Last Updated on January 7, 2021
How To Do It:
Position yourself face down on a 45% back raise or a Yessis GHR. Situate the crest of your hip at the edge of the pad (too far out may stress the lower back unnecessarily). Keep your torso long and your posture as straight as possible. Twist your middle back as far as you comfortably can to one side. When twisting to the right, pull your right shoulder blade in toward your spine. Push your left shoulder blade away from your spine as you are pulling the right blade in. The same shoulder patterning should be present when you twist to the left (left blade in, right blade out). Repeat for two sets of ten reps on either side with a slow, methodical tempo.
3- Overhead Shrug
This exercise can correct poor posture, rebalance shoulder musculature and will have you changing light bulbs like a pro in no time.
How To Do It:
There’s a reason you haven’t heard anyone in a gym ask, “What’s your overhead shrug max bro?” Keep it light. A full range of motion and a controlled tempo are critical in this exercise. Grab a bar with a standard bench grip and press it over your head. Keep your elbows locked in place as you elevate your shoulder blades upward. Contract your traps and hold for two seconds. Slowly control your scapula down while keeping tension throughout the entire shoulder complex. Similar to the face pull, this can be performed as a filler or as a standalone exercise. Eight to twelve reps per set should work nicely.
4- Shoulder and Distraction
Band distractions are a tremendous tool that can serve as an alternative to conventional static stretching. They involve adding band tension to a joint and moving said joint though a comfortable range of motion, opening kinks and restrictions that have developed over the years. This particular variation should serve to free up the shoulders.
How To Do It:
Loop a band to a chin-up bar. Face away from the bar. Put the free end of the band around your arm and snugly around the crook of your armpit. Walk out until you get some appreciable tension in the band. While keeping your arm straight, twist your arm up and down (think about twisting a door knob back and forth). The band will aid in pulling your humerus (big arm bone) back into the glenoid (shoulder socket). Perform for 10 twists up and down on each arm.
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