Body Imbalance?

[Lear]

Happy New Year to you all!

I've been hitting the gym throughout 2007.

One thing I've noticed is that when I wear an un-tucked casual
shirt, the rear of the collar seems to want to drop down and away
from the back of my neck. Then the lower front of the shirt
appears to want to swing out and away from the body, giving an
almost artificial gut of thin air. Because the fabrics at this
time of the year are quite thick, they tend to stick out, without
collapsing back to a normal hanging shape.

All this means that to get the shirt hanging properly, I'm
constantly having to pull the rear of the collar towards the back
of my neck, whilst at the same time tugging the lower front of
the shirt down.

I hope I've described this clearly and just wondered if this was
a common phenomenon.

Could this actually be because I've overdone the chest workout?
Or is it a weird body shape thing?

Just curious, in a not too serious kind of way

 

[thinman]

Do your shoulders pull forward? Do you carry your head forward? I think it's unlikely that one year of lifting could cause a really significant front-back imbalance, but your posture may not be optimal. If so, hit the lats, traps, and rhomboids, while stretching your pecs.

 

[Eason]

One year of lifting could definately cause a front-back imbalance, especially since most people have one anyway from hunching over a computer all day. Work on proper posture, stretch your pecs, and avoid working the upper traps.

 

[Lear]

Originally Posted by thinman

Do your shoulders pull forward? Do you carry your head forward? I think it's unlikely that one year of lifting could cause a really significant front-back imbalance, but your posture may not be optimal. If so, hit the lats, traps, and rhomboids, while stretching your pecs.

Now that I think about it, I seem to be pulling my shoulders back
(not forward) more than usual. Guess I've just answered my own
question. The effect is as if someone has grabbed my shirt from
across the shoulders and yanked it right back.

Actually, I'm wondering if all this weight training (6 days a
week) has caused me to artificially puff myself out. The idea
was to simply not turn into a slob. I never realized that it's a
fine line between increasing your musculature and increasing your
ego.

There's no doubt that my chest has raced ahead of my shoulders
even though I have pretty wide (but not very muscular) shoulders.
The result is that I require size 48 (58 Euro) jackets to fit the
chest, but with shoulders cut too wide for my 6' 2'' frame.

Anyway, I think shoulders and back need some more work to bring
everything up to the same level.

Without wishing to change the direction of this thread... I've
been constantly amused by the number of people at my gym who
hardly break into a sweat while supposedly exercising. During
2007 I've seen those who turn up religiously to read books on the
stationary cycle. I've also been witness to the forlorn attempts
of weight trainers who have no intention of increasing the
weight on the the barbell or the intensity of the workout. It's
funny, but you can see it in their eyes as they enter the gym.
Those who want to improve just have that steely-eyed look.

Even more amusing is how those who put in no effort, assume you
must have 'lucky' genes or have a pact with the devil