18 votes
Accepted

Helping ease my back pain when I'm studying 13 hours everyday, even weekends

I am a programmer myself and often spend about 10-13 hours a day in a chair and had similar problems. My solution - a full body 20 minute workout everyday, with emphasis on more 'active' physical ...
JaktensTid's user avatar
10 votes

At the top of the deadlift (i.e., when you have picked up the barbell), are you supposed to roll your shoulders back?

Yes, it's the right thing to do. Your shoulders should be retracted at the end of a deadlift rep. Those videos have the answer. The deadlift is not finished until you achieve full (but not over-) ...
Dave Liepmann's user avatar
8 votes

Will barbell squats really strengthen back/deltoid/traps muscles?

If you are doing it in proper form, it'll build your middle back, lower back, glutes, legs and it'll also help strength the sides of the abs. Your shoulders and traps should see almost no change. ...
Alexandre Borela's user avatar
8 votes

At the top of the deadlift (i.e., when you have picked up the barbell), are you supposed to roll your shoulders back?

The 2019 IPF Technical Rules Book includes these items which will lead to your deadlift being disqualified in a competition (see Page 9 of this PDF): "Failure to lock the knees straight at the ...
Nike Dattani's user avatar
7 votes

Do handstand push-ups hit all the three shoulder heads?

No, it doesn't hit all three shoulder heads (assuming you mean the anterior, lateral and posterior deltoids.) Breakdown of handstand push-ups. Mechanically I don't see how you can work all of the ...
gwaigh's user avatar
  • 958
6 votes
Accepted

Will barbell squats really strengthen back/deltoid/traps muscles?

The lower back is the failure point of back squats, and gets a lot of work out of them. So yes, back squats build the back. Are back squats the best for the lower back? Not always; I find deadlifts ...
Dave Liepmann's user avatar
6 votes
Accepted

Rotator cuff exercises not intended to build muscle?

The shoulder is an amazingly complex joint that allows for a very wide range of motion. The point of the rotator cuff is to keep the ball joint in the middle of the shoulder girdle. It is a ...
Berin Loritsch's user avatar
6 votes

Not getting stronger at standing dumbell overhead press

Overhead work does tend to be more difficult to progress in than anything else. First thing you'll need to understand is the concept of equivalent effort. It's one way that many lifter's track ...
Berin Loritsch's user avatar
6 votes

Helping ease my back pain when I'm studying 13 hours everyday, even weekends

First you need to realise that sitting all the time is not just bad for your back, but also bad for your learning. Break the learning into chunks of about 20min. Use the breaks for exercise. This ...
Jens Schauder's user avatar
5 votes

Will doing 60,000 arm circles in a day cap your delts?

If you're doing this, stop it immediately. You WILL hurt yourself. Muscle gains are made by doing movements with physical resistance (weights). We need to break down the muscle fibers through intense ...
Alec is on strike's user avatar
5 votes

How to widen the upper body (make distance between shoulders slightly higher)?

Exercises that build muscle in your upper arms, shoulders, and upper back can make your shoulders look wider, but they won't change the actual distance between your joints. Although weight-bearing ...
lgritz's user avatar
  • 191
5 votes

Shoulder feels sore/strained after 10 sets of 10 on Bench Press?

It's likely all the bench-pressing that you're doing. Too much volume: 10x10 is a very high-volume program. Most lifters stick to around 3x10 or 4x8 for hypertrophy. It also might be a muscle ...
john3103's user avatar
  • 807
5 votes

Not getting stronger at standing dumbell overhead press

Your first mistake was expecting progress after 1 day. Your second mistake was doing the same exercise two days in a row. After that, I can only guess about your form, but standing overhead press is ...
Alec is on strike's user avatar
5 votes

Best swim crawl to enlarge the shoulders

The shoulder muscles that contribue to the broad shape are primarily the deltoid muscles. This is the muscle that forms the bulk of the shoulder muscle mass, with three heads (Anterior, medial and ...
JohnP's user avatar
  • 22.2k
5 votes
Accepted

Lower trapezius usefulness?

