Glenohumeral Ligaments - The Last Line of Defense!

This article is on the ligaments of the glenohumeral joint in reference to “resisting” external rotation forces. Using cadavers, Kuhn and others isolated the glenohumeral ligaments in various positions of external rotation of a neutral or Abducted shoulder then applied incremental forces to anterior-chain tissues (subscapularis and/or long head of the biceps brachii).

Interestingly, two things were found: The capsule works as a “cylinder” that resists external rotation forces and secondly, the biceps brachii plays a role as a dynamic stabilizer during abduction by resisting external rotation forces. This tells me that if things break down in the shoulder (bursitis, tendonitis or rotator cuff tears), then not only will the biceps brachii and glenohumeral (GH) ligaments be the last ditch defense in stabilizing the glenohumeral joint, but will also be responsible for controlling external rotational forces.

Here’s the practical app: This can be very useful to understand with the many externally rotated positions many people place themselves during training: Shoulder presses, lat pulldowns, pull ups, reaching, chopping. By strengthening the scapulothoracic (ST) joint, we can spare repetitive stress on the tissues within and around the GH joint and encourage a fully functioning shoulder complex. Let’s start conditioning the mid/lower traps, rhomboids, serrati anterior to help propagate the forces from the lower body and trunk to into the shoulder with reduced stress on the GH tissues!

Increasing Upper Body Strength by Understanding Shoulder Function

Recently I've held a few workshops for a group of personal trainers and personal training students on shoulder function with a focus on scapulothoracic (ST) stability. After reflecting on my presentation and the many great questions that were asked, I wanted to find a simplistic way to approach a very complicated joint by addressing three concepts. Here they are:

FORCE COUPLES

By understanding the muscles that create a "pull" on a bone or joint, we can better understand its role as a stabilizer or mobilizer. In reference to the ST joint, the trapezius, serratus anterior, rhomboids, pectoralis minor and biceps brachii all have attachments to the scapula and pull in different directions to ensure proper joint kinematics - or "force-couple relationship".Humphery, 2004 discussed how important the force-couple relationshipo of the ST joint as being the "hinge for all functional strength and power". Below is an example of the trapezius and serratus anterior force-couple relationship.

PLANES OF MOTION

Multi-planar movement is a staple of every day life, rehabilitation and athletic development.Oyama, et. al., 2010 compared three-dimensional scapular kinematics during 6 scapular retraction exercises and found that all involved the force couple relationships of the trapezius and serratus anterior and encouraged posterior tipping, lateral rotation and depression of the ST joint - this is of great significance as I believe this will allow the scapula to rest properly upon the posterior thoracic cage at the desired 35-40 degrees which sets the client up for good posture statically and dynamically. Below is a diagram of the three planes of motion of the ST joint.

STABILITY WITH RAPID LIMB MOVEMENT

Planks are great - but we need to get away from ONLY implementing static stability exercises. This is where I believe many fitness professionals become stagnant. "Stability" has almost become the buzz word within the fitness world, but what does it really mean? Stability can best be defined as the ability to control force. These forces that are applied to tissues can originate inside or outside the body - think biomechanics & physics.

Our goal should be to prescribe a progessional training regimine that will allow our clients to improve static stability using isometric and reduced tempo movements with the intent of encouraging the same joint stability during rapid limb movement. In this article, Roy, et. al., 2009 shows a short term improvement with rehabilitating impingement syndrome patients gaining almost immediate benefit by changing the magnitude of forces and incorporating limb movement. Limb movement in this study was performed at "normal daily task" tempo - however, this definitely sets the stage for further investigation and theory that rapid limb movement can further encourage joint stability. In short, moving the arms rapidly can be a viable progression in improving ST dynamic stability - particularly during upward rotation.

Check out this exercise next time you're in the gym!

Gym Magazine Readers

Do you really think you're getting the best workout by staying on the treadmill, elliptical or recumbant bike always going slow and reading a magazine for 1-2 hours?

