I remember doing about 12 to 15 maximal reps between snatch, clean and jerk, and front squat a few years ago, and I was tired halfway into it. After the initial warm-ups, I would amp myself up for the maximal sets using imagery and cue words; purely psychological. I’ve increased my heart rate 50 beats per minute doing this while sitting in a chair using these methods (the pulse was obtained with a pulse oximeter).
It’s easy to intuitively know that “getting amped” can tire you out, but what is physiologically going on? Why is it tiring to do a lot of high intensity lifting? Or even high intensity conditioning workouts (as in CrossFit)? We can start by understanding epinephrine and norepinephrine (aka adrenaline and noradrenaline).
Chris uses epinephrine because it tastes good
Typically epinephrine and norepinephrine are secreted by the adrenal medulla, a part of the adrenal gland that sits on the kidney, but norepinephrine is also a neurotransmitter released by neurons in the sympathetic nervous system. There are lots of smart words here, but the sympathetic nervous system is summed up as the “fight or flight” response while the parasympathetic takes care of “rest and digest”. Both are necessary for sex, or at least good sex, but I digress.
These hormones are amino acid based, which means they are water soluble and therefore not fat soluble. If you can remember back to your basic biology days, cellular walls are made out of a phospholipid bilayer. In other words, cell walls are made out of fats and cholesterol — which is a mega huge raging reason you need to eat quality fats in your diet, but that’s another digression.
Anyway, epinephrine is not fat soluble, so it can’t just pass through cell walls. Instead, it attaches on receptors on the cellular membrane and creates a chain of reactions inside that cell; a process called a cascade. This cascade can change a lot of stuff going on in a given cell from just a little bit of epinephrine, and that’s why it’s effective; lots of change from just a little amount.
The primary effects of dumping epinephrine and norepinephrine into your body are increased heart rate and blood pressure (via vasoconstriction, or narrowing of specific blood vessels), increasing respiratory rate (via bronchodilation, or making lung airways bigger), increasing blood flow to muscles (via vasodilation), increasing blood sugar levels by breaking down stored glycogen in the liver, and lastly, increasing nearly every cell’s metabolism and burning glucose and breaking down proteins and fats.
Well fuck, there’s a lot going on there. Basically it preps the body for some sort of intense event, like uppercutting a predator or running from prison rape (but you can’t escape; it’s prison!). The part we are more concerned with is cellular metabolism. Burning glucose and breaking down proteins and fats means getting substrates ready for lots of action, but it isn’t sustainable. These macronutrients are stored in special ways, but they need to be broken back down to be used, which uses energy. After the event, you have consumed lots of energy and don’t have stores left, so you feel tired.
Imagine doing this every single workout multiple times a week until further notice; it’s metabolic madness. Do you understand now why doing CrossFit six days a week or lifting with a high frequency and intensity isn’t sustainable without performance enhancement drugs?
Furthermore, imagine if this cascade happened routinely from psychological and emotional stress. It’s easy to see why people use the term “adrenal fatigue”. Call it whatever you want, but getting stressed physically or emotionally is the same and it messes with your body. Understanding one little cog called epinephrine in the giant metabolic machine can show us how too much exposure can be debilitating. Or at the very least you know why you’re so damn tired after amping up in training or competition.
Usually Monday’s are about a female training topic. Today’s applies to both men and women with hypermobility, particularly with spinal position. You women will have to let me know what you want to hear about, because a year of female topics has left me out of ideas.
We spend so much time thinking about how to improve mobility and flexibility with tight, inflexible lifters that it’s easy to forget hypermobile trainees. While there are a few hypermobile guys, it mostly applies to women. The primary area or hypermobile concern is in the spine via over extension.
The above MobilityWOD video shows Kelly Starrett working with Jenny LaBaw, a CrossFit Games competitor. Jenny has a bad habit of over extending her spine during lifting (particularly during squatting and pulling movements). This not only leads to undue stress on the spine, but it also facilitates poor shoulder and neck positioning. The over extension can be addressed by cuing trunk stability — something that makes the person clamp down their lower abs — yet it the trunk would still round under heavy loads and only cuing the abdomen would leave out necessary hip musculature that can fix the problem.
