Rhomboids

Rhomboids: what are they?

Rhomboid minor sits above rhomboid major and both run diagonally from the spinous processes of the lower cervical and upper thoracic vertebrae to the medial border of the scapula. Their line of pull is downward and inward, which makes them scapular retractors and downward rotators. That second action is what distinguishes them from the middle trapezius, which retracts without rotating downwards. In coaching terms, the rhomboids are the muscles most people mean when they say between the shoulder blades, and they are almost always trained by accident rather than deliberately.

What they do and how they differ from the mid traps

Both the rhomboids and the middle trapezius pull the shoulder blade towards the spine, which is why every row trains both. The difference is rotation: the rhomboids also rotate the lower tip of the scapula inwards, the opposite of what has to happen when the arm goes overhead. That makes them a counterweight to serratus anterior and the lower trapezius.

They also hold the shoulder blade against the rib cage. When they and serratus anterior cannot do that, the medial border lifts away from the ribs, which is the winging a coach sometimes notices in a push-up or a press.

How to train the rhomboids

Rowing with a close elbow path and a deliberate retraction at the end of each rep does most of the work. Direct work is worth adding for desk-based clients and anyone whose shoulder blade does not hold position under a press.

The pinch cue, and when it stops helping

Squeeze your shoulder blades together is a fine instruction at the end of a row, because it puts the rhomboids and middle traps through their full range. It becomes a problem when clients apply it everywhere, particularly in overhead pressing. Holding the shoulder blades pinched and pulled down blocks the upward rotation the arm needs to reach overhead, and the shoulder ends up working in a worse position.

The practical rule: retract deliberately during horizontal pulling, and let the shoulder blade move freely during vertical pressing and pulling. A client who has been told to keep the shoulders back and down at all times usually needs permission to let them move.

Between the shoulder blades: the desk client

Aching between the shoulder blades after a day at a screen is one of the most common complaints a coach hears. It is rarely a muscle that is too weak to hold posture for a whole day; posture research does not support that story cleanly. What tends to help is loading the area, adding movement variety through the day, and building endurance so a sustained position is less demanding.

Rows, band pull-aparts and prone raises are the useful training. Telling a client to sit up straight all day is not, because holding any single position for eight hours becomes uncomfortable regardless of which position it is. Change of position beats perfect position.