Ladies, Your Trapezius and You
February 25th 2007 08:01
Only known woman trap trainer in the world?
The trapezius is that muscle that runs between the neck and the shoulders,which on American football players and strength athletes bulges up like a triangle to the side of the neck. Maybe that's its limitation. It looks huge on some men,so women believe that it is going to make them look freaky, if they try to work it a little. I've spent some ink in the past debunking the whole idea that a normal and unaltered female will develop anything like freaky muscles.Today I'll confine myself to discussing what that ridiculous phobia is costing women.
In my last post I discussed osteoporosis and the belief that calcium pills will avert it.(Resistance training is a better bet.) An adjunct to osteoporosis is the very sad deformation of older women called in the vernacular "the dowager hump." Dowager is a very revealing term. Is its use based on observation i.e. do wealthy women develop the hump frequently? Is there a relationship between the wealthy status of a woman and the stoop of osteoporosis? If you read the last post you will probably guess that I think there is. We associate wealth with leisure and that's the key. If you do not work your muscles, your bones will not grow or even maintain their original density.
Nevertheless, osteoporosis can led to the bent spine that afflicts many of the elderly. That is why I have been cogitating about women and their trapezius muscles. I am of the opinion that anyone who wants to stand straight in his/her elder years has a better chance, if they work their trapezius muscle with regularity. If fact I don't think there is any substitute for it.
Why? To exercise the trapezius one must hold a weight in the hands and raise it up under the chin with the elbows held high and lower it again in a controlled manner(the Upright Row). This can be done with the hands placed together on a barbell, with dumbbells, or on a cable machine using a short handle attached to the bottom clip on the stack. Anyone who does any of these will immediately feel the effect upon the trapezius. Importantly, however, the trapezius cannot be stimulated to any degree without activating the musculature down the center of the back and thus along the spinal cord. That simply means that the practice of trap work will cause the muscles along the spine to alert those bones to add to their density to withstand the load. Strong bones mean standing straight.
I should include the Shoulder Shrug as an alterative trap exercise. It involves the choice of the same equipment as above and the movement is with a wide grip and a controlled shrugging of the shoulders, maybe even holding it at the top for a two count. The effect on the skeletal structures of the spine is pretty much the same. This movement, though, is one where the weight should be fairly heavy and that means a real stimulation of the erector muscles in the back and thus denser bones.
Further stimulation of all the components of a straight up posture can be found in the "farmer's carry." This involves grabbing a set of heavy dumbbells or plates and setting out for a walk across the gym. Wrap a strap around the weights, if you are worried about your grip. Do this one and you'll feel your body's walking tall apparatus being challenged for sure.
Ladies, I believe men can get bent over with age too, but let's face it, the hump is something women have to fear. That is why I would be happy to see some of you shrugging and upright rowing in the gym every day.Google the movements and watch some folks do them and then give all or at least one of these movements a try. I'll be straight up with you, you're gonna be glad you did. Your servant, as always.
| 40 |
| Vote |
Subscribe to this blog
