Train What You Can't See

**CowPimp** · 12-04-2005, 04:44 PM

Very few lifters in this world understand the importance of a well-rounded physique. I understand that many people lift weights with no other purpose besides looking better, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't pay attention to the whole package. The muscles I'm referring to include basically everything on the rear of your body: the upper back muscles like your trapezius (Upper, middle, and lower), rhomboids, latimmus dorsi, posterior deltoids, gluteus maximus, hamstrings, erector spinae, etc.

Far too many people do chest-bicep-ab splits. Of those who do train their back and legs, very few give their pulling muscles equal time in the gyms that their pressing muscles receive; those that train their legs often do nothing more for their posterior chain than some leg curls.

There are numerous benefits to making sure you balance out your physique that I feel many trainees don't fully understand:

Continued progress in the showy muscles:
Your body is not as willing to let the muscles on the front of your body develop without some type of concomittant development in the muscles on the back of your body. This is a natural protective mechanism for your joints. If there is too gross of an imbalance in antagonistic musculture, then your joints are being compromised because there are staggered loads being placed on them. So, if for no other reason, train the muscles you can't see because it will allow greater development on the front of your body!

Injury prevention:
Your progress is going to constantly be halted if your training career is littered with injuries. As I just said, unecessary stress is placed on your joints if you don't develop your physique in a unit, but as a series of unconnected muscles. Injuries can also occur during actions of stabilization. For example, during a squat you want to keep your torso upright, you don't want it to enter flexion or extension. Both your hip flexors and extensors need to be isometrically contracting to prevent this from happening. If one set of these muscles is much stronger then the other, then they win the tug-o-war. Your spine wants a nice even match, trust me.

Let me pull out a statistic from The Science and Practice of Strength Training by Vladimir Zatsiorsky. The load on invertebral disks was measured while lifting a 50kg weight from the floor (Much like a deadlift in this case). The load placed on the lumbar spine reached 380kg with proper upright posture and a neutral spine. That's quite an amplification of force, but when the same weight was lifted with a poor slouched over posture and a rounded lower back, that same load on the lumbar spine skyrocketed to 630kg. Ouch, no wonder people are plagued with lower back problems.

Improved posture:
Does the hunchback of Notre Dame have better posture than you? If so, it would definitely be of great benefit for you to start training the muscles on the rear of your body. Everyone with poor posture slouches forward. Why? Because the muscles involved in spinal extension, hip extension, and scapular retraction are weak overall, and relative to their antagonistic counterparts. Strenthening these muscles is literally going to cause them to pull you into a more upright position with better posture. This also means you will become less fatigued when you have to stand for extended periods of time or while performing activities that require a fairly upright posture like driving your car.

Create a more stable lifting surface:
During a wide variety of lifts, your body acts as sort of a platform to support the weight you are lifting: overhead pressing, flat pressing, squatting, etc. Your upper back makes sure that you don't haunch your shoulders forward; as well, it creates a better "shelf" for the bar when performing a lift like the squat. Your posterior chain muscles prevent that lower back rounding I was talking bad about earlier. The combination of all the muscles on your back helps transfer force better between extremeties and helps stabilize the bar path during a lift like the bench press. The list goes on. The point is, don't underestimate the importance of the role the muscles you can't see play during big compound movements.

Improved atheltic ability:
Okay, I know you pure bodybuilders out there don't care about this, so feel free to skip this portion if you fit that description. However, I must espouse the benefits of a strong posterior in sports, particularly the hamstrings. The muscles on the back of your body will help stabilize your body in a variety of compromising positions. Injuries are a part of athletics, but you can do your part to minimize them. Furthermore, hamstrings do a lot in terms of improving agility and speed. Hip extension is one of the primary functions of your hamstrings, which is the main action during any running or jumping. As well, the hamstrings do much to allow a more rapid decelleration or change of direction during high speed movements. So how does improved ability to accelerate, a greater top speed, increased vertical leap, improved agility, decreased susceptibility to injury, and improved strength in a wider variety of positions sound to you? Regardless of your sport, it should fit the bill.

