This exercise uses your own body weight to strengthen your rhomboids, and other shoulder and back muscles to pull your body up. Use a low horizontal bar between two to three feet off the ground, such as a squat bar on a rack or Smith machine. Grab the bar with both hands about shoulder-width apart, and crawl under the bar so your chest is below it. Place your feet about hip-width apart, and tighten your buttocks to prevent it from sagging down. Exhale and pull yourself up until your chest barely touches the bar.
Rhomboid Muscle Strain. Two separate muscles make up what are collectively referred to as the rhomboid muscles: rhomboideus major and rhomboideus minor. These vaguely diamond-shaped muscles connect your spine to the shoulder blade. While these muscles are technically in the upper back, they are extremely important in moving the arm and shoulder.
Exhale and lower your body until your arms are fully extended. Perform three sets of eight to 12 reps.
This exercise stretches your rotator cuffs, rhomboids and surrounding connective tissues and relaxes the muscles to alleviate fatigue and soreness after your workout. Stand and bring your left arm horizontally across your body. Press your right forearm against your left forearm as you reach to your right with your left arm. Push your left shoulder to your left to increase the stretch without rotating your torso. Hold this stretch for five to six deep breaths.
Repeat the stretch on the right shoulder. This exercise retracts the shoulder blades together passively by using gravity and deep breathing. It is used to relax the spine and alleviate pressure.
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