Spinal Erector Development - Peary Rader (1946)

This is a rather long article from Peary Rader. Before getting started, I wanted to share the only photo I've seen of him spotting at a power meet. "Click to Enlarge and no cheap-shot pun intended. 

Go Peary! 

The article begins . . . 

We feel that no barbell man should ever neglect the full development of the important muscles commonly known as the spinal erectors. They are important both from the standpoint of bodily beauty and of strength and vigor. We present herewith the most effective means of developing these muscles to their maximum of size, strength and beauty. 

Calling the muscles that erect the spine by the name of spinal erectors gives them a rather broad term. If you will look at the drawing of these muscles, you can see that they are not just two big masses of muscles up and down each side of the spine as is commonly thought. 

Note: The Lumber Interspinales muscles, quite small muscles that aid in maintaining an erect spine are of interest to lifters. There are four pairs, in intervals between the five lumbar vertebrae. They prevent rounding of the low back and when you suddenly round, when the flat low back rounds abruptly under a heavy load, they may be the ones occasionally giving you a week or so of grief in going from round to flat or flat to round. 

As you can see they are rather a complex set of many muscles. Strictly speaking  we would generally think of the erector muscles as being those seen just above the sacrum in the lower back. However, this muscle has many prolongations, all of them working together to move the spine in various directions. 

These are very important muscles, both to the bodybuilder and the lifter or for that matter to any man who wants to really be a man for it is said that the full development of these muscles contributes much to the vigor and virility of a manly man. They fill the hollow trough on both sides of the spine and are the muscles in closest relationship to this vital nerve area. The full development of these muscles is of utmost importance to the lifter for they probably have more to do with his success or failure in the quick lifts than any other single group of muscles. Without their stiffening influence on the spine the trunk would collapse upon itself when lifting a heavy weight. They likewise aid in the important second pull by arching the spine back in a snatch or a clean. There is hardly a lift performed in which they are not used in some way. Lack of full development of these muscles on bodybuilders will detract a great deal from their physique. The back will have a flat and uninteresting appearance. 

Thus you can see that the muscles under discussion  are of utmost importance. 

We'd like to give a full anatomical discussion of these muscles but as they are quite complicated in their origins and insertions and their various actions, it would probably prove very tiring to most of our readers. If you care to go into greater detail we urge you to obtain a Grey's or Cunningham's Anatomy for an accurate and enlightening study of these and other muscles. 

https://archive.org/details/cunninghamstextb00cunn/mode/2up

https://archive.org/details/grays-anatomy-for-students.-4th-ed/Gray%27s%20Atlas%20of%20Anatomy/  

We do, however, want you to study the drawing given with this article as by so doing, you can obtain a good general idea of the placement and probable actions of the muscles under discussion. You will note that the largest mass of muscles is in the lower back from the sacrum on up to the lower ribs. Also note that the different muscles are attached in various ways to the vertebrae of the spine and the ribs. This muscle and its prolongations as they are called, range from the sacrum on up to the base of the skull. 

You can thus see that they have a unique control of the spinal movements over all this area. They move the spine backwards as in arching the back and they likewise movie it from side to side and also in twisting movements from the hips to the head. Because of their attachments these muscles may be moved or used independently of each other. At least one muscle control artist has been able to attain mental control over the various parts of this muscle so that he can contract them at will and can start at the hips and cause them to contract separately on up the spine to the neck thus creating the most unbelievable effect. This man is one you have all heard of -- Alan Mead of England. 

Note: There's an article in the July 1932 issue of "Klein's Bell" titled "Dancing the Spinal Muscles" that describes this well. Unfortunately there is no film footage of this. Alan Mead is on the cover. The photo below, I am quite certain, doesn't really do justice to his performance, the rippling movement and complete control of it. 

It has long been the contention of bodybuilders and teachers that the best manner to develop the spinal erectors was with the dead lift -- most notably the straight legged dead lift (often erroneously called the stiff legged dead lift). We will admit the great value of this exercise but on the other hand there are many super erector exercises that have been given little thought. 