C'mon now. If you want to get sculpted and in-shape then you need to train like an athlete. Let's be honest: Generally speaking the most overweight individuals are on the aerobic equipment, while the most in-shape individuals are moving weights. This is not by accident. Recent studies have consistently shown that by increasing the intensity of your workout you can burn up to 10-15% more calories within a day than you would if you just "took a Sunday stroll".

Now, I'm not saying that long slow distance or walking is bad. I'm saying that if you want a hard, sculpted body, then you're going to have to force your body to adapt - lift something heavy many times!

Learn how to lift weights properly. Take initiative in your own health. Take your workouts to the next level.

Increase your intensity!

Choosing the Right Fitness Professional

I was asked very recently about how to choose a good personal trainer. In my opinion, a good personal trainer will not just be a "trainer", but a fitness professional. The professional must take into account the needs as well as what the client wants - which often may not be the same. Here is a general approach to a good fitness professional:

ASSESSMENTS:

Assessments help us determine what the client needs (movement analysis), what direction we will be taking our client (road map) and any special considerations that relate specifically to the client (injuries, health issues and goals). The professional will use this information to develop a periodized program specific to the client.

If a professional does not do any assessments or show a plan for success, then I'd call foul.

BEHAVIOR CHANGE vs. OUTCOME

An outcome would be losing 10 lbs. A behavior change would be encouraging a client to be accountable for their weekly training and meal frequency. If a behavior is changed, then the outcome will follow with a focus on implementing these aspects PERMANENTLY into their lives.

Placing your focus on the outcome will leave the client psychologically unchanged in their approach to a plan and can set them up for a fall.

RECORD KEEPING

Does your trainer wing it? Do they ask you what YOU feel like doing in the workout? Answer this: Why pay them if YOU are going to be dictating the workout. I often tell my students, there is a large difference between winging it and changing on the fly. No plan = winging it. Implementing planning flexibility in a changing environment = changing on the fly.

On top of this, how will the trainer record the client's success? It's through validity and reliability that testing (assessment) protocols are founded. If there is no value, how can the trainer help the client? They won't.

Find the value and measure the success. Photos, workouts, re-assessments, body measurements - ANYTHING.

SUMMARY:

Ultimately, I look at everyone as an athlete regardless of age, gender or goals (it's the strength coach in me...). Next time you're with your trainer, or you are thinking about hiring a trainer - take these bits and use them to your advantage.

Good luck!

What does "Core" really mean?

Everyday this word is used and usually represents one thing: Abs. Rock. Hard. Solid. Abs.

But what if we could do more? What if we could take the term "Core" and use it a bit more intentionally in our workouts to benefit everything we do?

In this article, encouraging deep trunk stabilization training with limb movement has shown to reduce low back pain. However, it is to my belief that encouraging deep core activation (or co-activation of the muscles that stabilize the lumbar/sacral region) can have a stronger impact on how much force, speed and endurance the limbs can move.

So... Next time you're wanting to bench more, squat more or simply just become more mobile - try incorporating deep core development with active limb movement along with your "ab exercises."

Try this one out for size during your next workout!

What is a Dynamic Warm Up?

Encouraging some form of a dynamic (movement) based warm up or preparation before training or competition has been a common approach in the industry. Increasing core temperature is key, however encouraging neuromuscular programming and efficiency of of movement is shown in this article to be a product of a dynamic-based warm up.

Physical therapist, Gray Cook has referred to this as "Core Sequencing", a way to "kick-start" the neuromuscular system before events which will call into play the hierarchical structures/tissues of the kinetic chain.

The goal for all of my clients regardless of training age is to have the ability to sequence movements into some form of a dynamic preparation.

Try this exercise before your next workout!

Smith Machine or Free Weights?

