Following lunch, I sat at my desk, hunched over and reading news. A somewhat guilty pleasure and I also like to be informed. It dawned on me that my posture sucked and my butt was sore from sitting all morning long.
“Get up!” a voice in my head screamed.
Then I began thinking about an article I read on Dragon Door well over a decade ago. Humans are rear wheel drive, the article stated.
Made sense to me. Since starting to do swings and deadlifts, I had never felt stronger. All those muscles coming up from the heels to the back of the head–train them with big movements like swings and deadlifts and you get really fricking strong.
It’s so stupidly easy.
But the thing about sitting at a desk is those poor shoulders. Man, it’s pathetic. Head forward posture. Slumped shoulders. Weak. Yeah, I’ve succumbed–and I’m working on it.
So, recently I started doing behind the neck presses. That vilified exercise that everyone tells you will destroy your shoulders. Maybe. But not yet. So long as I don’t get stupid and pile on weight before I’m ready.
And I’m rediscovering this rear wheel drive effect that I had previously associated with just swings and deadlifts. Now it’s all this strength I’m generating which pulls my shoulders back (where before were just weak muscles which were slumped forward).
Training the back side of the body is neglected because it’s not as mirror-friendly as six pack abs. It’s another one of those stupid vanity appearance things that cause us to mistake reality. You might have six pack abs but if your back and legs are weak, you can’t generate force.
In addition to that behind the neck press I am really digging right now, I’m also doing a lot of jungle gym rows. Man, they feel great. Keeping my shoulders back and pulling right on up. It’s all about counteracting that stupid sitting–which, speaking of sitting, I better get on up.