How to improve your overall stand?

H

Hardsmoker

0
So, i am not too impressed with my overall stand. My shoulders aren`t back as they should be, they are in front and there are like 2 small wings on my upper back.

I am quite happy with my current workout rutine, but will it improve my overall stand too, or should I add some extra exercises?
My workout rutine is as follows: (atleast 2 days rest between training days)

DAY 1:

Squats,
Bench press,
Bent over row,
Shoulder press,
Bicep curl,
Abs,
Back extensions on floor

DAY 2:

Leg extension,
Leg curl,
Flys,
Flys backwards,
Close grip bench press,
Hammer curl,
Abs,
Back extensions on floor.

Thanks in advance
Hardsmoker
 
You should put cardio in there and IMO i think you don't need as much rest as your taking
 
Is 1 day of rest really enough between day1 and day2? I could get overtrained that way.
+ I don`t have a cardio and there isn`t no place for running. What about jumping with a rope?
 
thats cool i will try the 48 hour thing, but lets not forget this thread is about my overall stand...any other suggestments besides running which is quite difficult for me right now?
 
You don't need cardio or hiit if you don't want to do it. It's certainly not going to advance your obvious goal of gaining muscle mass. :D

As for the "stand", you need some traps! Deadlift and Shrugs. That'll fix you.

Compound > Isolation

You've got too much isolation crap there.
 
Postural muscles are difficult to hit with compound movements. Your technique has to be perfect. Also, the weight you would need to do an effective compound lift would be too much to target the smaller muscles effectively. Shrugs will do little to nothing for your posture, deadlifts will help your lumbar spine positioning but do little for the mentioned area.

You need to target your middle traps, and more specifically your rhomboids to get your shoulderblades to retract properly and stay that way. Here is what you need to do:

First we need to target your middle and lower traps. Hop on the lat pulldown, preferably a cable machine. Experiment with the weight so that you are challenged by 10 reps. Basically, you are doing a normal lat pulldown, with emphasis on the bottom of the contraction. If you dont know this exercise, get a trainer to show you. (There are far too many wrong ways to do this one.) Your emphasis, as stated, should be at the bottom. Imagine trying to tuck your elbows in your back pockets. You will have to drop your shoulders and retract your shoulder blades (squeeze them together) simultaneously at the bottom of every rep.

Next, we need to target the rhomboids. Hop on the pec deck / rear delt machine if you have one. Sit down facing in, as if you were to do the illustrated rear delt exercise. Now raise the seat up so that when you do the rear fly motion, your arms will be an inch or 2 lower than your shoulder joint. Sit up as tall as you can, your chest should come up and out some. Your palms should be facing down. Set the weight so that you can barely do 10. Relax your traps and let your shoulders drop. Be sure that you are squeezing your shoulderblades together at the end of each rep. Do 3 sets like this with around 1 min rest between.

Stretching your chest will compliment these exercises nicely. If you do this properly, 2-3x a week, you should see a framatic improvement within 2-3 weeks. If you don't, you may need to see a chiropractor and have him take a look at your spine. However, by your description, you have nothing to worry about, it sounds like a common muscle imbalance.
 
"If you don't, you may need to see a chiropractor and have him take a look at your spine."

The rest of your advice is okay, but that's just wrong.:eek:

If you want someone to look at your spine, go to a real doctor. Chiropractors are woo quacks, no better than psychics, homeopathy, ayurveda or any other crazy BS.

Chiropractic is based on "Subluxation Theory," which claims that vertebral subluxations are practically the root of all illness and disease. In the 1950s, the National Chiropractic Association went so far as to campaign against Polio vaccinations and claim that chiropractic adjustments were the only suitable treatment for Polio.

Obviously that was wrong.

Some chiropractors are better than others They aren't all total quacks, however, they can't do anything beneficial for you that your family physician can't do. Also, many of them do still believe that chiropractic adjustments are suitable replacements for all forms of vaccinations because chiropractic institutions still teach subluxation theory.
 
Its hard to bulk up when doing full body workouts.

what you have to remember is this. You dont need to work your arms!!!!

If you dont have much time, then you'll be far better off putting the time and effort in to larger muscle groups. Plus, if your doing your exercises properly you shouldnt even be able to work your arms.

if your arms do fall behind in strength, they will soon catch up when you start to increase your weight and there is more strain during regular exercises.

Your shoulder problems is prob because you have over trained your chest in the past and under worked your traps. So your chest is tighter and pulling your shoulders forward.


for a full body workout 3times a week try...

dead lift, clean and press
deadlift (heavyer weight that before)
Squat (back squat)
chest press
chin ups, with ab crunches
twisting sit ups.

3x10 of each, then after 1month try 4x7-8

there is no point in using any sort of leg machine, stick with your squats.

for 2 workouts try
1
deadlift clean and press
deadlift, (shrug and calf raise)
dumbell shoulder press
squat

2
chest press wide grip
cable flye (or decline dumbell flye)
chinups
hanging leg raises
wood choppers (hi and low cable)

any problems with understanding try or reply here.
 
I agree you should be cautious about chiropractors, however they are not all "quacks". Many of them are indeed though. Chiropractors are much like personal trainers. Many of them are idiots, while there are some real pro's out there too. I am learning that doctors are not exempt from this. Many of them have a very questionable methods.
 
I think if my back hurt, I would go to the chiropractor. If I were sick, I would go to the doctor. That seems to make sense.

I went to the chiropractor for the first time a month ago. Seemed good to me, checked out my spinal alignment and said I was good. Gave me a quick adjustment and I was on my way. I think its mainly stereotypical towards chiros.
 
Manofkent, I have 2 questions about the suggested routine. Why direct chest work in the form of flys, but no direct back, arm or shoulder work? No rowing anywhere?
 
Chinups for lats
deadlift and clean for traps, better than rowing as you have a full range of movement in your lower back and your working your muscle as a much higher intensity.

I always knew the benefits of deadlifts and cleans on paper, but untill I really go in to doing them last year I never knew they we so amazing.

1 set of deadlift and cleans is worth at least 3 bent rows.

the reason im sugesting chest flyes is to work the whole of the muscle. as deadlift clean and press works the whole of the traps and shoulders.

sholder detail, your using your rear delts when you lift the weight from the floor, your front delts when you clean, front and die delts when you press.

another reason why there is no more "direct work" is because people tend to over train, they have too many exercises in there workouts. by keeping it simply and safe like this they will learn to add to any exercises they feel they are lacking. so if they dont feel the back of shoulders were worked enough they can do some double pressing, or dumbell shoulders press... etc...
 
I consider rows an upper back exercise, the primary movers are completely different than deadlifts or cleans. As for traps, you are right in saying that they get hit well with cleans, but they primarily hit the upper traps, which does little for posture.

What your suggesting will hit his lower back nicely, and would be effective if Hardsmoker was suffering from some degree of kyphosis in the lumbar area (perhaps he is). However, this is not what he has described. Middle trap, lower trap, and rhomboids are what Hardsmoker needs to hit to correct his posture. These are hit with a rowing type movement or rear fly. There must be scapular protraction-retraction going on in there. This does not occur with a deadlift or a clean.
 
I believe the problem would be corrected over time with deads, but I think you right about adding bent rows.
 
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