The author found that he made his best dead lift not after he had trained on the dead lift for some time, but after he had trained on the bent press for some time. Art Gilroy, who used to hold the bent press record, also held the dead lift record though he never practiced it. Harold Ansorge, who holds the bent press record, has also dead lifted 680 pounds.   

It has often been taught that the latissimus dorsi muscles were used most strenuously in the bent press but I maintain they are used very little as far as actual contraction of their mass is concerned, but that the spinal erectors and used very strenuously in erection and straightening the spine under great load. 

If you will look . . . hang on . . . look here first: 

Whoa Daddy! Goin' low in 1933. 

What's sometimes called "floor in the back pocket" depth. 

Now then, if you will look at the lower part of the erector muscles in the drawing you will note that part of it runs out and has its attachments or insertions on the ribs a considerable distance from the spine. Thus they exert a considerable force in pulling the spine to the side, as in rising from the bent press position. 

It has been long been my belief that the majority of the exercises such as the dead lift, etc., leave much to be desired as an ideal erector exercise. Here is the reason. In the straight legged dead lift you can certainly obtain full extension of the erector muscles IF YOU HUMP YOUR BACK TO ITS LIMIT RATHER THAN TRY TO DO ALL THE BENDING AT THE HIPS. However, it is impossible to obtain full contraction of these muscle UNDER MAXIMUM STRAIN. Here is the reason. As you reach the erect position the weight of the bar is taken by the bones of the vertebrae or spine and the erector muscles are only half contracted. In other words you haven't been able to contract the most effective half of their range of action against the resistance in your hands. The last half of the movement in which you arch the back is just a muscle control movement with no resistance to speak of against the muscles. 

Before we go any farther we had better explain that the spinal erector muscles have nothing to do with bending at the hips. THEIR ACTION IS TO FLEX OR BEND THE SPINE ITSELF AS IN ARCING IT AND BENDING TO THE SIDE. This is a mistake too many, in fact most bodybuilders and trainers make. Remember this in our further discussion of the actions of these muscles and the exercises affecting them. 

    

Since we usually list sports and exercises that affect the muscles in question we will do so at this time also. Of course weight lifting as a sport gives the greatest developmental exercise to the erectors. However, we may find that balancing is also very effective especially in hand-to-hand work. Tumbling is also very good as is wrestling. Boxing has very little effect on the erectors. Many track and field events give some development to the muscles . . . this goes on for a while longer, but I'll leave it out and get to the lifting . . . 

These muscles can generally stand a great deal of exercise. However, you will be wise to exercise a certain amount of care in the amount and nature of the work you give them in the beginning as it is easy enough to cause yourself some trouble by slight injury to the delicate relationships of the various spinal vertebrae to each other as well as to the sacroiliac articulation. 

Each man must determine for himself the exercises that prove most beneficial in his own case without causing him trouble. 

As you will have noted by the above discussion we believe that the bent press is a very good exercise for developing these muscles -- however, it is limited in its action. A still more effective exercise is the two arm snatch. Both of these movements when performed with a strong second pull cause the erector muscles to contract to their limit under the strain of lifting the weight as you give the second pull by a vigorous arching of the back. By performing these lifting movements FROM THE DEAD HANG style in repetitions you make it a very vigorous erector exercise. This will affect the erectors up to the shoulders. 

From the shoulders up or shall we say the neck, we believe that the wrestler's bridge is very effective if performed correctly without cheating. We also find that head lifting (lifting weights from floor with the head strap) is very good exercise not only for the neck but for the entire length of the spinal erectors. Teeth lifting has the same effect. The standard head strap in bent over position is probably the best neck exercise, however, as it gives a complete range of movement with a fairly even resistance throughout. 

One of the most effective exercises for the erectors that I've found is the continental to shoulders. In this exercise you can use a very heavy weight -- it almost reaches dead lift proportions -- and it can be used to affect the erector muscles over a wide range. The latter part of the movement where the bell is brought from the waist to the shoulders corresponds to the second pull in the snatch and clean and works the muscles against heavy resistance in the latter stages of their contraction. I prefer that a pupil perform this exercise in the dead hang style for most benefit. 

