I received my first "muscleman massage" today. As previously discussed, at its base, bodybuilding is the deliberate, repeated breaking, then mending, of muscle tissue. However, it isn't quite that simple: Between the skin and muscle lies the fascia, which—over time—encases the ever-expanding fibers continually growing beneath it. This limits range of motion (the reason most who weight train walk around like they're stiff).* Massage stretches the fascia, which not only restores flexibility and, as a result, makes injury less likely, it promotes circulation, i.e., speeds recovery. |
Knowing this, I used the opportunity to save myself a little time . . . .
You can feel a muscle long before you can see it. Professional masseuses are experts on human musculature and, since mine had a hands-on knowledge of my current development, I had her evaluate various muscle groups and tell me what she felt.
I did this because bodybuilding is a very slow art since muscle growth takes time: Only when an area makes itself known can the athlete begin to make adjustments.
For example, as a person does back workouts week after week, it is only months later, once the muscle fibers have developed enough to be seen, that the individual becomes aware the lats are disproportionate to the traps. After another few months of hard work, the problem is finally fixed.
I simply had my masseuse tell me what the mirror wasn't able to yet.
She reported that my posterior deltoids (the back of the shoulder) are disproportionate to my medial (middle) and anterior (front) delts. In layman's terms, my shoulders are bigger in the front than in the back.
You can feel a muscle long before you can see it. Professional masseuses are experts on human musculature and, since mine had a hands-on knowledge of my current development, I had her evaluate various muscle groups and tell me what she felt.
I did this because bodybuilding is a very slow art since muscle growth takes time: Only when an area makes itself known can the athlete begin to make adjustments.
For example, as a person does back workouts week after week, it is only months later, once the muscle fibers have developed enough to be seen, that the individual becomes aware the lats are disproportionate to the traps. After another few months of hard work, the problem is finally fixed.
I simply had my masseuse tell me what the mirror wasn't able to yet.
She reported that my posterior deltoids (the back of the shoulder) are disproportionate to my medial (middle) and anterior (front) delts. In layman's terms, my shoulders are bigger in the front than in the back.
The good news is no one can see it. The super-good news is my masseuse shaved off months of work. The super-super-good news is she might have prevented an injury since muscle distribution in my shoulders is imbalanced: The most dominate muscle in a group will compensate for less developed ones as a person nears failure; this frequently leads to overcompensation and results in pulls, strains, and tears.
Eight months ago I would have had no idea which exercises to do to correct the dilemma. Due to the research I’ve conducted over the past six months, I knew exactly what needed to be done as soon as she told me what the problem was.
Bent-over lat raises it is!
Eight months ago I would have had no idea which exercises to do to correct the dilemma. Due to the research I’ve conducted over the past six months, I knew exactly what needed to be done as soon as she told me what the problem was.
Bent-over lat raises it is!
Now the bad news: As my readers know, of all the muscle groups, shoulder workouts are my least favorite.
* - Do not confuse the arthritic movement of a bodybuilder with the signature "caveman" posture: If you look at the pic below, you can see my triceps have started rubbing against my lats. Only through first-hand experience have I come to understand why bodybuilders walk with their arms out to their sides—to avoid chafing.
* - Do not confuse the arthritic movement of a bodybuilder with the signature "caveman" posture: If you look at the pic below, you can see my triceps have started rubbing against my lats. Only through first-hand experience have I come to understand why bodybuilders walk with their arms out to their sides—to avoid chafing.
#ThorChallenge #BeYourOwnSuperhero #Bodybuilding #Massage #MassageTherapy #Fascia #Deltoids #Delts #Posterior #Medial #Anterior #MuscleDevelopment #BentOverLatRaises #Lats #LatissimiDorsi #Triceps #Chafing
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