It’s cold out here. I can see my breath in the short distance I walk to get here. Thankfully there’s a mounted heater that provides some warmth. I lie on my stomach, stretched out like a fish that’s succumbed to the hook in its mouth. My arms shoot north, not so bad, but then I lift them into the air from that position and then controllably lower them back down. Then I lift them up again, making sure my thumbs are pointed toward the ceiling (or sky). Times 20. Then I shoot my arms out wide so I look like a cross now. Thumbs up. Lift the arms up then down, up, then down. Times 20. Arms are now at my sides and I make a conscious effort to relax my shoulders. I look like a torpedo. I pull my arms back, then down, back then down. Times 20.

I flip over and scoot on the bench so that I’m under the barbell. It’s freezing. I can feel it through my gloves. But I grip it nonetheless. I retract my shoulder blades, poke my chest up, and pull. Times 15.

Then I move around and lie flat on the bench again, this time with a 15-pound dumbbell in my hands. I tilt it so its facing down, over me. My hands are wrapped around one end of it. My arms are extended. I bring it down and back, over my head, toward the top of the bench. Once I get my arms parallel to my head and neck, I pull the dumbbell up. Repeat x 30 or 40. The area beneath my armpits (the lats) start to burn a little. It strangely feels nice. I feel aggressive and strong. The next round burns a little more, and the third round even more.

I get to work, shoulders down, chest up, neck stretched tall. Nerves are calmed, heart is at peace. Shoulders taut, pulled back. Ready to go. I stare at the screen in front of me. Eight hours later I leave work and my shoulders are hunched, curved forward. Chest is tight and down. Time to go back to the garage and straighten this out with a shoulder-back workout.