The cue to imagine the bottom of the scapula digging into the ribcage is fantastic!! As someone with neurological condition, it is extra hard for my brain to connect and every time I would try this activation exercises and adducting the scapula I would "lift" the whole thing because of the old cue "pull blades back" and essentially shove my chest and spine into the ground. No good. Just tried it with that cue and felt the elbow go up without feeling smushed into the ground. Awesome!!
Awesome! Love that this cue worked out for you! Scapular tilting in my experience is one of the more difficult cues to master so your previous experience is common. Keep up the good work :)
you are a legend. i've been dealing with left shoulder issues for a couple years and it progressively got much worse in the past 6 months. i had a few stretches that helped but i could never figure out the core issue. i was finally told it is most likely my lower traps and i tried various exercises from others but none did the trick until i found yours. very well explained. thank you so much.
I experience quite a disbalnce between my left and right side. The right side goes way up and the left side feels restricted. I noticed an irregular movement of my left scapula. Also, in rowing movements. Where my elbows are behind my back. I also get a sharp pinching sensation around the rhomboid area.
👍👍👍 I personnally started incorporating DB Y raises in my program recently for lower traps and also rear delts and I can say I was pretty weak in this area but I had to use the pink dumbbells first 😂😂 Would you say deadlifts also work the lower traps ?
Deadlifts don't really the target the lower trapzius. The lower trapezius functions to up rotate the scapula (which is a movement that occurs when raising the arm above your head). Since your arms are loaded lower than shoulder height, up rotation won't occur and this won't cause the lower trapezius to contract as a primary mover. It'll work along with every other muscle in the shoulder to co-contract for more stability though, but to which degree I don't know.
I couldn't do either of the standing exercises, even with my lightest band! Will just do the lying down ones for a while. With the lying face down ones, can you do both arms at once? Also does it work as well standing up facing a wall? (I can't always lie down as have acid reflux so always looking for standing options)
Hey there! You can do both arms at the same time. Doing it against the wall will be a much easier version of the one face down on the ground as gravity won't provide as much of a resistance
Hey there, tough to say why this happened as I haven't done any type of assessment, I highly recommend going to a sports physiotherapist to see why the injury may have occurred. Regarding how to start rehab if you did strain this muscle, light isometrics are a good way to start
hi sir, im having lots of neck muscles stiffness and pain will this exercise fix it? also for the last exercise i also have bicep tendinities so should i avoid such movements or it is fine?
Hey for personalized medical advice you'd need to consult your physiotherapist. These exercises aren't intended to fix neck pain or stiffness but may indirectly help. With regards to biceps tendinitis, this really depends on sensitivity to movement, these exercises are intended to be performed pain free
Thanks a lot, I will certainly try those! I have a lot of problems with my ribs and vertebrae being constantly blocked which causes other issues, like stomach problems, heart palpitations (they stop as soon as I get the right rib/vertebrae unblocked by cracking) or breathing due to the blocked ribs. This is mainly due to inner tension because I had and still have a lot going on in my life, tons of stress, lots of negative stuff, and I know I have to work on this are primarily, but I also need to work on my body. Any advice for my blockages? Thank you so much!
Hey there, tough to say what to recommend because your case doesn't seem like it's simple enough to know what to do just based off of a description. Exercise in general is a good start, and it can be non-specific at first (such as stretches for the shoulders, chest and back). I'd recommend seeing someone in person for this if possible, going directly to a sports chiropractor, physiotherapist or even kinesiologist can be helpful with getting you started on a program. Just be sure that they emphasize exercise in their treatments instead of just hands-on manual therapy.
@@RehabHero Thank you! I had tons of manual therapy, and it never helped that much. I'm a licensed fitness trainer myself so I know how to exercise, but I haven't been training for too many years, I have a computer job so I sit all day (except for my daily walks with our dog), and I just have too much mental stress going on since many years (and I'm in perimenopause). Sometimes I just want to give up.
@@iu5429 it's great to hear that you're already active. Doing exercises that focus on spine mobility might be a great addition to your regular routine. Stuff like prone scorpions, sphinx rotations, and etc might be a good place to start (you can find more mobility exercises on our website that are specific to the back / spine). I know all too well how frustrating it can be to not feel like things are moving well, but don't give up! Focus on what you CAN do and little by little you'll find that you can expand that zone of comfort. Best of luck!
Does this help with pull-up? I have problems activating my scapula during pull-up, which causes my upper trap and neck pain. By doing this, it helps with scapula control?