Scapular depression is a small part of the lower traps. They also, Upwardly rotate the scapula Retract the scapula Image found here. Unsure of original source. Upward rotation tends to be hard for ...
b-reddy's user avatar
  • 1,667
5 votes
Accepted

"Triceps" dips completely alleviate shoulder pain?

Think of the humerus as a lever. Top of the lever being the shoulder, bottom of the lever being the elbow.            As the bottom goes backward, ...
b-reddy's user avatar
  • 1,667
5 votes

Helping ease my back pain when I'm studying 13 hours everyday, even weekends

Yoga's cat pose is perfect for this. 2 minutes of it before going to sleep. And then 2 minutes of extended cat's pose with stretching opposing arm and leg. Another exercise is pull-ups (or just hang ...
Peter M. - stands for Monica's user avatar
5 votes

Helping ease my back pain when I'm studying 13 hours everyday, even weekends

I'm a web developer, and I have to work for more than 10 hours a day. So in my opinion the best thing to do for any desk job or long periods of studying is taking small breaks, like 5 minutes every 1 ...
Dwix's user avatar
  • 151
5 votes
Accepted

What activities are good for your posture?

An illustration of your problem: your weight training may improve or worsen the problem. It depends on which exercises you do and how you do them. First thing is you want to "stop" training ...
Andy's user avatar
  • 3,550
4 votes
Accepted

Shoulders getting swole/big/broader

If your workouts are yielding results, I'm guessing that (1) you're lifting good and consistently, and (2) your diet allows for muscle growth. That being said: you're using light weights for your ...
FDM's user avatar
  • 208
4 votes

Will incline press target shoulders more than chest?

It does both. The amount of chest involvement depends on the width of your hand placement. Experiment with that and make note of where you feel it in your chest most. Flat bench also works your ...
Berin Loritsch's user avatar
4 votes

Is it realistic to go for a goal of pressing your bodyweight on dumbell shoulder presses?

Is it realistic? Yes. In fact there is a Strongman event called the circus dumbbell. There is a proper technique to getting that bell overhead, and the folks at Lift Big Eat Big have a good article ...
Berin Loritsch's user avatar
4 votes
Accepted

Shoulder training technique

You don't have to bend your elbows for a db raise. EXRX, as an example notes: Grasp dumbbells in both hands. Position dumbbells in front of upper legs with elbows straight or slightly bent. When ...
Eric's user avatar
  • 14.8k
4 votes

I can't figure out which muscle is weakest/tight

I'd highly recommend seeing a local Physical Therapist. A full evaluation is required to properly diagnosis and plan a corrective exercise regimen based on your unique situation. I've included ...
Mike-DHSc's user avatar
  • 2,775
4 votes

What time shall I eat Protein? (a regular cyclist who wanna gain shoulders)

The most important thing is that you eat enough throughout the day. The only time window that is of any significance is the 1 or 1 and a half hours after working out. Consuming quality foods at this ...
MJB's user avatar
  • 4,151
4 votes

Do I need to squeeze my back when I am doing overhead(military) shoulder press?

A very common movement impairment is using the lower back to compensate for a lack of overhead shoulder mobility. Here is a person with their hands above their head:      &...
b-reddy's user avatar
  • 1,667
4 votes
Accepted

What is this exercise called and what is it's purpose

It is a form of external rotation and works on the rotator cuff. Related exercises covers the topic in more detail, but I'll emphasize using light weights as the muscles involved are comparatively ...
gwaigh's user avatar
  • 958
4 votes

What is this exercise called and what is it's purpose

Your intuition that the muscles moving the barbell left and right are not working against gravity is correct - these are the internal and external rotators of the shoulder, and the only resistance ...
David Scarlett's user avatar
4 votes
Accepted

Why is shoulders internal rotation often seen as the devil?

Shoulders internal rotation is seen in many exercises (bench press, pull ups, barbell row etc) as the devil, whilst external rotation is suggested without limits. It should be noted that this isn't ...
David Scarlett's user avatar
3 votes

Is Upright Row a good alternative to Overhead Press for people with rounded shoulders?

From my personal experience, I have found that a correctly-performed overhead press (OHP) directly helped to correct my own shoulder impingement. I would agree upright rows are absolutely NOT a good ...
jerumSchlasses's user avatar

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