I have been doing research this week.

A colleague, Brenda Adams, emailed me and asked if I had any reference on what muscle is being used during the bench press.

I know what muscle works, but I did not know if what I knew was right; so I hit the books.

I found the answer but also some information on grip and bench press; plus which is better  – machines or free weights – when it comes to the bench press.

Enjoy!

What Muscles Are Working during Different Bench Presses?

What They Looked at

This experiment investigated the effects of varying bench inclination and hand spacing on the EMG activity of five muscles acting at the shoulder joint.

What They Did

Six male weight trainers performed bench presses under four conditions of trunk inclination and two of hand spacing at 80% of their predetermined maximum.

What They Found

- The sternocostal head of the pectoralis major was more active during the press from a horizontal bench than from a decline bench.

- The clavicular head of the pectoralis major was no more active during the incline bench press than during the horizontal one, but it was less active during the decline bench press.

- The clavicular head of the pectoralis major was more active with a narrow hand spacing.

- Anterior deltoid activity tended to increase as trunk inclination increased.

- The long head of the triceps brachii was more active during the decline and flat bench presses than the other two conditions, and was also more active with a narrow hand spacing.

- Latissimus dorsi exhibited low activity in all conditions.

Where to get more information – Barnett C. (1995). Effects of variations of the bench press exercise on the EMG activity of five shoulder muscles. 1995 Nov;9(4):10-14. (Yes, it is an oldie but a goodie.  Let me know if you have something more recent.)

If the research above interested you, make sure to get my free seminar that I did on exercise and shoulder injuries, you can get it here.

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I just finished off my review of last weeks journals.  I have chatted about what I do in a previous post.  I talk about it in my 6 Must Read Journals for Exercise and Injuries .

I came across two articles that are great and will be helpful when it comes to neck pain, shoulder pain, scapular stabilization and poor posture.

Lets get to the two articles.

Can Head Posture Affects Neck Pain, Shoulder Pain and Scapular Muscles?

In this research they assessed the effects of forward head posture in a sitting position on the activity of the scapular upward rotators during loaded isometric shoulder flexion in the sagittal plane.

Three Keys I Got Out of This Articles:

#1 – With forward head posture there increase in EMG (muscle activity) activity in the upper trapezius and lower trapezius and a decrease EMG activity in the serratus anterior during loaded isometric shoulder flexion.

#2 – Forward head posture may contribute to neck and shoulder pain during loaded shoulder flexion in sitting.  This can be an issue for all of us.  Poor head posture could be lead to neck pain and shoulder pain when driving, working and being at our computers.

#3 – Neutral head position is advantageous in reducing upper and lower trapezius activity and enhancing serratus anterior activity as compared with forward head posture during loaded shoulder flexion

Read the rest of this entry »

I have an interview for you with Tim Vagen of Unlimited Athlete.  Tim is a very respected strength and conditioning coach from Kent, Washington.  He is big on shoulders and I was lucky enough to chat with Tim about shoulder injuries and exercise.

I hope you enjoy the interviews as much as I did.

In part 1 of the interview, Tim and I chat about:

- How he began working with injuries

- Being a strength & conditioning coach

- Training elite level swimmers

- Training volleyball players

- Working with other shoulder athletes

- Tips for the fitness professional to help their clients overcome shoulder injuries

- Why the shoulder injury determines the exercises your client gets

- Why thoracic mobility is essential for shoulder injury recovery

- Example of effective thoracic mobility exercises

Tim Vagen on Tips for the Fitness professional on Shoulder Injuries

==> CLICK HERE to watch the video with Tim Vagen on tips for the fitness professionals when working with shoulder injuries

I know the big thing I got from Tim’s interview was the important of t-spine mobility and it is something that I have incorporated into my work with shoulder injury clients.  Plus the exercises he went through were great!  You can never have enough exercises for your tool box.

Now lets head on over to part 2 of the interview.

In Part 2 or the interview, Tim and I chat about:

- Examples of thoracic mobility exercises

- Lack of thoracic mobility leads to compensation in the shoulder joint

- Lack of hip mobility will lead to compensations in the spine and shoulder

- Why to avoid barbells with shoulder press movements

- Use of kettle bells for overhead press movements and scapular stabilization exercises

- Why people that have a tight shoulder often have hypermobile shoulders

- Stretching the shoulder maybe not what is needed

Tim Vagen on Why Stretching the Shoulder Maybe Not What is Needed

==> CLICK HERE to watch the video Tim Vagen chatting about scapular stabilization exercises

The information on the lack of t-spine mobility leads to compensations in the shoulder was a big eye opener for me plus the great tip he gave on getting rid of the barbells was amazing.

I hope you enjoyed the interview with Tim Vagen.  To get more info on Tim Vagen, visit Unlimited Athlete or click here.

I know Tim will be at the NSCA Washington State Annual Fall Clinic and I will be as well.  I am so excited to be heading to the USA to do my first international presentation.  I have made it all across Canada to present but it is great to start heading south and share information on exercises and injuries.

At the NSCA Fall Clinic, I will be presenting on Running Injuries and exercise .  I hope to see you all down there and if you do come to the clinic, make sure to say, “Hi.”

Take care and we will talk to you soon.

Rick Kaselj, MS

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3 Keys to Look For When Assessing Your Client’s Scapula

Here is a quick video that I did after teaching the Exercise Rehabilitation of the Upper Body courses (shoulder, low back, neck, elbow & wrist) in Vancouver, BC.

I got a great question about what do I look for when I am looking at a client’s scapula.  Just like with everything, you can make it as complicated as you want but if I had to focus on the three most important keys, it would be the three in the video.

Please do leave your comments on the video below.

- Let me know what you disagree with?

- Let me know what do you looking for in your client’s scapula.

Oh, one mre thing.  This weekend I am off to Regina, Saskatchewan to present to the Saskatchewan Kinesiology and Exercise Science Association (SKESA).  On Saturday, at their Education Day, I will be talking about,  “Buiding a Post Rehab Business.”  Then on Sunday, I am presenting, Postural Assessment & Exercise prescription.

Have a great day.

Rick Kaselj