If the first is too difficult I sometimes find doing the harder version ‘easier to feel’ as it requires more effort. If that doesn’t work, you may need some individualized coaching to help you feel the right area. It can take time for things to ‘wake up’ so it may take a few tries over multiple days before things feel like they’re moving properly
Are there ways to modify for pregnancy? The belly gets in the way of lying on the floor 😅 maybe I’ll hop to the resistance bands. Hoping this will help with cervicogenic headaches. My traps are messed up
Congrats on the pregnancy :) Regarding modifications, unless you have a pregnancy pillow that allows you to lie on your stomach, you'll have to skip those versions and into the banded versions. Depending on how large your belly is, you may be able to do some of these seated in a forward incline with table support.
I have grinding shoulder blade, it hurts both when I retract and extend my shoulder blade. The pain is sitting where my lower trap is and I have a hard time activating it, when I do this exercise and feel the lower trap my shoulder blade points out and I feel really weak in that position.
Hey! Feeling weak is to be expected if you're not used to activating this group of muscles. Similar to working out in a gym and getting stronger, doing lower trapezius exercises will take time to improve strength. After all its a muscle like any other in the body, which is good because then we can expect it to respond like one in a gym or fitness setting. Good luck with your progress!
You can do both at the same time but people sometimes finds that this takes away from feeling it in the right places sometimes. Usually i recommend starting with one side first, and once the patient has a good feel for it I upgrade them to doing both at the same time
Why doens't anyone mention that we can't hear him? I can read but having hard time reading and understanding what he is trying tell us. I need more help than I thought. 🥴🥴
I think there’s an issue with audio editing. Listening to this video with my headphones, I hear speech almost entirely in my left ear while I hear mostly music in my right ear.
![OhGeesy x Lefty Gunplay - What It Iz [Official Music Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/L0yzW9t2ixk/mqdefault.jpg)
The cue to imagine the bottom of the scapula digging into the ribcage is fantastic!! As someone with neurological condition, it is extra hard for my brain to connect and every time I would try this activation exercises and adducting the scapula I would "lift" the whole thing because of the old cue "pull blades back" and essentially shove my chest and spine into the ground. No good. Just tried it with that cue and felt the elbow go up without feeling smushed into the ground. Awesome!!
Awesome! Love that this cue worked out for you! Scapular tilting in my experience is one of the more difficult cues to master so your previous experience is common. Keep up the good work :)
Upper traps burning in pain. Thanks for this. Going to strengthen mid & lower traps & pray for relief 😮💨
You're welcome and good luck!
you are a legend. i've been dealing with left shoulder issues for a couple years and it progressively got much worse in the past 6 months. i had a few stretches that helped but i could never figure out the core issue. i was finally told it is most likely my lower traps and i tried various exercises from others but none did the trick until i found yours. very well explained. thank you so much.
Awesome! Glad that this version of the lower trapezius exercise finally got through to helping you!
How long did it take for the pain to go away?
Thank you. I am in PT and learning how important these exercises are for my health condition
you're welcome! Great to see that you're doing some self-education while still in PT school!
Amazing! Simply amazing!
@@LarsRyeJeppesen thank you 😊
Thanks for the exerçises
you're welcome! best of luck with your recovery!
Great video. Thanks for sharing.
thank you for watching my video on activating the lower trapezius!
I experience quite a disbalnce between my left and right side.
The right side goes way up and the left side feels restricted. I noticed an irregular movement of my left scapula.
Also, in rowing movements. Where my elbows are behind my back.
I also get a sharp pinching sensation around the rhomboid area.
Thanks a lot brother ❤️
you're welcome!
Thank you!
You’re welcome! Good luck!
👍👍👍
I personnally started incorporating DB Y raises in my program recently for lower traps and also rear delts and I can say I was pretty weak in this area but I had to use the pink dumbbells first 😂😂
Would you say deadlifts also work the lower traps ?
Deadlifts don't really the target the lower trapzius. The lower trapezius functions to up rotate the scapula (which is a movement that occurs when raising the arm above your head). Since your arms are loaded lower than shoulder height, up rotation won't occur and this won't cause the lower trapezius to contract as a primary mover. It'll work along with every other muscle in the shoulder to co-contract for more stability though, but to which degree I don't know.
I couldn't do either of the standing exercises, even with my lightest band! Will just do the lying down ones for a while. With the lying face down ones, can you do both arms at once? Also does it work as well standing up facing a wall? (I can't always lie down as have acid reflux so always looking for standing options)
Hey there! You can do both arms at the same time. Doing it against the wall will be a much easier version of the one face down on the ground as gravity won't provide as much of a resistance
Hi please help why i get really bad strain when i start doing it with 3lb dumbble for lower trap? How can i rehab from this strain quickly?
Hey there, tough to say why this happened as I haven't done any type of assessment, I highly recommend going to a sports physiotherapist to see why the injury may have occurred. Regarding how to start rehab if you did strain this muscle, light isometrics are a good way to start
hi sir, im having lots of neck muscles stiffness and pain will this exercise fix it? also for the last exercise i also have bicep tendinities so should i avoid such movements or it is fine?
