Best Lower Trapezius Activation Moves: StabilityWOD 51 

Thanks glad it was helpful.

Catherine Norman psyched you liked the cue and can feel it firing in your low traps. Pulling down is often ineffective and often does the opposite to your shoulder because the lats contract so strongly. This is one of my favorite cues.

My pleasure. Yes the burn is unique and once you can tap into that feeling it should help with anything you do overhead.

Noah Dancaster thanks for the feedback. Let me know what you’d like to see next!

Should help a ton. Stay tuned for more on the scapula soon.

Thank you!

Yes it's often a big factor. Way more important than the rotator cuff.

Thanks for the question. Sounds like in question 1 you're asking about overhead press or an equivalent movement like hand stand push ups? Yes those movements have the "potential" to activate low trap very well (many movements above shoulder height do). But I don't like to rely on the movement and assume that will happen. It's more about your intention and position during the movement. In many cases when trying to activate, relaxing the neck and the upper traps will create more low trap firing. This is NOT pulling down on the scaps but rather relaxing them down. Similarly, screwing the shoulders into external rotation (equivalent of thumbs back when overhead) helps facilitate a more balanced firing of the traps. Note if your hand is on the ground (like in a handstand) or on a barbell (like an overhead press) you won't be able to point your thumbs back. But you can still ER the shoulder to screw into a better position for shoulder joint and shoulder blade. All that said, the 90/90 ER and the Victory position on the COS are my favorite to tease out low trap. Remember intention > exercise choice. Best of luck

Hi Jon. Diet is definitely an important part of moving past pain and injury. Anything that increases inflammation in the body has the potential to magnify your pain experience. Gluten is another common offender in some. I would encourage you to read the book “Unlearn Your Pain” by my colleague Dr. Howard Schubiner. It’s one of the best DIY books when it comes to understanding the new paradigm with how we look at pain and especially fibromyalgia. Fibromyalgia is not what we once thought it was and healing doesn’t have to take forever. Best of luck. You’re going to do great.

Merrill Performance thank you for the suggestion. I will definitely read that book. Continue to do what you do. You are helping people overcome and for that I am great full.

Are you already cured? Im having the same issues

stability is stop kyphos it stabilise the shoulders its also called face pulll in the gym smae principle athlean x used alot in th gym and every day purpose low traps bring shoulder blades back and down ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-MiRAi2KOfRQ.html

Stability is your ability to control movement (rather than produce it). If you can't reach overhead fully, for instance, you could have that limitation because your tissues are stiff. Or you could have it because your muscle don't know how to control it. Your brain knows that and so takes it away until you learn how. This is why mobility doesn't always last. Most of us need both. Some need more of one than the other.

Watch again and focus on my cue of relaxing your neck. Keep the resistance a bit lower and you should feel it in your mid back (some in your delt too). This is not about high resistance but is more about control and quality of movement. The more you practice, the less you'll feel your shoulders and the more you'll feel your shoulder blades.

Rhomboids tend to overwork. This will balance the shoulder blade muscles that do opposite things.

Engaging the “core” is a matter of intention. These movements give any athlete the opportunity to manage their little back position by using their abdominals to prevent hyperextension. Once you get the feel for the shoulder movements, you can add control of the low back to make the exercise even more robust. In other words the shoulder should be able to go for the overhead without the Loback changing position. Engage the abs first, then raise the arms.

She's an incredible athlete and person. No doubt.

well being good eye. Exactly why we were working with the COS system this day. Climbers are very lat dominant and she’s also right hand dominant. So getting her upper trap and lat to turn down so her low trap and serratus anterior could fire better was an early goal.

There are much better ways to do that ;)

Live in the present moment the movements > the bands are the important part. Sorry you’re feeling cynical “in the present moment” ;)

@@charliemerrill lol

That's why we're working on her lower traps :). A sure sign you need it is when your upper traps look too big.