Recharge and Restart

I am dusting off my old blog. Time to get my act together and use this tool in a productive manner again. My friend Patrick McHugh has inspired me this week.

Most people would tell me to use the blog feature of my business website, but truth be told, the blog feature of the SquareSpace sites stinks. Especially when it comes to integrating video into posts.

Or I'm just an old curmudgeon.

Like everyone else, I'm working through this trying time, mostly from home. Thankfully, I'm not in any official quarantine and I have the luxury of my business space as a secondary retreat from home. So I am compelled to use my knowledge, that space and this space to help others stay sane and healthy while we work through our collective challenge.

Let's start with one of my favorite little movement sequences: Powerball Series #1 and #2. There are two sequences, with five movements in each sequence. #1 is geared toward single plane work: sagittal, frontal and transverse.  #2 has more combined plane work. The idea here is simple: move your arms in all directions and above your head. I created these sequences to address basic shoulder / spine infrastructure in my high school volleyball athletes and support my own upper quarter health. I used to not have much empathy for victims of whiplash until I was hit from behind at an intersection. That adjusted my attitude quickly.

Five movements, five reps R and L. Very much inspired by the "5 in 5" physical education modules put together by my GAIN colleagues Greg Thompson, Steve Myrland and Kelvin Giles. And the whole idea of just moving, versus doing some sterile external rotation or Codman's exercises is from by blogging buddy Joe Pryztula. His blog, Joe's Training Room was epic.

This is the original video I made, probably ten years ago.

When I redo these videos, I'll change and emphasize a few things.

1. I'll move a bit more slowly. No reason to go fast. Feel it. Be purposeful.

2. Think about reaching tall. Get long. Straighten those elbows.

3. I'll just use my arms. There is no specific need to have anything in your hands. These 2 lb PowerBalls are perfect and enough. 2.5 lb or 1 / 1.5 kg change plates also work well. Please do not try to use 5 or 10 lb dumbbells. Just don't.

I used these movements with EVERYONE --- from desk jockeys to Olympians. One Olympian told me I fixed her cranky shoulders. Sweet! You can do these movements in any space, at any time of day or night.

PowerBall Series #1
Shoulder Flexion x 5
Shoulder Abduction x 5
W into V x 5
Backstroke x 5 R/L
Alternating Still Punches x 5 R/L

PowerBall Series #2
Diagonal 1 x 5 R/L (square stance)
Figure 8's x R/L
Horizontal Abduction x 3 (palms down, palms neutral, palms up)
Alternating Step Punches x 5 R/L
Diagonal 1 x 5 R/L (stride/lunge stance)

The cool thing about these movements? I am sneaking in a bunch of subtle shoulder external rotation, above and below 90 degrees of shoulder abduction. Throw off the shackles of sterile, traditional physical therapy shoulder exercises. Use movement to remind your body that it is capable of great things. Put stuff over your head. Hair toss, check your nails, alternating still punches. Come on, dust your shoulders off, keep it moving.

I'll add some other ideas in the near future -- compliment this work with tubing and ground-based stuff. I want to write more. Happy to answer questions if you have them.



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