Hey for personalized medical advice you'd need to consult your physiotherapist. These exercises aren't intended to fix neck pain or stiffness but may indirectly help. With regards to biceps tendinitis, this really depends on sensitivity to movement, these exercises are intended to be performed pain free
Thanks a lot, I will certainly try those! I have a lot of problems with my ribs and vertebrae being constantly blocked which causes other issues, like stomach problems, heart palpitations (they stop as soon as I get the right rib/vertebrae unblocked by cracking) or breathing due to the blocked ribs. This is mainly due to inner tension because I had and still have a lot going on in my life, tons of stress, lots of negative stuff, and I know I have to work on this are primarily, but I also need to work on my body. Any advice for my blockages? Thank you so much!
Hey there, tough to say what to recommend because your case doesn't seem like it's simple enough to know what to do just based off of a description. Exercise in general is a good start, and it can be non-specific at first (such as stretches for the shoulders, chest and back). I'd recommend seeing someone in person for this if possible, going directly to a sports chiropractor, physiotherapist or even kinesiologist can be helpful with getting you started on a program. Just be sure that they emphasize exercise in their treatments instead of just hands-on manual therapy.
@@RehabHero Thank you! I had tons of manual therapy, and it never helped that much. I'm a licensed fitness trainer myself so I know how to exercise, but I haven't been training for too many years, I have a computer job so I sit all day (except for my daily walks with our dog), and I just have too much mental stress going on since many years (and I'm in perimenopause). Sometimes I just want to give up.
@@iu5429 it's great to hear that you're already active. Doing exercises that focus on spine mobility might be a great addition to your regular routine. Stuff like prone scorpions, sphinx rotations, and etc might be a good place to start (you can find more mobility exercises on our website that are specific to the back / spine). I know all too well how frustrating it can be to not feel like things are moving well, but don't give up! Focus on what you CAN do and little by little you'll find that you can expand that zone of comfort. Best of luck!
@@RehabHero Thank you for your encouragement, it is nice to hear somebody saying a few kind words!
Does this help with pull-up? I have problems activating my scapula during pull-up, which causes my upper trap and neck pain. By doing this, it helps with scapula control?
@@jamesbond-cx2uh yes it can help, doing scapular pull ups might be a good exercise to try as well
I failed to control or feel lower trap fiber ever 1st exercise.
Do you have easier exercises?
If the first is too difficult I sometimes find doing the harder version ‘easier to feel’ as it requires more effort. If that doesn’t work, you may need some individualized coaching to help you feel the right area. It can take time for things to ‘wake up’ so it may take a few tries over multiple days before things feel like they’re moving properly
Are there ways to modify for pregnancy? The belly gets in the way of lying on the floor 😅 maybe I’ll hop to the resistance bands. Hoping this will help with cervicogenic headaches. My traps are messed up
Congrats on the pregnancy :) Regarding modifications, unless you have a pregnancy pillow that allows you to lie on your stomach, you'll have to skip those versions and into the banded versions. Depending on how large your belly is, you may be able to do some of these seated in a forward incline with table support.
@@RehabHerothanks for the response!!
@@Cellistandpianist you're welcome :)
I have grinding shoulder blade, it hurts both when I retract and extend my shoulder blade. The pain is sitting where my lower trap is and I have a hard time activating it, when I do this exercise and feel the lower trap my shoulder blade points out and I feel really weak in that position.
Hey! Feeling weak is to be expected if you're not used to activating this group of muscles. Similar to working out in a gym and getting stronger, doing lower trapezius exercises will take time to improve strength. After all its a muscle like any other in the body, which is good because then we can expect it to respond like one in a gym or fitness setting. Good luck with your progress!
Why not doing both shoulders
W
You can do both at the same time but people sometimes finds that this takes away from feeling it in the right places sometimes. Usually i recommend starting with one side first, and once the patient has a good feel for it I upgrade them to doing both at the same time
Music too loud.
Why doens't anyone mention that we can't hear him? I can read but having hard time reading and understanding what he is trying tell us. I need more help than I thought. 🥴🥴
Maybe I can help clarify something for you? Which part are you having difficulty with?
I think there’s an issue with audio editing. Listening to this video with my headphones, I hear speech almost entirely in my left ear while I hear mostly music in my right ear.
Anyone know three reasons I would want to strengthen my lower traps?
1. To improve scapular posterior tilting
2. To improve scapular stability
3. To increase shoulder flexion pain free motion
real @@RehabHero
It can help movement in upper areas os your back very important especially if you have damaged in upper parts