The Bulk Factor
A confession on my end, I never loved my arms back in the day when I was a ballerina (I know, that’s crazy! But that’s a story for another day) , because I lived a life that made me stare at myself in the mirror for hours on end, which is enough to give anyone a complex about something , so hence, the word “bulk” has followed me for a lifetime. Now of course, I love my arms, I have complete appreciation for what they can do, and I love helping clients love and appreciate their arms as well.
THE BULKY OBSERVATION
I take a class for me once a week, whether it’s yoga, or another modality, as that is my time to focus on me and to follow someone else for a change. Anyways, I can’t help but look around the room with my analytic eye, and what I typically observe are women executing the most common arm exercises incorrectly, by always engaging their traps (neck) in every single arm exercise, which means that they are unknowingly contributing to the bulk factor.
Listen, It takes a lot of repetitive movement and a lot of weight to “ bulk” up, so if this is happening to you and it is not the result you desire, then perhaps you are using the same muscles over and over again without you really even noticing it, and it’s happening whether you are lifting weight or not.
WHY THE FEAR
So it hit me….one of the reasons why women may be feeling the “bulk” and why they may be fearful of it is because they may be taking a ton of classes that include executing the same exercises over and over, several times a week, with incorrect form. The result of this is that they are taking the purpose of one of these exercises and shifting it’s primary purpose to the neck/ shoulder area instead. This may translate into always feeling arm exercises in your neck and could possibly contribute to a body composition that reflects this kind of movement yielding an undesired result.
For example, take a bicep curl, you might be initiating the curl with your shoulders rounded forward, which puts extra strain in the neck and trap muscles without completely isolating the bicep. This means that instead of your bicep being the primary mover to execute the movement, your trap is always contracted and engaged. So what should you do?
TIPS
1. stand against a wall, and focus on your shoulder blades and backs of your shoulders making contact to the wall
2. As you do the bicep curl, take note of what you notice. (I recommend using a mirror if you can) Your back and shoulders should be able to remain against the wall while you do the exercise.
3. If your shoulders move forward as you lift, then you are most likely also engaging your trap. If that’s the case, try to do the same movement without weight, making sure you stay in the correct position against the wall, and then once you get that down, add light weight. Once you accomplish that, you can add more weight. As you increase the weight, the backs of your shoulders should always remain connected to the wall.
4. Another tip: keep your chin slightly tucked so that you feel the crown of your head also against the wall (think about the high ponytail spot). This contributes to keeping your neck long rather than short and contracted. You might be surprised at how difficult this is to do without weight, and if that’s the case, that’s ok! Keep working on it!
5. Bonus Tip: Place your left hand on top of your R trap (neck). While doing that, hold a weight in your right hand and do the bicep curl. What do you feel in your left hand? If you feel the muscle tighten before / during the curl, it means you are engaging that muscle (not what you want). If it remains soft to the touch during the curl, it means you are doing the exercise correctly.
If you are one of the ones fearful of the bulk, or if your neck actually feels tight, then those are signs that you are using the same muscles ALL of the time, with EVERY exercise and movement that you do. Combine this with modern life and sitting in front of computers & phones in poor posture, can lead to excess strain, and bulk in places you least desire. General rule of thumb: if you are feeling like your neck is overworking, then it probably is.
Other common exercises that will contribute to bulky arms and will have you engaging the upper trap muscles if you are not executing the correct technique:
· Back flies
· Bicep curls
· Shoulder press
· Rows
· Tricep extension
So if you are always feeling things in your neck, there’s a reason for that. If you feel like you look bulky, then there’s a reason for that. The good news is that you can change it!
BONUS EXERCISE
If you have questions about your arms, that “bulky” feeling, and not sure you are doing it right, then here’s what you can do:
· Take a video of yourself doing 1-3 of the exercises above (5 reps of each is enough)
· I will give you my feedback on what I see and how you can correct it!
Testimonial: “I can actually see my tricep muscle and some arm definition! I have never had that before.” – Kamie Abrahm
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