Gallowmere's Obsession, or How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Love the Deadlift

[Obs]

What helped for me, was two things: first was focusing on making sure to pull my scapulas back and down during vertical pulls. This is why my pullup volume went into the shitter a couple of months back. I made myself stop when I couldn’t achieve the full pull. If I kept going for the next ten reps I was capable of, my mid-trap would be exhausted, letting my scap drift, though my lats and bicep could keep going. Not stopping just reinforced shitty movement. Kinda like people who will keep humping up shitty deadlifts after their upper back is exhausted, yet lower and hams still have juice left.

Second was, during the rest of the day, especially while driving, I make sure to keep my shoulders pulled into proper alignment. Slouching while driving is pretty common. The trigger I had to pay attention to was the feel of my rotator cuff area on the curvature of the seat. If at any point, I don’t feel the backs of my caps against the curve points, I know I’m collapsing and need to consciously pull the shoulders back. You’re a bit wider in the shoulders than I am though, so it will likely feel different for you.

Best way to find “default” is to put your back against a wall, then pull scaps “back and down” until everything feels relatively flush on both sides.

Definitely gonna try that thanks man!

I actually pay little attention to shoulder blades in pulling.

[Gallowmere]

Definitely gonna try that thanks man!

I actually pay little attention to shoulder blades in pulling.

No problem. I hope it helps.

Marisa Inda has some crazy videos kicking around for how she trains scapular control. It basically looks like getting into a half pullup, then “butterflying” with her traps while hanging. She may be a tiny 40+ year old woman, but she’s also an absurd fucking powerlifter, so I pay attention.