In the video, Kelly states that Jenny is “hanging off of her hamstrings”. In other words, her hip is flexed (meaning the distance between the front of her trunk and her thigh has decreased) while standing, and her hamstrings are anchoring her trunk from falling over. The problem, as Kelly says, is that she has not effectively engaged the rest of her hip musculature — namely the gluteals and the rest of the external rotators. By activating this musculature, it more evenly distributes the force across those muscles to allow their involvement in the movement or to stabilize it. This concept is important in lifting because it takes a movement from “moving the bar from point A to B” to something that properly engages and works all of the musculature to produce more force safely. It’s more efficient, safer, and garners better performance (by either allowing more reps with light weight or applying more force with heavy weights).
Kelly cues Jenny to produce torque on her hip by actively pushing her knees out. However, instead of thinking about this as just moving the knees out, think about the knees moving out because the femur (thigh bone) rotates laterally (towards the outside). This produces the “torque at the hip” that Kelly frequently alludes to, but it helps contract and engage all of the musculature in pulling or squatting motions. I’ve also done several posts and videos to help explain this concept (“Hip Torque”, Toe Angle, and Squatting; Should I Point My Toes Forward?; and Public Service Announcement: Toe Angle) , and the same “torque to engage musculature” applies to pressing (The Lats While Benching and 3 Press Fixes).
Lastly, notice how Kelly coaches Jenny through a couple of movement drills that work on engaging this musculature through hip flexion in an abbreviated RDL and squat. He greases her through that beginning range of motion — right when the hip starts to flex and the spine accumulates load. These “drills” don’t need to be a primary focus, but a trainee could consider them a primer before warming up the large scale movement. They could also be implemented in assistance exercises; the RDL is an effective exercise for most athletes and it is only improved by emphasizing tension at the hips.
Whether you’re a coach or a trainee, you now know that when spinal over extension occurs, it can be eradicated by providing tension and torque in the rest of the hip area. And if you’re into Jenny in the video above, you’ll probably like this video too:
In “Shoulder Health – Part 1” I reviewed the musculature surrounding the shoulder and body posture. Posture is important because it dictates shoulder mechanics, specifically internal and external rotation.
IR=internal rotation and ER=external rotation
Shoulder rotation is easy to decipher: if the anterior aspect (front) of the humerus (upper arm bone) rotates medial (towards the middle of the body), that is internal rotation. If the anterior aspect rotates laterally (away from the middle of the body), then that is external rotation. This holds true regardless if the elbow is flexed or extended, or if the shoulder is flexed, extended, abducted, etc. For example, put your arms overhead. Turn the front of your biceps (which sit on the anterior aspect of the humerus) towards your ears; this is internal rotation. Now turn them back and to the outside, and this is external rotation. Coincidentally this external shoulder rotation while in flexion is what the training community refers to as the “overhead position” — which is the position in which a person can bear a load safely (i.e. with good mechanics).
But it’s important to understand why external rotation facilitates a good overhead position and is the basis for shoulder stability in all shoulder movement. There are several reasons that are intimately related: shoulder positioning, muscular involvement, and force distribution (or mechanics).
Shoulder Positioning
Simply put, external rotation keeps “the shoulder” back and down whereas internal rotation moves it forward. “The shoulder” is actually the articulation of the humerus into the glenoid fossa; this junction is collectively called the “glenohumeral joint”. This bony articulation will be the focal point when we observe if the shoulder is “back” or “forward”. Keep in mind that the glenoid is a part of the scapula, or shoulder blade, and scapular movement (up, down, in, or out) can influence shoulder position.
External rotation on the left, internal rotation on the right. Note the change in position of the glenohumeral joint. (I took the flannel off for clarity)
In the above picture, the shoulder is in neutral position (relative to anatomical position), and the elbow is flexed. But you can see this same glenohumeral movement even in extension or flexion (i.e. if your arms are overhead for shoulder flexion, you can see the glenohumeral joint move if you completely internally rotate compared to where they were in complete external rotation).
