WATCH YOUR BACK! Be sure to pull, not just press

POWERED BY TRUCKS: ANTHONY TRUCKS 

Do you ever notice the big buff guys walking around the gym with their huge chests, shoulders, and arms and it looks like their shoulders are squeezing to- gether in the front? Well that’s not a good thing.

What’s happening is their front pressing muscles are so much stronger in comparison to their back pulling muscles that they are in fact tightening their chest and shoulder muscles which actually damages their back and pulling muscles “” which can inadvertently lead to a rounded back. This rounded back is also present in individuals who spend lots of time sitting in front of a computer and not working out. So whether you work out or not, you need to strengthen your back so you can keep your back posture and strength.

The simple point is that 90 percent of people who train, and 100 percent of those who don’t, neglect the need to build a strong back. If you are a person who works out, studies show that simply building your pulling muscles will in fact increase the ability for you to press/push more weight.

If you are a person who spends no time in the weight room but a lot of time sitting with your hands in front of your body, then doing some simple exercises to build your back strength will help your posture to ward off pain later in life, and that old person hunch that looks so sexy. 

Anthony Trucks is the owner of Trucks Training facility in Brentwood and covers weight training for SportStars.