Look better:
That's right, this is just for those bodybuilders out there. You look like a damned fool with disproportionately large muscles on the front of your body. Plan on competing one day? Then you should realize the important of a solid back from top to bottom and the incredible amount of mass that can be added to your thighs by training your posterior chain. Want to get that all-important V-taper that bodybuilders seek? You better start doing pullups and rowing to pack the mass onto those lats. Remember, your waist size at low body fats cannot be decreased; the only other option is to pack the mass on up top and give the false impression of broader shoulders.

As you can see, whether your goals are to look good, feel great, or reach optimal levels of performance, training the muscles you can't see should be top priority. Now go do your deadlifts!

**Dale Mabry** · 12-04-2005, 04:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CowPimp

Does the hunchback of Notre Dame have better posture than you?

I don't know him, but I think I had sex with his sister one time when I was drunk in college.

I agree, the posterior chain on most people is severely lacking.

min0 lee · 12-04-2005, 04:49 PM

Another good post Cow.

**P-funk** · 12-04-2005, 04:50 PM

yea, training the back side is really important. To many chest and bis guys in the gym.

Squaggleboggin · 12-04-2005, 05:38 PM

I think that's an excellent post many people should think about. Basically reiterating what you said in my own words here, but many people need to realize just how strong the back is in general and how much it can help in almost any aspect of training. I hope you're keeping track of all these threads you make on general topics like these: One day they'll become stickies in their own section - CowPimp's Lifting Laws. Heh.

Seanp156 · 12-04-2005, 07:08 PM

Good read. Strange though, most of the people at my gym have pretty well rounded physiques and train well from what I can tell... The local community rec center on the other hand is another story...

fufu · 12-04-2005, 07:27 PM

I very much agree with that essay.

soxmuscle · 12-04-2005, 07:54 PM

so many of my friends work only there chest and bi's, it makes me sick. another great article, my freind.

LexusGS · 12-04-2005, 08:09 PM

Great post man. This is sooooo true man, in my weightroom in highschool Im the only kid ever doing deads and rows. Weird how everyone else just benches and curls 3 times a week doing the same shit over and over again.

ALBOB · 12-05-2005, 09:30 AM

What a complete load of BULL!!!

Not really, but I got tired of everyone stroking your ego.

BulkMeUp · 12-05-2005, 10:01 AM

Incognegro · 12-05-2005, 03:04 PM

Excellent writeup! It is now a word document on my pc lol.

J

**CowPimp** · 12-09-2005, 05:40 AM

Someone PMed me with a question that drew my attention to a mistake I made when I typed this up. I said the following:

Quote:

For example, during a squat you want to keep your torso upright, you don't want it to enter flexion or extension. Both your hip flexors and extensors need to be isometrically contracting to prevent this from happening.

What I meant to say was that your spinal flexor and extensors need to be isometrically contracting to prevent this from happening. Your hip flexors should be relaxing and your hip extensors should be contracting eccentrically and concentrically depending on the phase of movement that you are in.

I know, I'm anal, probably no one noticed. However, I did, and I felt it could use correcting. If a mod wants to change that one word for me, that'd be cool. Hehe.

BulkMeUp · 12-09-2005, 08:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CowPimp

probably no one noticed.

More like no one understood it like you do.

But good article, nevertheless!