You will wonder if I'm ever going to give the old favorites -- the dead lifts. Before I give you the standard styles I'd like to give a little invention of my own (I presume others have discovered it also but I've never heard of it before). This is sort of a modified dead lift. I take the bar in my hands in regular dead lift style and stand with bell at about knee height and bent over about half way. I allow my back to hump up as much as possible without changing my general position and I arch the back to the limit. Thus I have performed a complete spinal erector movement over the entire range of movement with the same weight resistance throughout the entire movement. This exercise will take a lot of practice and concentration before you perfect it enough to make it really effective but it is worth the effort. Remember to stand erect when you arch the back but keep the same position of being bent over at the hips. 

Now, the best of the dead lifts is probably the straight legged dead lift. It is a good erector exercise except as before stated it only works the erectors over half their range of movement. It, like a lot of other so called erector exercises, is a very good gluteus maximus or buttock exercise in that most of the movement takes place in the hip region. The standard flat backed dead lift is in the same category. It is a good erector exercise, but you have to do a lot of it to be effective because the range of action on the erectors is less than half that of the straight legged deadlift. 

In performing the straight legged deadlift many have found it to their advantage to perform it on a box or bench in order to allow them to bend over farther. Likewise others have found it to their advantage to use a dead lift hopper in order to prevent injury to their spine from using heavy weights in this exercise. We have discussed this hopper in detail in other issues of Iron Man (some can be found on this blog) and will not do so here at this time. 

One of the VERY BEST spinal erector exercises known, but little used is the one or two arm swing. This can be performed with either a kettle bell and alternate hands or one or two dumbbells. You should work up to heavy weights  in this exercise and allow the weight to swing back then swing the weight as high as possible with all the back arch you can obtain. A session or two of this exercise will make your back plenty sore the next day. Don't neglect this valuable exercise. 

Another one of the best exercises is the one hand dead lift with a round back. Place bar in front of you or between your legs as you prefer and lift it high and arch the back and lean slightly to one side away from the weight. Then when you go down allow the back to hump up. Some fellows will not have the necessary gripping powers to use sufficient weight for effective use of this exercise but most of you can gain benefit from it if you will use a small bar and one that is bent so it will not turn in your hand. Also, wrap black tape around it and use a hook grip. When we used to try for one hand dead lift records, our spinal erectors would become very sore indeed. You can perform this straight legged if you wish. 

Another exercise that we have illustrated above is performed on a bench. It is rather uncomfortable until you become used to it. Lay on your stomach on the bench. You are becoming very sleepy and your eyelids feel heavy. We would prefer that you lay with your hips on the edge of the bench so that your body extends over the table. Have someone hold your feet down or strap them down. Then take a light bar on the shoulders and allow your body to drop down low then come back up and arch to the limit. It is this last arching that benefits you the most. It will give you complete contraction against resistance. This is a tough one and will make you perspire in your sleep. 

I might mention the side bend while leaning slightly forward which might be classed as a slight variation of the straight legged one hand dead lift. This is an effective exercise for these muscles. 

The one hand snatch and the one hand clean also work these muscles very strongly and especially if you concentrate on them as erector exercises. 

The above does not comprise all the exercises for these muscles but we have given you the best and know that you can make a satisfactory selection from the above group.

Do not select several, but take one or possibly two and specialize on them for ultimate development. We suggest that you use several sets of 12-15 repetitions of whatever exercise you choose. Start with about 2 sets and work up to 4 or even 5 as wisdom gained from experience dictates. Do not work these muscles over three times per week. In many cases two sessions per week is best. Some have obtained best results on a heavy session every 4 days. These muscles do not always recuperate as fast as others. Massage is beneficial but should not be overdone as it would thus do more harm than good. 

Get busy on these muscles NOW! Bring them to their limit development and condition and you will never regret it. They will pay big dividends. 

Enjoy Your Lifting!