Compensating for individual differences in anatomy
By Matthew Chircop 8/1/2016
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Whilst we all like to think that training programs are standardised, and what program works for one person will work the same for another, the reality is that we are all starting from a different place, and we all have a tendency to go in certain directions.
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Some people have great flexibility but poor endurance, and some have great strength in one area, but relative weakness in others. That training program that you saw on the net that worked so well for certain people might not be your optimal program, for a number of reasons. One of those reasons could be the selection of resistance exercises used to trigger strength gains in certain muscle groups.
There are many reasons why certain exercises might not be the right fit for you. The performance of and response to compound exercises (exercises which involve movement across more than one joint) are prone to significant individual variation. As an example, let’s examine the bench press. The main joints involved are the elbow and the shoulder (which is actually made up of several joints – the upper arm [humerus] with the shoulder blade [scapula] at the glenohumeral joint; the scapula with the collar bone [clavicle] at the acromioclavicular joint; and the clavicle with the top of the breast bone [sternum] at the sternoclavicular joint). The muscles involved in performing the movement are the chest muscle (pectoralis major), the front of the shoulder muscle (deltoid), and the upper arm muscles (both triceps brachii and biceps brachii). There are other muscles involved in stabilising the scapula (trapezius, rhomboids, latissimus dorsi) and wrist.
Needless to say, if you can’t physically hold the necessary weight due to weakness of grip or forearms then you will have difficulty improving the strength of your pectoralis major using a barbell bench press. For this reason, certain machine exercises might be a reasonable addition to your program, so that you can still develop the pectoralis major whilst you wait for your forearm strength to improve. You would also need to develop forearm and grip strength along the way.
If you have strong biceps and triceps to begin with, then you might find that it becomes difficult to recruit your pectoralis major during the standard bench press. Sometimes, the underlying problem is relative weakness of the scapula stabilisers (trapezius, rhomboids and latissimus dorsi), which effectively takes the pectoralis major muscle out of the movement for most of the range. Sometimes the underlying problem is structural – such as short arms and forearms combined with a large barrel-shaped chest, effectively limiting the movement to the top of the range (and reducing the recruitment of pectoralis major). Otherwise, range might be impaired by a lack of flexibility. Some approaches that might help to overcome these problems might be to:
1) reduce arm work load (by temporarily eliminating arm exercises from your program);
2) include some pectoralis isolation exercises in your program;
3) switch from barbell to dumbbells for greater range of motion (and improved recruitment of pectoralis major);
4) including upper back training as part of your program;
5) mindful training, focusing on activating the pectoralis major and squeezing the scapulae together (and towards your bottom) throughout the movement. Your spotter can help by placing a hand on each pectoralis major muscle to feel their contractions, and motivating you focus by applying pressure to a limp muscle or telling you verbally which muscle (if any) needs more focus;
6) flexibility exercises and massage program to mobilise the scapulae;
If this fails to correct the problem, then you might need to "re-program" your nervous system, by reducing the resistance (significantly), and using the above measures again (with strict attention to form), but this time using more repetitions and training the area more frequently, until the correct pattern of muscle recruitment is learned. This might take some weeks or months. Once you have determined that the pectoralis major is being recruited appropriately throughout the movement, then you can start to progressively increase the resistance.
As you can see, there are many reasons why a specific exercise or variation of exercise might not be the right one for you at your particular stage of development. I would encourage you to experiment with different exercise variations until you find the right ones to include in your program. Alternatively, you can fast-track your progress by consulting an exercise physiologist, physiotherapist or personal trainer who can help you assemble your optimal program.
There are many reasons why certain exercises might not be the right fit for you. The performance of and response to compound exercises (exercises which involve movement across more than one joint) are prone to significant individual variation. As an example, let’s examine the bench press. The main joints involved are the elbow and the shoulder (which is actually made up of several joints – the upper arm [humerus] with the shoulder blade [scapula] at the glenohumeral joint; the scapula with the collar bone [clavicle] at the acromioclavicular joint; and the clavicle with the top of the breast bone [sternum] at the sternoclavicular joint). The muscles involved in performing the movement are the chest muscle (pectoralis major), the front of the shoulder muscle (deltoid), and the upper arm muscles (both triceps brachii and biceps brachii). There are other muscles involved in stabilising the scapula (trapezius, rhomboids, latissimus dorsi) and wrist.
Needless to say, if you can’t physically hold the necessary weight due to weakness of grip or forearms then you will have difficulty improving the strength of your pectoralis major using a barbell bench press. For this reason, certain machine exercises might be a reasonable addition to your program, so that you can still develop the pectoralis major whilst you wait for your forearm strength to improve. You would also need to develop forearm and grip strength along the way.
If you have strong biceps and triceps to begin with, then you might find that it becomes difficult to recruit your pectoralis major during the standard bench press. Sometimes, the underlying problem is relative weakness of the scapula stabilisers (trapezius, rhomboids and latissimus dorsi), which effectively takes the pectoralis major muscle out of the movement for most of the range. Sometimes the underlying problem is structural – such as short arms and forearms combined with a large barrel-shaped chest, effectively limiting the movement to the top of the range (and reducing the recruitment of pectoralis major). Otherwise, range might be impaired by a lack of flexibility. Some approaches that might help to overcome these problems might be to:
1) reduce arm work load (by temporarily eliminating arm exercises from your program);
2) include some pectoralis isolation exercises in your program;
3) switch from barbell to dumbbells for greater range of motion (and improved recruitment of pectoralis major);
4) including upper back training as part of your program;
5) mindful training, focusing on activating the pectoralis major and squeezing the scapulae together (and towards your bottom) throughout the movement. Your spotter can help by placing a hand on each pectoralis major muscle to feel their contractions, and motivating you focus by applying pressure to a limp muscle or telling you verbally which muscle (if any) needs more focus;
6) flexibility exercises and massage program to mobilise the scapulae;
If this fails to correct the problem, then you might need to "re-program" your nervous system, by reducing the resistance (significantly), and using the above measures again (with strict attention to form), but this time using more repetitions and training the area more frequently, until the correct pattern of muscle recruitment is learned. This might take some weeks or months. Once you have determined that the pectoralis major is being recruited appropriately throughout the movement, then you can start to progressively increase the resistance.
As you can see, there are many reasons why a specific exercise or variation of exercise might not be the right one for you at your particular stage of development. I would encourage you to experiment with different exercise variations until you find the right ones to include in your program. Alternatively, you can fast-track your progress by consulting an exercise physiologist, physiotherapist or personal trainer who can help you assemble your optimal program.