Click to see a larger image in more detail
This forward transition in internal rotation completely changes how the shoulder receives and distributes force (which we’ll talk about in the next two sections). But it also has an effect on thoracic spine positioning. The scapula is primarily held in place by the trapezius muscles and the rhomboids (see image right). So if internal rotation occurs, it pulls the scapula laterally to pull on those muscles that anchor the scapula. The result is that if the shoulder is in severe internal rotation, the thoracic spine cannot achieve quality extension.
This is easily seen in poor front squat or clean mechanics in CrossFit or Olympic Weightlifting. When the trainee flares their elbows out to the side (internally rotates the shoulders), their chest inevitably falls to round the upper back and usually also causes the lumbar spine to round (which may be directly caused by the thoracic spine or caused by the hip impingement from not shoving the knees out to externally rotate the hip). This severely inhibits good front squat mechanics and results in the trainee not training their musculature properly (it doesn’t work the upper back muscles, it shifts the center of mass forward, puts most of the weight and force application into the knees, and removes the gluteals and even the hamstring involvement, and undoubtedly contributes to “The CrossFit Quads“). The cure for this is to cue the elbows “up and in”. “Up” means shoulder flexion and “in” means external rotation in the front rack. This cue should be distributed en masse to all CF facilities.
Hard to find a good example, but flared elbows means internal rotation means flexed thoracic spine means ineffective exercise.
Glenohumeral positioning has an effect on thoracic extension. Furthermore, having limited mobility in the shoulder is compensated by the thoracic spine. Let’s assume a person that has a poor overhead position. They cannot achieve full shoulder flexion (straight up and down) much less do it with external rotation. Their straight arm is five degrees forward of vertical (example). In order to put the bar “overhead”, they will compensate by hyper extending their thoracic/lumbar junction by 5 degrees (see image right). This is bad for several reasons: 1) places undue stress on the thoracic/lumbar junction or the lumbar/sacral junction; 2) it caters to existing shoulder or hip immobility and makes it worse; 3) it does not allow the trunk muscles to properly stabilize or develop properly which 4) results in a lack of progress and strength development in the press and 5) probably leads to some sort of injury or irritation, whether it be in the shoulders or cervical/thoracic/lumbar spine.
Now you should have a good understanding that internal rotation and/or lack of shoulder mobility can influence the positioning of the glenohumeral joint, but also the spine when lifting.
Muscular Involvement
Look at the image of the posterior shoulder anatomy again. Review the video from part one. We already know that the shoulder is the articulation of the humerus with the scapula. We know that rotation of the shoulder can alter the positioning of this joint. and we also know that since the scapula sits on the back of the rib cage, most of the musculature holding it in place is on the posterior side. There are some muscles that attach on the anterior aspect of the shoulder, but most of the important muscles are posterior. Also keep in mind that there is not a lot of structural stability in this joint — the muscles that attach around the glenoid and the head of the humerus hold everything in place. When you make a fist, your have some tissue surrounding a lot of bones. Your shoulder is pretty much two bones touching with a lot of muscles wrapped around it.
I point the anatomy out, because how these muscles are used matters. Previously mentioned muscles like the traps or rhomboids will effect scapular positioning, but the health of the shoulder joint lies with what people call “the rotator cuff” muscles: the supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor, and subscapularis. Other muscles like the teres major and lattisimus dorso play vital roles in shoulder mechanics.
The point isn’t to learn all of these muscles, but to the general role that shoulder musculature plays, especially regarding lifting. Some muscles externally rotate while others internally rotate. We already know that external shoulder rotation is efficient and desirable, but the muscle action supports this.
Without good coaching, a trainee will perform a press, bench press, or push-up however they can. They’ll utilize existing musculature to try and get the job done. But internally rotating the shoulders leaves out a lot of musculature, and thus stability in the shoulder. By externally rotating, all of the muscles that externally rotate will contract and all of the muscles that internally rotate will lengthen with tension. This last part is important, because in a well excecuted bench press the internal rotators will be taut and help stabilize the joint. In the same way that the hamstrings lengthen with tension during a squat, the internal rotators will be stretched, yet apply lots of tension to play their role in holding the shoulder in place.
