By: Shane Piccolo
Focus Muscle Group: Rhomboids
This week’s edition of Muscle Mondays will bring to light the importance of the rhomboids. Originating on the last cervical vertebrae of your neck to the fifth vertebrae of the thoracic spine, the rhomboids attach to the medial border of the scapulae. This downward angled muscle performs the important task of adducting and rotating the scapula toward the spine. Basically, the rhomboids pull the shoulder blades together. As next week’s video will discuss, the rhomboids lie beneath the larger muscle of the trapezius. Unfortunately, this means the rhomboids are often under trained because the larger muscle is able to handle the load. The best recommendation to isolate the rhomboids is to stabilize the glenohumeral (GH) joint. The GH joint is more commonly known as the shoulder. If targeting the rhomboids is the purpose of the exercise you wish to perform, set your shoulder in place before pulling. Focus on allowing a stretch and contraction to occur between your shoulder blades, making the rhomboids perform the brunt of the work. Notice if your shoulders are rising toward your ears as well because this is a sign of the trapezius could be taking over the movement. Follow up with the rhomboids video posted below for demonstrations and explanations for training these muscles. https://youtu.be/Z0FiugzZoso And if you missed week one, we focused on the latissimus dorsi and the teres major. You can stay in the know with all of the wellness team’s expert guidance, ask questions, or message me on the Lakeview Health Wellness Center Facebook page.
