Mirror Muscle

I was approached by a buddy in the gym today in regards to internal rotation of the shoulder. He was asking how to correct for overly rotated shoulders. This problem can be seen in many commercial gym settings as well as athletic gym settings. Internally rotated shoulders can be the result of our daily lives, an over-emphasis on "mirror muscles", or a combination of both. Chronically working the pecs and anterior delts combined with ignored posterior delts, scapulae, and rhomboids creates this shoulder rotation. To coincide with this, our daily lives are full of movements that occur with internally rotated shoulders from typing on the computer to pushing a door open. These result in a tightening and shortening of the anterior muscles while the posterior muscles are stretched and weakened.



To correct for this there needs to be a focus on the posterior delts. Rows, external rotation, and scupular retraction should be a basis of correction. Stretching of the pecs (both major and minor) needs to be included as well. A correction of this may take some time so be patient. Stop worrying so much about trying to have the best chest when the rest of your body is wack. In addition to correcting and creating a healthier shoulder joint you will also make yourself look better. Pulling the shoulders back will actually make you look bigger and have more of an "athletic" frame. Or for the females our there, pulling the shoulders back will make your two friends "sit up" nicely.



There are many aspects of fitness and training that most people ignore. Everyone thinks that chest and "abs" are the only things needed to be trained because that's what makes them look good. WRONG! Take care of your entire body. Work both sides, the small muscles and the joints, and you will see that you look better, perform better, and stay healthier a lot longer.

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