On top of this added stability, the proper external rotation in this bench press also allows the distribution of force into other muscles (like the pecs and triceps) without exposing an area or structure to undue injurious stress. In other words, by using external rotation in pressing and pulling movements, more musculature is being used properly, which helps a trainee get stronger. This is also why people who internally rotate (and flare their elbows) will eventually experience pain or injuries. For example, conventional powerlifting lore says that pressing overhead is bad for the shoulders — and they are right! If you press overhead with crappy mechanics, you should expect to destroy your shoulders.
Force Distribution
I use the term “force distribution” to refer to what muscles are being utilized in a given movement. By lifting with quality shoulder positioning and mechanics, the muscles around the shoulder work in symphony to apply force. Proper technique yields comprehensive muscular action and development. I use the phrase “even force distribution” to mean that one muscle or muscle grouping is not solely relied on to complete a movement, and instead it is distributed evenly across all of the muscles that are supposed to be used.
For example, above I critiqued the poor CrossFit girl’s front squat technique (she needs lifting shoes too). By flaring her elbows on her front rack she drops her chest to a) round her upper back and b) drop the bar forward on her shoulders. When the bar shifts forward, it moves her overall center of mass forward, and then her knees and quads receive the brunt of the responsibility to stand up with the weight. In a quality clean or front squat, the load will stay centered to allow all of the muscles of the thighs and hips to apply force. In this case all of the gluteals, the hamstrings, and her lateral quadriceps are not contributing to the movement. Whether she’s doing the front squat for strength or conditioning, her coach is letting her not train her musculature as efficiently as she could. A crime, really.
Back to shoulder anatomy. If internal rotation occurs on pressing movements, then force is unevenly distributed. Specifically, the acromioclavicular joint (where the tip of the shoulder meets the clavicle) receives a lot of stress. This is also the same region as the proximal biceps tendon and the insertion of the supraspinatus. This means that these two tendons (biceps and supraspinatus) are often irritated, strained, and later frayed or torn when bad mechanics are used chronically.
In order to have even distribution across the shoulder muscles we must have good shoulder positioning, and this is done by using proper external rotation with respect to the exercise being performed. Good position allows for the proper muscles to act not only in the way they evolved to act, but in symphony with each other (this is an important point that is the reason that compound, multi-joint exercises are optimal for strength training and rehab). Since the positioning and musculature are correct, the force application is evenly distributed so that the muscles do their job, keep the joint safe, and get stronger.
The problem is that all of this is either inhibited or not possible with crappy shoulder mobility. And that is the topic in Part 3.
I’m here to lift you up, overhead in a pressing movement, to protect you from harm. And that harm comes from a formidable opponent. One that will belligerently scoff and argue with you until the end of time. That opponent is yourself.
Allow me to explain! Your sense of womanly propriety is going to kill your squat! No, I don’t mean putting a strap on your boobs (link is unbelievably safe for work) or wearing makeup — I mean crossing your legs and wearing high heels!
I once coached a girl who could barely squat or bend down without her knees touching each other. She had learned to keep her legs together because it’s the “womanly thing to do” when wearing a skirt or dress. After all, a womanly woman doesn’t want to have a Britney Spears-like-hooha incident. The unfortunate result is that her muscles adapted to this chronic application of poor mechanics to the point of having non-existant external hip rotators, shortened groin muscles, a lack of hamstring musculature, and a lack of quad development. I’ve seen women who literally push their knees together as a brace for standing up in the same way that your grandparents use a cane.
These examples represent the extreme, but chronically sitting cross-legged or with the legs together will probably create some muscular limitations. For example, one of the regular female 70’s Big readers once lamented how her lack of mobility in her internal hip rotators (the groin area) was inhibiting her split position in the jerk; I could see this being caused by “womanly sitting”. Merely standing up with the knees close together can also contribute to shortened internal rotators. The motion typically involves the knees pushed in and forward while the woman cantilevers her torso to push herself into a standing position with her knees; this completely removes the hamstrings and hips from the standing up motion. As a result, new clients or trainees may have a bit of trouble with exercises like squatting and will need to open their hips before training.
Combine dress-wearing etiquette with the likelihood of wearing high heels, and we have a situation that would make Kelly Starrett’s head explode. The raised heel severely alters the mechanics of the entire lower body; the ankle is placed in severe plantar flexion to change the force application on the foot, and force easily reverberates up into the knees, hip, and back. Woman know this is occurring because high heels are uncomfortable, yet they wear them anyway.