12-04-2005, 04:44 PM	#1
CowPimp Fueled by Testosterone Moderator Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Silver Spring, MD Posts: 15,405	Train What You Can't See BODYBUILDING SUPPLEMENTS High Quality Supplements For Bodybuilders and Athletes. www.ironmaglabs.com Very few lifters in this world understand the importance of a well-rounded physique. I understand that many people lift weights with no other purpose besides looking better, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't pay attention to the whole package. The muscles I'm referring to include basically everything on the rear of your body: the upper back muscles like your trapezius (Upper, middle, and lower), rhomboids, latimmus dorsi, posterior deltoids, gluteus maximus, hamstrings, erector spinae, etc. Far too many people do chest-bicep-ab splits. Of those who do train their back and legs, very few give their pulling muscles equal time in the gyms that their pressing muscles receive; those that train their legs often do nothing more for their posterior chain than some leg curls. There are numerous benefits to making sure you balance out your physique that I feel many trainees don't fully understand: Continued progress in the showy muscles: Your body is not as willing to let the muscles on the front of your body develop without some type of concomittant development in the muscles on the back of your body. This is a natural protective mechanism for your joints. If there is too gross of an imbalance in antagonistic musculture, then your joints are being compromised because there are staggered loads being placed on them. So, if for no other reason, train the muscles you can't see because it will allow greater development on the front of your body! Injury prevention: Your progress is going to constantly be halted if your training career is littered with injuries. As I just said, unecessary stress is placed on your joints if you don't develop your physique in a unit, but as a series of unconnected muscles. Injuries can also occur during actions of stabilization. For example, during a squat you want to keep your torso upright, you don't want it to enter flexion or extension. Both your hip flexors and extensors need to be isometrically contracting to prevent this from happening. If one set of these muscles is much stronger then the other, then they win the tug-o-war. Your spine wants a nice even match, trust me. Let me pull out a statistic from The Science and Practice of Strength Training by Vladimir Zatsiorsky. The load on invertebral disks was measured while lifting a 50kg weight from the floor (Much like a deadlift in this case). The load placed on the lumbar spine reached 380kg with proper upright posture and a neutral spine. That's quite an amplification of force, but when the same weight was lifted with a poor slouched over posture and a rounded lower back, that same load on the lumbar spine skyrocketed to 630kg. Ouch, no wonder people are plagued with lower back problems. Improved posture: Does the hunchback of Notre Dame have better posture than you? If so, it would definitely be of great benefit for you to start training the muscles on the rear of your body. Everyone with poor posture slouches forward. Why? Because the muscles involved in spinal extension, hip extension, and scapular retraction are weak overall, and relative to their antagonistic counterparts. Strenthening these muscles is literally going to cause them to pull you into a more upright position with better posture. This also means you will become less fatigued when you have to stand for extended periods of time or while performing activities that require a fairly upright posture like driving your car. Create a more stable lifting surface: During a wide variety of lifts, your body acts as sort of a platform to support the weight you are lifting: overhead pressing, flat pressing, squatting, etc. Your upper back makes sure that you don't haunch your shoulders forward; as well, it creates a better "shelf" for the bar when performing a lift like the squat. Your posterior chain muscles prevent that lower back rounding I was talking bad about earlier. The combination of all the muscles on your back helps transfer force better between extremeties and helps stabilize the bar path during a lift like the bench press. The list goes on. The point is, don't underestimate the importance of the role the muscles you can't see play during big compound movements. Improved atheltic ability: Okay, I know you pure bodybuilders out there don't care about this, so feel free to skip this portion if you fit that description. However, I must espouse the benefits of a strong posterior in sports, particularly the hamstrings. The muscles on the back of your body will help stabilize your body in a variety of compromising positions. Injuries are a part of athletics, but you can do your part to minimize them. Furthermore, hamstrings do a lot in terms of improving agility and speed. Hip extension is one of the primary functions of your hamstrings, which is the main action during any running or jumping. As well, the hamstrings do much to allow a more rapid decelleration or change of direction during high speed movements. So how does improved ability to accelerate, a greater top speed, increased vertical leap, improved agility, decreased susceptibility to injury, and improved strength in a wider variety of positions sound to you? Regardless of your sport, it should fit the bill. Look better: That's right, this is just for those bodybuilders out there. You look like a damned fool with disproportionately large muscles on the front of your body. Plan on competing one day? Then you should realize the important of a solid back from top to bottom and the incredible amount of mass that can be added to your thighs by training your posterior chain. Want to get that all-important V-taper that bodybuilders seek? You better start doing pullups and rowing to pack the mass onto those lats. Remember, your waist size at low body fats cannot be decreased; the only other option is to pack the mass on up top and give the false impression of broader shoulders. As you can see, whether your goals are to look good, feel great, or reach optimal levels of performance, training the muscles you can't see should be top priority. Now go do your deadlifts!
	The only time it's bad to feel the burn is when you're peeing... CowPimp Picks Up Heavy Shit MySpace YouTube Videos