A common question I get asked is this: "Nate, which is better - free weights or machines?" In fact, if I was given a nickel for every time I've heard this phrase, I'd be writing this blog from somewhere in the Caribbean. The fact is, both machines and free weights have a wide variance of advantages and disadvantages based on the clients specific needs.

In this study, they compared bench pressing using two different modes: Smith Machine and Barbell. Using EMG (measurement of the electrical activity delivered to the activating muscle) they determined that activation of the pec major and anterior deltoid were about the same. The difference was with the middle deltoid - which was HIGHLY more active during the Barbell bench press than with the Smith Machine.

This increase in activation was linear to the increase of resistance. In other words, the heavier the weight, the more the muscle had to work. (Simple, yet so elegant.)

Reasons for the increased activation of the middle deltoid, they concluded, was that this global mover would actually fire as a GH (glenohumeral) stabilizer. Fascinating! What I would like to know is how the lower trapezius, pec minor and SITS muscles respond. Assuming there is less activation of the deep core muscles during the Smith Machine bench press, does that have an influence on the reduced activation of the middle deltoid? Increased activation of the SITS muscles? Interesting...

Overall, their final conclusion was supporting the Barbell bench press for improved upper body strength development - and I would agree. One of the greatest benefits of exercise is creating the path of motion yourself. This leads to improved kinesthetic sense, increased calorie expenditure & fiber recruitment and overall movement quality (granted the structural integrity of the kinetic chain is sound).

So dust off those benches and don't be afraid to move a little iron around!

Post Workout Meals

The saying: "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day", has been handed down from parent to child for many years. While this iconic meal is very important, for those of you wanting to increase muscle or lose fat there is one other meal you may want to consider:

The Post Workout Meal.

Current research suggests that after a hard workout, the human body is depleted of its nutrients and is more able to absorb more from the food we eat to encourage replenishment.

On top of that, the following article states that a ratio of 1:2 protein to carbohydrate intake (as compared to just carbohydrate) following your workout can have a very significant impact on increasing muscle protein synthesis. This is good news which can lead to:

• Increased daily calorie expenditure
• Increased fat loss
• Increased muscle growth
• Increased hormonal receptor response (leads to muscle growth)
• Improved body appearance!

So next time after your workout, remember to take in a quick digesting protein and carbohydrate meal to help encourage muscle synthesis and reinforce what you are working so hard to improve - YOU!

Task Specificity?

Lately, our focus has been the shoulder complex. Being the most mobile joint in the human body (and a joint we use everyday), I believe that many of us take our shoulders for granted. This often places forces on the joints that can lead to dysfunction or injury.

As a professional, understanding the dynamics of the shoulder can help us better serve our clientele.

In this article, the authors reviewed the roles of the shoulder muscles in task specific mechanisms during medial and lateral rotation. They found that during medial rotation, the subscapularis was called into play heavily. During lateral rotation, the supraspinatus, infraspinatus, serratus anterior and lower trapezius were called into play.

While this is no surprise, it was later noted that by increasing the rotational forces (resistance) that these muscles increased force output while the global movers (pecs, lats, delts) did not increase force.

Of interest, the scapulothoracic stabilizers contracted with more force as the torque increased. This provided additional stability at the ST joint while the deltoids provided dynamic stability.

Interesting! Another article proving that ST stability is the way to go! Think about throwing... The lower body & trunk are the power producers, the ST joint is the regulator/transmitter and the GH joint is the delecerator!

Cool! Cool! Cool!

Try this exercise to improve shoulder mechanics and improve injury resistance. Enjoy!

Our focus this week in class has been the shoulder complex and the different pathologies of scapulohumeral dysfunction. This article states that benefits of even one training day focused on improving shoulder dysfunction can have a benefit. Create new motor programming through quality exercise and lead the way to function!

Try this exercise to help improve shoulder stability and pave the way to improved movement of the shoulder. Oh, and for you tough guys... Remember - The better you move the MORE you lift. Enjoy!

PROMOTION - A New Beginning!