If the discomfort of wearing high-heel shoes were not enough, try this on for size: The point of a spike heel worn by the average-sized woman is subjected to nearly 2,000 pounds of pressure per square inch with every step she takes. The force is shot into the heel and reverberates up the entire body. When air travel was in its infancy, women wearing high heels were actually prohibited from boarding airplanes because the heels of their shoes might pierce the thin metal floors.
Yikes. Not only do high heels put a lot of force on structures that weren’t adapted to handle the stress in that manner, but they also shorten the calves — an area that is almost always in need of “opening” for improved mechanics in lifting and athletics. Whether you’re planning on squatting, running/sprinting, snatching, cleaning, or jerking, making the calves tight will only be counter-productive.
What’s a girl to do?
Am I suggesting that you not wear skirts or heels? Absolutely not! What I’m actually saying is this: TAKE YO SHOES OFF AND SPREAD YO LEGS — WHOOOOOOOOOOWEEEEEEEEEEE!
Man, I really wanted to end the post right there. But I need to clarify my advice so that all of you don’t take it literally and emulate Paula Broadwell. ZING!
Okay…c’mon guys…focus.
No, I’m not saying that you shouldn’t wear dresses or heels. But, when you do wear skirts or heels, know that you’ll have some extra mobility work to do on the structures you shorten. You can also help yourself by avoiding this attire on days when you are plan to squat or Olympic lift, especially if you’re going heavy. While wearing a dress isn’t a big deal — especially if you’re diligent with mobility work — it’d be a good idea to limit the frequency of wearing heels in a week. Those gals who change from tennis shoes to heels as they arrive at the office have already figured that heels are inherently bad. You could even save the heels for a special occasion, like those times when you want to seduce a four star general.
Crossing legs and wearing heels won’t destroy your training, but doing so regularly without extra mobility attention will result in chronically tight structures. The result could be injurious, but it will most likely result in inefficient lifting technique. Figure out what’s more important: training or looking good at work. And if it’s the latter, then get working on that mobility like you’re working on a rousing biography.
I’ve been getting a lot of shoulder health questions lately and decided to compile some of the information into a series of posts. This first post is about posture and subsequent posts will be on shoulder rotation, mobility work for the shoulder, and applying this information to training or sport.
The shoulder is an interesting joint because it evolved to have good mobility, but poor stability; in contrast, the hip has poor mobility but good stability. The shoulder is composed of the humerus (upper arm bone) fitting into the glenoid fossa (the socket of the ‘ball and socket joint’) of the scapula (the shoulder blade), but is primarily held together through muscles on the anterior and posterior (front and back respectively) sides. The following video is excellent at showing the musculature of the shoulder joint (though the joke at the end couldn’t be crappier).
Improving shoulder health or mobility isn’t simple; it requires an understanding of how the upper body integrates in the ability to achieve good or bad positioning. Poor mobility in the shoulder will prevent the person from getting into good position and results in bad mechanics, or inefficient transfer of force. Poor force transfer loads structures incorrectly or incorrectly and wears them down resulting in trauma. Do this enough and there will eventually be an injury or dysfunction. At the very least you won’t be strength training properly and will poorly develop musculature and strength.
Given the shoulder’s unique anatomy, it often requires targeted care to maintain its function and alleviate discomfort. Registered massage therapy can play a crucial role in addressing the imbalance between mobility and stability in the shoulder joint. For those seeking professional help, trust Inspine Therapy to provide expert care tailored to your needs. Their skilled therapists use a combination of therapeutic techniques to address shoulder issues, ensuring a comprehensive approach to managing pain and promoting recovery. By focusing on the muscles that stabilize and move the shoulder, therapists can help improve flexibility, reduce pain, and enhance overall joint function.
In addition to the specialized services offered at Inspine Therapy, exploring other reputable options for shoulder care can also be beneficial. Facilities that provide a multidisciplinary approach, including physical therapy, chiropractic care, and acupuncture, can further enhance recovery by addressing the shoulder from multiple angles, ensuring a well-rounded treatment experience tailored to individual needs.
