Stand tall

[darkemeralds]

They're very big on shoulder retraction at ME Fitness. Apparently, if you keep your shoulders back and down, you get a safer and more effective workout, and you learn to offset the hunched position that a modern life of driving (or bike-riding) and computer use causes.

Shoulder retraction feels kind of weird--like sticking my boobs way out there. But when I got a look at myself (in the ubiquitous wall o'mirrors at the gym) I thought, damn! That's a figure-improver all by itself! Straight, square shoulders, longer-looking torso, and a kind of Superman thing that looked pretty good on me!

Cue cape fluttering in the breeze.

My trainer, Rebecca, is keen on form, and has shown me, in careful detail, how I can do squats without making my knees worse. She explained why two-second stretches are better than long ones. (I don't remember quite why, but I believe it and I'm gonna do that.) She makes me keep my elbows and knees in the right places to avoid injury, and has me balance on one foot and close my eyes, and she asked me if I was visual or kinesthetic. "Auditory," I said, and she quickly switched to explaining things in more words, which I thought very clever and considerate of her.

I had no idea about any of this stuff. Previous bouts of gym-going were hit and miss, and my crap knees are as much the result of poor workout practice as of fifty pounds of excess weight. Now I feel as if I can make systematic progress toward better body-use and improved strength and flexibility.

Then maybe in Zumba classes, I'll be able to shake things a little more gracefully.

Comments

[twasadark]

Interesting you should mention this. I'm also working on my posture as a result of sitting on my ass at my various jobs over the years and of course writing and surfing the web are also killer on the posture. I've recently moved to a standing desk (cleverly and cheaply accomplished via a quartet of cinder blocks under the legs of my current desk and a stool off craigslist for when I want to sit).

I expect the posture issue to help keep my chiropractic visits down as well ... now if I can just keep it up.

[darkemeralds]

Good idea on the standing desk! As I've lost weight, I've felt more comfortable on my feet (not surprisingly), but even so, my work is so computer intensive that I don't think I could do it standing--it would be too many hours a day.

I'm feeling some relief already from shoulder strain, and I expect to continue to improve as I develop those neglected and stretched-out muscles in back, and stretch the poor little contracted ones in front.

It's 10 O'Clock--Do You Know Where Your Elbow Is?

[executrix]

A lot of the frustration in early learning any movement system is the teacher telling you to change the relationship between Body Part A and Body Part B when you can't feel where either of them is...but a predictable part of continued practice is better proprioception, so you'll be able to understand what they mean and do what they say!

Re: It's 10 O'Clock--Do You Know Where Your Elbow Is?

[darkemeralds]

It was VERY gratifying when I got it--the shoulder thing. The trainer's face changed and she relaxed, and it felt like such a victory.

I had two sessions with a different trainer, and have now switched, so I'm getting the benefit of two very different ways of describing and explaining the same set of things. Very helpful.

Re: It's 10 O'Clock--Do You Know Where Your Elbow Is?

[darkemeralds]

PS: The foam roller arrived yesterday. Thank you again!

Re: It's 10 O'Clock--Do You Know Where Your Elbow Is?

[executrix]

You're very welcome! Hope it helps!

[branchandroot]

*wry* Oh yeah. My LMT is after me to do planks, to strengthen my back muscles and transverse abs so I can keep my shoulders properly down and back. I suspect a lot of physio people are focusing on that now, since it does such dreadful things to the rest of the body.

[darkemeralds]

"Planks?" she asked curiously.

I'm amazed at how much better I feel with my shoulders retracted. I breathe better, for one thing, and that's not a minor consideration in overall health. (Also, it ups the va-va-voom factor, for what that might be worth.) As I was stuck all day today sitting in a training seminar, I noticed that by keeping my shoulders back and down, and my arms at my sides whenever practical, I felt more awake the whole day. That has to be an oxygen and blood-flow thing, I think.

[branchandroot]

Planks are like reverse sit-ups. You lie on your stomach and lift your legs and shoulders just off the ground. They're very good for all those muscles and very hard!

[darkemeralds]

Oh! I saw someone doing that at the gym the other day. It looked very hard!

[executrix]

I thought "planks" like in yoga--i.e, when you're in Forward Bend, you walk your hands forward until you're in push-up position. Which is practically the opposite of your kind of planks, except for both being very tough to do properly.

[branchandroot]

I'd suspect parallel terminology. Though I think that version is also engaging the transverse abs.