General Ackbar

 

Press play on the video above you can spare the 14 seconds especially to watch the beautiful cinematography Lucas has created. Go watch it now. Although General Ackbar is referring to the evil plot by the Imperial Forces to catch the Rebel Alliance unaware and not the human muscle it does create a nice lead up to this post. The focus of this post is the trapezius muscle. Chris Cooper shared an article that Adam Ball (who I have not had the pleasure of meeting) posted on the the mid trap last month and its importance in maintaining a neutral spine and correct posture, something I talked about earlier in Death of a Situp. I would like to expand on this idea but highlight the importance for athletic performance. 

A classic body building style routine usually contains some sort of upper trap activation, shrugs being the most common exercise. As a result of poor knowledge the upper trap is often the only section being stimulated and will develop an over dominance. As a result the upper trap will fire almost automatically on all lifts, talking away from the actual exercise the athlete is trying to perform. Quick lesson here is avoid the shrug- the upper trap will get lots of work through other lifts, specifically Olympic lifting. 

When dealing with the shoulder the rotator cuff often gets the bulk of the emphasis in shoulder health. The RC is exceptionally important but if the scapula is not stabilized to begin with the muscles of the RC are going to have a really tough time doing their job.  I first came across the idea of mid-trap importance when working with LSSU volleyball team. I was doing research into shoulder health and came across an article by Mike Robertson. (who has an awesome blog btw) The article talked about the scapula needing proper support to allow for correct function through out the rest of the upper body. Since arriving in Ottawa I have had this idea reinforced and expanded upon by the trainers that I work with. 

This is where the Middle and Lower Traps. enter the physiological picture. Their role is to stabilize and manipulate the scapula. The mid/low trap. are the foundation upon which the house is built. You can create a beautiful three story home with balconies off every window and a pool on the roof but if you neglected to lay a solid foundation all of your work will come tumbling down sooner than later. As a strength coach or even just a weekend warrior it is important to select exercises that highlight this area and focus on strengthening the mid back muscles. If a pitcher is required to throw a ball at 85 mph he is going to put serious stress on his shoulder and if the scapula is not secure the potential for injury increases dramatically.

Exercise  Selection

One of the best exercises....the push up. The push up is a great closed kinetic chain exercise for your upper body. Although you are performing a "push" type lift, if done correctly the push up yields considerable posterior activation. Be sure to place specific focus on the bottom of the movement by forcefully contracting your shoulder blades then driving up. (Picture pulling yourself to the ground rather than just falling.) Actually research how to do a push up properly, I had an athlete tell me yesterday that she always thought she at least knew how to do a push up, not so. I thought I knew how to paint a wall, brush up then brush down, until I went to work with my Dad. Do the research. 

Exercise 2 - Black Burns

Beside is a video from Defranco's place it is easier to watch the video than me explain each segment of the lift but keep in mind squeezing the shoulder blades and relaxing the upper trap. The girl on the right does a better job of staying face down and maintaining a neutral spine during the whole exercise. Plus the AC/DC that starts playing partway through the video is motivating in itself.

The overall message is that just because it is not the biggest muscle or the most visible does not  mean it is not equally important. As stated earlier a beautiful house on a shaky foundation will likely lead to a homeless family. Take the time in your workouts to emphasis your mid/low traps and all of your core lifts will increase as a result. Here is this article simplified in  7 words, "Squeeze the scaps, relax the upper trap"

-Our Strength grows out of our weakness. - Emerson