One notable clinic is a physical therapy henderson nv location that emphasizes a holistic approach to treatment. Here, patients are guided through personalized rehabilitation programs designed to address their specific needs. The therapists employ a variety of techniques, including manual therapy and targeted exercises, to restore mobility and strengthen the surrounding muscles. This clinic recognizes the importance of patient education, equipping individuals with the knowledge and tools necessary to manage their conditions effectively and prevent future injuries.
To address shoulder health effectively, incorporating professional massage therapy can be crucial. Massage therapy helps by increasing blood flow, reducing inflammation, and promoting relaxation in the shoulder muscles. This approach not only aids in improving mobility but also assists in preventing the trauma associated with poor mechanics.
For those looking to optimize their shoulder health and prevent injuries, visiting a specialized clinic like https://www.athleteschoicemassage.ca/ can be highly beneficial. These clinics provide tailored massage therapies designed to address individual needs, focusing on improving mobility and strength in the shoulder. With regular sessions, you can expect a significant reduction in the risk of shoulder dysfunction and a more effective strength training regimen, leading to better muscle development and overall physical performance.
Posture
The first step in understanding shoulder health is understanding posture. It starts with correct spinal positioning and finishes with proper shoulder positioning.
Most people look like “round shoulders” above. This is the “thoracic flexion, shoulder internal rotation, cervical flexion, and atlas extension” that I always talk about make fun of. The thoracic spine is the upper/middle back, and flexion means that it rounds. Shoulder internal rotation refers to the shoulders rolling forward; external rotation rolls them back. The cervical spine is the neck, and flexion means that it is rolled down towards the chest. The atlas is the C1, or first cervical vertebrae, and that flexes or extends the actual skull (named after Atlas in Greek mythology because it supports the globe of the head). Despite the fact that the cervical spine is flexed forward, the atlas can be in extension to bring the chin up (as in the “round shoulders” picture above). The result is a wormy human being who definitely doesn’t lift. To review these and other anatomy motion terms, watch this video. I will now proceed as if you know the anatomical terms.
The “correct posture” above is the goal. To do this, tighten the lower abs and lift the chest towards your chin. The chin itself will be level with the ground. You can check this relationship by making the “rock on” sign with your fingers (middle and ring finger pulled down with the thumb on top of them, the pinky and index finger extended) and place your manubrium (upper sternum) and put your index finger under your chin. That will more or less put your chin in the proper position. Your spine should now be in a “correct posture” that allows it to transfer force efficiently.
It is no coincidence that this spinal position is the same you should use while lifting. Note that the cervical position should remain the same in lifting, and therefore eye gaze will adjust depending on the back angle of the exercise (e.g. the high bar squat will have a forward eye gaze while the low bar squat will have a slightly downward eye gaze).
Since your thoracic spine is in neutral position (which may be considered “extension” if you are always hunched over), slightly pull back the shoulders. This will put them in neutral position, yet it may feel like they are “back” since they are probably routinely rounded forward. This is the alignment you should aim to have most of the time. If you cannot achieve this position, it’s likely that all of your athletic endeavors are inhibited. More importantly, you’ll never get tan as a result of being jacked.
If you have trouble with posture, make a conscious effort to improve it. The world sees posture and bases an initial assumption on it; it’s part of a first impression. If you see a guy walk in a room like “round shoulders” above, do you have a positive view of him? I don’t; it indicates a lack of self confidence and attention to detail. If someone walks in with “correct posture” above, it indicates confidence and self-assurance. A communications book I read gave the suggestion to realign posture every time you pass through a doorway. It said to imagine reaching slightly up and lightly biting a piece of leather; this lifts the chin and subsequently the chest and pulls the lips slightly back to make a smile. It gives a visual cue to set proper posture before one of the most important social challenges: giving a good first impression. Do this every time you walk through a doorway and you’ll end up doing it upwards of 30 times a day. Not only do you look like someone who actually lifts, but you’re getting constant reminders to set your posture throughout the day.
If you have poor shoulder mobility, I’d have to assume your posture is poor. Work on it with the tips above, because it’s vital for efficient force transfer in lifting as well as preventing injury.
If you have poor posture and sit down all day, also read this “Hyperlordosis” post.