As an educator, it is necessary to stay up to date on changes, theories and research of your perspective industry. Whenever I address a new class I remind them that I always reserve the right to change my mind. Change is one of the dependable constants of life - and my website has been no exception.

I hope my clients and students enjoy the new format of the website - of which I thank my best friend and wife, Angela Regensburg for taking time to put into digital format everything that I wanted.

To kick off the new services, I am offering a promotion of $1 for two weeks of my online coaching services for the first 10 people that sign up. Here's what you can expect:

• Movement-based approach to exercise focused on improving mechanical function of the body to get the most out of your workouts. We are confident that this will be beneficial to those of you who want to improve strength, reduce fat, improve health, improve athletic performance and continue post-rehabilitation.

• Program Design

• Your personalized program design is just that – PERSONALIZED. After reviewing your needs, wants and direction I will personally create a winning program that will not only work, but also take into account your weekly availability, the resources you have accessible and your desired location of training.

• Email Consultation
• During the time of your membership, you will have access to email support. You can use this support to ask questions, pose comments and seek advice.

• Goal Setting & Direction Coaching
• After reviewing your needs, we get right down to business about what you really want out of an exercise program. We recognize that you are working hard for your results, so it’s only fair that you get the information and direction you need to succeed.

• Needs Analysis

• Our needs analysis includes a one of a kind approach to help gain an understanding of the specific needs of our clients. This can include: compatibility to exercise, injury prevention, postural review and movement screening

A Bit on the Shoulder Complex

The shoulder complex is a very complex series of joints, capsules and deep tissues to encourage one thing: Integrity and mobility of the most movable area in the human body. The four joints that make up the shoulder encourage both a "stable" and "mobile" environment.

In my opinion, the shoulder complex is best described in this fashion by renowned strength coach Mike Boyle in this article.

Here, Boyle covers multiple joints and their disposition to "crave" stability, mobility or both. Simply put, the scapulothoracic (ST) joint (which is the scapula resting on the posterior thoracic cage) needs stability. Muscles that help encourage the proper force couples of this joint include the Serratus Anterior, Lower Trapezius, Pectoralis Minor and Biceps Brachii.

What needs to addressed as well are the infamous four rotator cuff muscles which aid in stabilizing the Glenohumeral (GH) joint. The GH joint is the most interesting as it is designed predominately for mobility - but also needs stability. I've seen many throwing athletes having the ability to develop the concentric forces needed to project an object, but fail to possess the eccentric forces necessary to slow down the throwing arm which can lead to probably injury or overuse.

When training the shoulder, consider this: Am I doing too much? Some training programs include a full "shoulder" day on top of all the pushing and pulling of other multi-joint movements. Is this really necessary? In my opinion, no.

Knock out the shoulder day and focus mostly on the horizontal and vertical pushing/pulling and supplement the workout with your favorite delt exercises. Committing a full day to shoulders could possibly lead to overuse injuries such as impingement syndrome, labrum tears or scapulo-humeral dysfunctions.

Compound Exercises

When it comes to exercise selection, choose exercises that are functional in nature. Research suggests that multi-joint, multi-planar exercises encourage increased calorie expenditure and muscle fiber recruitment. Meaning:

1. More calories are being consumed

2. Increased lean body mass (muscle) is probable

Both of these concepts are very important to consider when wanting to lose body fat and improve your appearance.

Try out this exercise in your next workout!

Research

In my research this afternoon I just read an amazing article that taught me something new: During the modified Thomas Test, if there is abduction of unresisted leg, that two possible probabilities are a reduced lengthening (tightness) of the TFL and Sartorius.

This makes sense to me as the Sartorius is a muscle built as a synergist and would be called into play should the primary agonists of hip flexion shut down or be called into over-time. The TFL joins the Gluteus Maximus to form the IT band - it's attachment to the Tibia easily can cause abduction

Good times.

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More information on the health and fitness industry to come.