Hey, remember my article on muscle control? Here’s part 2, of likely several more Maxick-related articles. This one deals with muscle control over the shoulder.

…Also in that article, I conveyed the total body flexion and relaxation, the core techniques of maxalding.

Now that (hopefully) you have gotten a grip on the concepts of basic muscle relaxation and flexion, we can begin attacking specific muscle groups. Note that I would not advise doing too many at once—the book is organized around large muscle groups, and so will my instruction in it. Besides, I find that it is easier to “get the feel” for one group and then move on, rather than do all of them at once.

And without further ado, let us begin the slightly ironic training of the shoulder girdle; ironic because it is actually two muscle groups—the latissimus dorsi, and the trapezius.

LATS

The latissimus dorsi are, in fact, the biggest and most powerful muscles of the upper body. While they are the muscles that comprise the majority of the back, they perform an important role in extending, abducting, and rotating the arms and shoulders. And as luck would have it, these large and noticeable muscles are quite easy to tense, and thus are the first muscles that you should learn how to control.

To begin, take a pose with the hands on the front of the hips. Relax the muscles and let them hang limp.

Then, think really hard about the bits of muscle near the armpit (indicated by arrows int he picture). Think of them all the time, then widen your back as much as you can without ROUNDING the back (ie: bending forward). Keeping the back as flat as possible, lift the shoulders and keep them high and back, then drop them when you feel the back has expanded. When you start, pressure with the hands upon the hips will assist you, but eventually you want to stop doing so…

You can read the rest of the article here