The squat thruster strengthens the legs, hips, torso, shoulders, and arms. The squat thrust also develops and strengthens basic motor patterns. The squat thruster delivers both strength and conditioning benefits. Squat thrusters are an explosive (ballistic) movement that burn calories, strengthens the entire body and improves the cardiovascular system.
Squat thruster with rotation strengthens the legs, hips, thighs, torso, shoulders, and arms. This exercise delivers both strength and conditioning benefits. Dumbbells can be used to provide additional resistance. The rotation makes this exercise a good choice for anyone desiring real-world fitness. The squat thruster with rotation transfers well to sport and life.
Forward lunge rotation alternating strengthens the legs, hips and torso. The rotation develops and strengthens basic motor patterns and makes the exercise very functional. Functional exercises transfer the benefits to daily activities, such as working in the back yard or playing with your children. Keep the rest periods short for a great conditioning workout.
Forward lunge thrust alternating is a full body exercise that develops strength, endurance and improves your conditioning. This challenging and fun bodyweight exercise strengthens the legs, glutes (butt), shoulders, torso and triceps. With no equipment you can perform this exercise anywhere, making it a good choice for boot camp class or group training.
The Single Arm Dumbbell Muscle Snatch is a great shoulder warm up. It is also a good pre-hab exercise for baseball and other throwing sports. It is more challenging than the two handed version because of the uneven loading.
The lying dumbbell row develops the latissimus dorsi “lats”, rear-deltoids, and the scapula muscles. The bench provides a brace for the upper body to prevent excessive strain on the lower back. Select a bench that allows the bar to travel through a full range of motion. Use lighter dumbbells for muscular endurance and heavier weights for strength development.
The bench press performed with a resistance band works the chest, shoulders and triceps. The resistance on the band increases as you press away from you chest and decreases as you return to the starting position at the bottom. The resistance band also recruits the stabilizer muscles around the shoulders. You’ll want to find a band with enough resistance at the top of the movement, also called the “positive” portion of the exercise.
The bench press is often referred to as the “king” of upper-body exercise. The bench press develops strength in the chest, shoulders, and triceps. Using a barbell allows you to lift more weight than using dumbbells because you do not have to focus on stabilizing the weight as you push up. It’s important to keep your feet on the floor for stability and always use a spotter for safety. The bench press should be a staple in your upper-body workouts.
Performing the bench press with a restricted range-of-motion (ROM) is recommended for anyone with a pre-existing shoulder issue. Using a limited ROM reduces some of the shearing and compressive forces caused by the bench press. Place a bolster or rolled up towel over the sternum as a guide for the negative (lower) portion of the barbell bench press. This will ensure you do not move the weight past the restricted ROM.
The walking lunge thrust develops full-body fitness. Add the walking lunge thrust with rotation to your workout to burn calories and strengthen the entire body. Increase the resistance or distance for added difficulty.
The seated neck and shoulder stretch is a good way to actively stretch your neck and shoulder. This exercise can be done anywhere and it is good for people with limited mobility in their neck or shoulder. The seated neck and shoulder stretch is good for beginner exercisers and people who spend a lot of time sitting at a computer.
Shoulder rolls are a great mobility exercise for the shoulders, scapula, and upper back. Shoulder rolls help remove stress in the neck and trapezius muscles. Shoulder rolls can be performed in a forward and backward motion.
The wall nerve stretch relaxes the nerves in the neck and down the arms. If you have a tight upper back or neck, this stretch may help. Provide gentle pressure and be sure to stop if you feel pain or discomfort.
The alternating dumbbell shoulder press performed seated focuses on the shoulders and triceps. Using dumbbells allows you to change your hand position which changes the focus placed on the shoulders. Therefore the alternating dumbbell shoulder press is an effective way to add variety to your shoulder routine. The seated position prevents you from cheating on the exercise with too much weight. By alternating each arm you allow the muscles just enough rest to squeeze out a few extra reps.
The alternating dumbbell shoulder press performed standing works on the shoulders and triceps. Using dumbbells while standing allows you to cheat a little and therefore use more weight. This is important if you are trying to build strong shoulders. By alternating each arm you allow the muscles just enough rest to squeeze out a few extra reps. Using dumbbells requires you to recruit more stabilizer and core muscles and therefore you work more of the shoulder muscles during the workout.
The back scratch exercise is great for relieving tension in the shoulders. Each time you perform the back scratch try and move your hand higher up your back and push your chest out further. This is a good exercise for swimmers or anyone with tightness in their shoulders. Hold the stretch for longer periods and do many sets throughout the day to keep improving.
The dumbbell shoulder press performed while seated on the ball is a great exercise for building shoulder strength while at the same time working the core muscles. As you press the weight overhead you activate more of the core in order to stabilize your spine. This is a good way to add variety to your training plan. You can add this exercise to your workout plan if you are bored with your current routine.
External rotation performed with the resistance band is a great rotator cuff exercise. Years of bench pressing and heavy weightlifting may lead to an imbalance of strength between the prime movers and stabilizers of the shoulders. Performing external rotation will help correct imbalances and keep your rotator cuff muscles healthy and strong. You can perform this exercise after an upper-body workout. Use an elastic band or cable machine.
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