When you should (and shouldn’t) pull your shoulder blades together when lifting

Our shoulder blades can move in multiple directions. They can slide up and down, move towards and away from each other, and rotate clockwise and counterclockwise. When doing exercises involving the upper back, instructors sometimes boil down all this complexity to “squeezing” or “retracting” the shoulder blades.and it is No what you should always do.

while deadlifting

To get a strong setup before you start deadlifting, it’s important to build up your upper back muscles. Unfortunately, too many people think that squeezing the shoulder blades together is the way to do it.

During the deadlift, simply stand up holding the bar while keeping it close to your body. There is no need to retract the shoulder blades together. it won’t help you. One of my favorite ways to remember this is Demonstration by powerlifting coach Dave Tate In some of his videos, he marks with chalk the reach when the shoulder blade is pulled back compared to when just the shoulder blade is pulled. under and won’t come back.

As I’ve noticed on my own deadlifts, it makes a real difference. Your arms hold the bar in place.

while doing pull ups

The shoulder blade pull-up is a great exercise to tackle as an accessory to your pull-ups. Keep your arms straight, but keep your upper back muscles engaged. But to get the most out of this exercise (or to properly perform the pull-up initiation), you need to work your shoulder blades properly.

Again, this is not squeezing them together.The best signal for a scap pullup I know is to hang on the bar and pretend you’re trying to push forward with straight arms. this video As shown, the shoulder blades start in a position with the bottoms away from each other, almost towards your sides, and the movement you want is to rotate the shoulder blades toward each other while pulling them down. Much is done by the lats, which run from the armpits along the sides of the back.

when holding the bar overhead

Use if you’re pushing the barbell overhead or trying to stabilize the bar in this position (for example, overhead squats, snatches, or jerks). This approach explained by Catalyst AthleticsIt’s not as easy as shrugging or squeezing, but try it and you’ll get the idea quickly. Squeeze the tops of your shoulder blades together and then rotate them so that the outer edges (sides of your body) are facing up. This allows you to comfortably lift your arms overhead while using your back muscles to stabilize your shoulders.

while squatting

Here is one case where you are conduct Retract your shoulder blades: when you’re preparing for a squat.in this way Juggernaut Squat Setup Video As shown, pulling the shoulder blades together is part of how to tighten the upper back and create a safe shelf for the bar. Yes, but squeezing is one of the first and most important steps.