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Weak-point training: quick fixes for your trouble areas. This month: shoulders

Men's Fitness, June-July, 2005 by Alwyn Cosgrove

WE ALL KNOW THAT GUYS NEED their space, and their shoulders are no exception. If you've plateaued on any overhead pressing exercise, it's likely your shoulders have simply run out of room to grow. You see, lifting a heavy load overhead is highly dependent on your ability to straighten your upper back--called thoracic extension--during the exercise. For most guys, it's a weakness they've ignored since Mom's pleas to sit up straight. Gone uncorrected, your upper back could become so tight it prevents you from extending your torso enough to develop a full range of motion in the shoulders. As a result, you may compensate by pressing the weight out in front of you or shouldering the load, both of which can grind joints and cause permanent damage.

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HERE'S WHAT YOU DO

Try the dumbbell reverse Chek press (named after training and rehabilitation expert Paul Chek) on your first training day of the week, putting it first in your workout. Stand holding a pair of light dumbbells, palms facing each other, and raise your arms to shoulder-level in front of you. Bend your elbows 90 degrees [1]. Press the weights straight up [2], then rotate your arms outward until your palms face forward. Lower the weights to the sides of your body until they're just outside shoulder-width (as if you were finishing a normal dumbbell shoulder press) [3]. Perform 2-3 sets of 15-20 repetitions, resting 30-60 seconds between reps.

The neutral grip (palms facing each other) will increase thoracic extension at the top of the movement, while lowering the weights to the outside of your shoulders will build impressive muscle mass just like the classic shoulder press. Bottom line: Nothing is going to crowd you again.

Alwyn Cosgrove is co-owner of Results-Fitness in California (alwyncosgrove.com).

Weak-point training: quick fixes for your trouble areas. This month: shoulders

Men's Fitness, June-July, 2005 by Alwyn Cosgrove

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