalance between the rhomboids & mid/lower trap fibers compared to the pecs, delts and lats is growing wider. So the muscles that retract the scapula and stabilize the shoulder joint cannot do so during pressing movements.
Look around the gym at many recreational bodybuilders and gym rats and you'll notice a few things: their front delts are over developed in comparison to side, rear, and in many instances their pecs. 2. Their shoulders are pulled forward. 3. Many times their backs, especially the muscles of the traps (mid/lower traps, in which many people refer to as rhomboids) are under developed.
So, what do I suggest?
For every bench press movement do a horizontal rowing movement.
For every over head movement do a lat pull down movement.
For every shrug do a scapula depression (to work lower trap fibers).
For every Lateral raise and pec fly, perform a reverse fly for the upper trap fibers in the horizontal plane and rear deltoid fibers.
Do internal/external rotations to strengthen the rotator cuff.
Layoff front delt work.
Stay congnizant of maintain good posture: Shoulders back, NO FAKE LAT SYNDROME!
Br
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