12-04-2005, 04:49 PM	#3
min0 lee I See© Elite Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: The Bronx, NYC Posts: 31,429 Blog Entries: 3 Photos: 542	Another good post Cow.
	How To Do The Perfect Bench Press Rep Bodybuilding and Lifting Weights, the Difference ironmagazine-frapper KEFE '08

12-04-2005, 04:50 PM	#4
P-funk Patrick Super Moderator Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: AZ Posts: 30,336	yea, training the back side is really important. To many chest and bis guys in the gym.
	http://pwtraining.blogspot.com/.....come and see what is on my mind! http://ivonneberkowitz.blogspot.com/....check out Ivonne's new blog! Optimum Sports Performance "In the beginners mind there are many possibilities, in the experts there are few." -Buddha's Little Instruction Book

12-04-2005, 05:38 PM	#5
Squaggleboggin Functional Lifting = Life Join Date: Sep 2004 Posts: 3,540 Photos: 3	I think that's an excellent post many people should think about. Basically reiterating what you said in my own words here, but many people need to realize just how strong the back is in general and how much it can help in almost any aspect of training. I hope you're keeping track of all these threads you make on general topics like these: One day they'll become stickies in their own section - CowPimp's Lifting Laws. Heh.
	Push yourself. Enjoy yourself. Be yourself. Knowledge is power. Obsessed with functional strength. Journal

12-04-2005, 07:08 PM	#6
Seanp156 Myostatin Whore Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Columbus, Ohio Posts: 6,204 Photos: 11	Good read. Strange though, most of the people at my gym have pretty well rounded physiques and train well from what I can tell... The local community rec center on the other hand is another story...
	My Journal

12-04-2005, 07:27 PM	#7
fufu fiendish thingy Elite Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Massachusetts Posts: 15,903 Photos: 4	I very much agree with that essay.

12-04-2005, 07:54 PM	#8
soxmuscle do work son Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: I will eat your face Posts: 8,097 Photos: 10	so many of my friends work only there chest and bi's, it makes me sick. another great article, my freind.
	Age: 20 \| Height: 5'7" \| Weight: 150 lbs \| Penis: 12 inches

12-04-2005, 08:09 PM	#9
LexusGS 3UZFE Join Date: May 2005 Location: United States Posts: 2,636	Great post man. This is sooooo true man, in my weightroom in highschool Im the only kid ever doing deads and rows. Weird how everyone else just benches and curls 3 times a week doing the same shit over and over again.

12-05-2005, 09:30 AM	#10
ALBOB IDIOT SAVANT Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: An alternate reality. Posts: 10,101	What a complete load of BULL!!! Not really, but I got tired of everyone stroking your ego.
	Rules? You mean we have RULES for that???

12-05-2005, 10:01 AM	#11
BulkMeUp ..is bulking up! Elite Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Cana-dah Posts: 5,051

12-05-2005, 03:04 PM	#12
Incognegro SFR Bike Crew Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: South FL Posts: 360	Excellent writeup! It is now a word document on my pc lol. J
	My New Journal For 2006, Please Comment! I work too hard in the gym to stifle my results by eating shit. Thanks fufu.

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