Set your legs first. Then take three steps: roll your shoulders forward, lift your chest and lift your chin. In the rear relaxed you want your shoulder blades fully protracted and your traps silent, and those three steps get you there while positioning your rib cage for the best possible look. The common mistake is rolling the shoulders back and shrugging up, which retracts the shoulder blades and activates the traps.
Hey guys!
I have a short and sweet one for you today. I was posing a J3U client this past Saturday who is getting ready to compete at the NY Pro in classic physique. He took a year off of bodybuilding in 2023 to focus on his career so it has been a minute since he has done any formal posing practice.
While working on his relaxed poses, I kept noticing a trend in his rear relaxed. When he would get into the pose he would sort of roll his shoulders back and shrug up (see left image). Not only was this retracting his shoulder blades but it was also activating his traps. This is a double no-no in the rear relaxed. In the rear relaxed we want shoulder blades fully protracted and traps silent. I have found that the best way to achieve those two things is to do these three easy steps.
First and foremost you must set the lower body. Search the forums for a full description on how to do that, as today we are focusing on just the upper body. Once the legs are set, simply:
1. Roll shoulders over (forward)
2. Lift chest up
3. Lift chin up
Doing these three things will fully protract the shoulder blades and perfectly position your ribcage for the best possible look in the rear relaxed (see right image). Give it a try and post your results in this thread.
See you on Stage!
If you are looking for great posing resources please see below:
They are the quarter turns: the front relaxed, the two side quarters and the rear relaxed. Start an assessment with them to map out weak and strong body parts, then use the other shots to confirm what you see.
Should your shoulder blades be protracted in the back relaxed pose?
Yes, fully protracted, meaning spread away from your spine. Rolling your shoulders forward and lifting your chest gets them there, while rolling the shoulders back does the opposite and retracts them.
Why do my traps show in the rear relaxed?
Usually because you shrug up as you get into the pose, which activates the traps. An overactive upper trap is a common reason one shoulder sits higher than the other in the rear relaxed, so keep the shoulders rolled forward and the traps silent.
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