042 : 002 Structural Shoulder
The lumbar spine is like Grand Central Station regarding poor movement quality. Meaning that the more dysfunctional your hips and shoulders are, the more stress you will continuously place in your lower back. If you're unsure what I mean, press a barbell overhead with a flared ribcage and watch your back go into extension almost immediately. To continue to improve low back resiliency, we need to place a good bit of emphasis on proper shoulder function.
Warmup:
2 sets
1:00 Thoracic CAR
rest long enough to feel like you can put the same intention back into the movement as the first one.
+
3 sets
3/3 Bottom's Up KB Press
*keep bicep close to ear; don't let elbow flare
50ft Single Arm Overhead Carry
*heavier than bottom's up press weight
100ft Bear Crawl
*hips and shoulders same height while moving
Work:
Death by 10m Farmers Carry
+
3-4 Sets
Half Kneeling Landmine Press w/ Extension
completed as a drop set;
10-12 + ? + ?
+
Finisher
8 Dual Kettlebell Cleans
12/12 Single arm Dumbbell lateral raise
15 Dual Dumbbell Upright Rows
x 2-3 sets
Flow:
We'll start by opening the Thoracic Spine using CARs to move the scaps and open the ribcage. The next piece to the warm-up will focus on shoulder stability and preparing the shoulder girdle for the work to follow. For the meat of the session, you will start with Death by 10m Farmers Walk at a moderate load. Most guys used 20-24kg, and ladies used 12-16kg. When the clock starts, you will perform a 10m carry, resting the remainder of the minute. At the top of the following minute, you will complete a 20m carry and so on, adding 10m each carry until you cannot complete the distance within the given minute. Most got to around the 8-minute mark.
After the "death by," move to the landmine press with extension drop sets. All the extension piece means is your head will follow the press, your bicep will stay close to your ear, and you're not just pressing away from yourself. You will do 3 sets of 3 drop sets per arm, completing each set on one arm before moving to the other. Start at a weight you can do 10-12 times, drop weight and do as many reps as possible, drop one and do one more set. Then rinse and repeat on the opposite arm, building as needed for the remaining sets. Rest enough to feel recovered, but don't take advantage of it.
The finisher consists of various movements to round out "shoulder day." Get as heavy as you can with proper technique on the kettlebell cleans, but for the lateral raise and upright rows, use enough weight to feel the appropriate muscles working where you do not need to find compensation elsewhere to move the loads.
