Body Massage...GO!

As a therapist, it hits so close to home...soon I'll see y'all at the races, but first I gotta get a Hummer and some tanktops.

And speaking of Body Massage, lets talk about Pectoralis Major. It matters to us as cyclists. That's the big "Hulk" chest muscle you see so well developed by Lou Ferrigno .It has 3 movements & 3 sets of fibers which perform these movements. 1) The upper fibers of Pec Major pull the arm up and across the chest, 2) The middle fibers of the Pec Major pull the arm straight across the chest, and 3) You guessed it, the lower fibers pull the arm down and across the chest. Performing the opposite of these 3 actions is a good idea for us as people( but even more specifically as cyclists) because fundamentally: STRETCHING IS A GOOD IDEA.

And. Plus. Moreover, a common problem we see in our profession/obsession (& many others as well that tend to put the body in a forward head, rounded shoulder posture- with the shoulders and arms suspended in front) is a process called Adaptive Shortening (AS). AS is defined as a tightness that occurs as a result of the muscle(s) remaining in a shortened position for an extended period of time. Sound like you and yours? Unless the opposing muscle(s) are able to pull the part back to natural position or some outside force (Stretching...) is exerted to lengthen the short muscle, it will remain in a shortened condition. Meaning that just because you're not holding the bars anymore, your muscles which have been engaged for extended periods will not fully ease up and return to their full length on their own. They will hold the shape they've assumed during your long exertion. This WILL become chronic if unadressed, and has potential to alter the shape of our bodies. Those geezers walking around hunched & stooped? Not all of that is osteoporosis- much is due to chronic muscle contraction. Now I get to say: "Wolf's Law formulates that bones react to external forces so as to conform to them", which means your skellington will adapt to whatever pull or friction, etc. it is subject to, and change for reals. Formulating theories, postulating equations. Dropping science like Gallileo dropped a orange...And by geezer, I mean you personally. If you're 22 and think this is putting the beach in a sack, just you wait, Slappy. Age or die, the choice is yours. This process doesn't happen overnight, it takes time.

One of the imbalances we experience in our profession/obsession are tight/shortened Pec Major, Pec Minor (what a sleeper, and the subject for another day)& Serratus Anterior (another sleeper seldom adressed in casual massage). All pull the shoulders forward & protract the scapula. This creates overstretched and weakened Rhomboids (chevron shaped muscles in our upper-mid back which retract, or pull back towards the spine, our scapulae) Infraspinatus & Teres Minors (again Sleepy PeePee.)

What we need to do for ourselves (or trade money to a therapist with a sense of humor & touch to do for us) is: a) Stretch the Pecs & Serratus Anterior (more of a Spiderman type muscle- the muscley fingers reaching around from back to front under the Pecs along the ribs). Quality massage and stretching of these muscles in front will "take a load off" the muscles in back (typically the ones to feel sore or tender) and allow them to regain some of their natural/balanced positioning. Bob Anderson's book, Stretching is a great resource. Yoga is real nice, too.And, b) strengthen the back-Rhomboids, Mid Traps, Infraspinatus & Teres Minor muscles. See your Trainer for expert advice on the strengthening...but I'd hazard a guess that flys would help in this regard. And now's a great time to start/be doing some weight training. Or heavy drinking, as you like. If you feel this might be you, DON'T have (or let) your therapist dig into your back-these muscles are already overstretched and weak (which is one reason they may hurt). Any deep massage or overstretching will further relax/stretch/weaken them. They need strengthening before massaging or stretching deeply.

As for me...on long tours, I've found I can get nice release (yeah,yeah) by placing my fist next to my spine as high up my back as possible and pushing in with it while pulling the same shoulder rearwards and arching my back. But that's me, and when I get all excited and tell my accomplices that, it doesn't always work for them and they look at me like I have 3 heads (instead of the normal 2). But I hang around some real degenerates, and it's worth a try for your sake, if only because they probably can't follow those kind of specific instructions. Or they're resentful, surly and frequently drunk...

So. Stretch yoself, Fool!