Have you ever seen a boxer with a small back?

Dave Hedges
Nov 24
2 min read

I just sent that as a part of a conversation with an online client, a former kickboxer who now plays rugby.

Even before this conversation, the thought has lived in my head for years, but I'm not sure I've ever talked about it.

But recently over on YouTube, Eddie Hall, the famous strongman had the "Karate Nerd" Jessie Enkamp on his channel.

As they chatted in the gym, Eddie commented that every fighter he'd had in always blew his mind with how strong their back was, how much weight they could handle on pulling exercises.

When we consider fighters, Boxers etc, we see they punch and do pushups. Yet, they always develop impressive backs.

How?

And why then do bodybuilders need so many different back exercises?

The really short answer is: Scapula.

If there's one bone in the body that gets me excited, it's the scapula, the humble shoulder blade.

It is truly the key to the upper body.

And the thing that fighters, climbers, kettlebell sports guys and gymnasts do that bodybuilders don't is move their scapula, a lot!

There's a really common cue in fitness training: "Shoulders back and down"

This cue is excellent in the right context and awful in the wrong context.

Should your goal be to hoist the most amount of weight, especially in a gym setting, then it works.

But for most folks it's merely a start point, it's setting the shoulder ready to move.

We pull the shoulder blade back and down, to initiate the press, then as the arm move, the scapula also starts to move.

And that scapula, that wee triangle shaped bone that sits on or upper back has 19 muscles that connect to it.

It IS your back and your shoulder.

Almost all your back muscles are there to help the scapula do it's job, and that job is to give the shoulder it's power.

Any motion of the arm is backed up with motion of the scapula and it's 19 pulleys.

On this list, I have a range of folks, some are boxers and fighters, some kettlebell sports, the rest a huge variety of folks from amateur athletes to casual fitness enthusiasts.

It doesn't matter who you actually are and what you're training for, what matters is we move our shoulder blades and we ensure that we're not holding them tight and immobile,

Use simple shoulder rotations (see Basic Joint Mobility)

Use straight arm lifts, such as windmills, get ups, scap push up and pull ups, band pull aparts in every angle possible

Swing clubs, maces, kettlebells and bulgarian bags

Do Halo's with weight plates

And on the basic exercises, Presses, Rows etc

There are some lifts (bench press) where the shoulder blade doesn't move, but on everything else, feel it join in the movement.

And if you do, your shoulder will feel generally better, stronger and more mobile, and your back development will take off!

Let's face it, no one respects a small back!!

Chat soon.

Dave

Regards

Dave Hedges