ladies, I need your help...

[gymdiva1222]

I keep working on that dang lat spread and FINALLY tonight I got my webcam to function properly...so I took a couple of short videos and uploaded them to youtube and thought I would post them here for your critiques...it looks like maybe the lower part of my shoulder blades are not coming down to help my lats go out...can't figure out if it's something mechanical I can fix or if it's something with the way I'm built...and any advice on training to help make them pop out even more I am game for as well...thanks so much y'all!!! :banana:



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQggpLHpvsk


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIXjX89-ZTY

[femalemusclefan]

I am definetly no expert, but your lat spreads look perfectly fine to me! :)

[Michelle Brent]

It's fine, just a matter of keep building them

[hans]

You may be doing this already, but a little trick Ms Lats herself Amanda Dunbar taught me is pulling on a pole right after you do a set pull-ups. Apparently it helps to bring out your lats.

Hans

[gymdiva1222]

oh I like the pole idea...I'll have to try that one!

[hans]

Sharon - here's something I found explaining the pole idea:

http://www.negritajayde.com/Pages/ForMen/2ndVersion/ForMen5.html

It says "for me" but ignore that obviously - gals need a v-taper too!

Good luck!

Hans

[gymdiva1222]

thanks Hans!!!


I was messing around wednesday morning at like 3:30 and I did pop them out some!!! tried it again last night and was not as successful but I think I'm starting to get some of the mechanics of it down...let me post a pic of the one from earlier this week and let y'all critique it...I did have trouble bringing my hands in from this stance as it seemed to pop my shoulder blades out...I'll keep working and keep updating!!!

[genex]

Nice V Sharon!

[SuperBBGirl]

I have had to have deep tissue massage, active release therepy, chiropractic treatments and ultrasound/electronic stimulation to get my shoulder blades to release and muscle to loosen up to open up

if you continue to have probs you may want to go this route

There was nothing i could do to improve it on my own my back was locked up and still needs alot more work. it is better the day after treatment but tightens up pretty fast

The first pic is the Emeral Cup April 21st and the 2nd is off season last weeks after the Active Release/Chiro/UtraSound which i began in May
http://img323.imageshack.us/img323/2589/ec0251nt.jpg

http://img323.imageshack.us/img323/3800/p10503519du.jpg

[JodieB]

Gina had me use one of those short gym towels wrapped around my waist to keep me from moving my hands forward then pinching my shoulder blades back after I had it set.

Might work if you give it a try. Each time I would hit the pose the correct way, she took a pic so I could practice from that at home. I also noticed with myself if I over thought what was suppose to happen, I would loose how it was suppose to go and I would overthink the whole process of what I was being told to do and TOTALLY screw the spread up.


PS...Gina...I think I have it now! I'll send pics soon. :)

I look chunky here...still in the midst of de-fluffing. 9 more weeks to go! :D but this was from Wed.

[gymdiva1222]

thanks Gene!


yeah the overthinking thing is dead on for me on A LOT of things so that may be some of it...but I'll give that towel thing a shot!...SBBG, I would love to try that route but unfortunately I have no funds for it...but I would not be surprised if some of my difficulty in getting them to pop out would be from my back clinching so hard...the couple of times I have had an upper body massage the masseuse is always like dear god woman! what to you do for a living??? they always massage knotted areas that literally make me either cry or get sick b/c they're just so balled up...

[KristineLarge]

Just from the videos, I'd say you may be trying too hard! Focus on getting the feel for it before you worry about your presentation of the pose. Relax, take a deep breath in, and think about getting those shoulders up and out. A trick that I've heard some people use is to hold your arms like you're bear-hugging a tree, then just rotate them down and into position. Practice that and just holding your lats out until you get a feel for it and THEN worry about hands at waist, etc.... Hope that helps!

P.S. Suz, you're looking amazing!!

[gymdiva1222]

thanks so much everyone!!! this is some of the best help I've ever received! :D

[hans]

this is a great thread - anyone else have any other training/posing questions?

Hans

[SuperBBGirl]

Thanks Kristine! and FINALLY making some progress on gettign the lats out!