This week I’m sharing 5 innovative exercises for durable shoulders. All of these exercises require minimal equipment.
#1) Feet Elevated Band Resisted Leg Extensions From Bear Crawl
While this exercise is known for strengthening the quadriceps, it also improves shoulder and scapular stability, and lumbo-pelvic stability.
Coaching Tips:
- Hold a resistance band in your hands, and loop the band behind your knees. There should be resistance in the band for 100% of the exercise.
- Elevate your forefeet on a bench, couch, or other stable surface.
- Get into a bear crawl position. Your head, torso and hips should be in a stacked position.
- Start so your thighs are relatively vertical, knees are bent, and are several inches above the floor.
- Your hands should be roughly below your shoulders, or slightly ahead. Figure out what works and feels best for you.
- Before each rep, take a deep breath in (360 degrees of air around your spine), brace your core (360 degree brace around your spine), and squeeze your glutes.
- Now use your quadriceps and extend your knees. Pause for a count when your knees are fully extended and really contract your quadriceps. Do not let your knees hyperextend, and make sure the movement is smooth and controlled.
- Return to the starting position with complete control. Stop when your knees are just above the floor, and thighs are in a relatively vertical position.
- For the duration of the exercise, press your body away from the floor and protract your shoulder blades (spread them apart and move them away from your spine and around your ribcage). Do not mindlessly hang out.
- For the duration of the exercise, your head, torso and hips should remain in a stacked position. Do not allow your lower back to hyperextend, round, or flex laterally, ribcage to flare, or torso, spine or hips to rotate.
- For the duration of the exercise, keep your core muscles braced (360 degree brace around your spine).
- In terms of breathing, do what works and feels best for you.
#2) Lateral Pike Pulses + Single Arm Overhead Hold
This exercise strengthens the hip flexors, and improves lumbo-pelvic stability. The single arm overhead hold makes these very anti-lateral flexion in nature, and improves shoulder/scapular stability. Start off using a much lower surface and work your way up as your hip flexors get stronger.
Coaching Tips:
- Sit on the floor. Your head, torso and hips should be in a stacked position.
- Fully extend your knees, and plantarflex your feet (point them away from you).
- Place an object in front of you, and to the side of your lower legs.
- Hold a kettlebell in a regular position (or dumbbell). Extend your arm so it’s in an overhead position. Maintain this position for the duration of the exercise.
- On the other side, lightly rest your fingertips on the floor.
- For the duration of the exercise make sure you keep your legs and feet completely together.
- While keeping your knees fully extended and feet plantarflexed, lift your legs over the objects in a lateral direction, and then back to the starting position. Repeat in the opposite direction.
- For the duration of the exercise, do not allow your legs or feet to strike the objects or the floor.
- For the duration of the exercise, do not allow your lower back to hyperextend, excessively round, or flex laterally, ribcage to flare, torso, spine or hips to rotate, or weight to shift from hip to hip. Some minor spinal flexion is ok.
- For the duration of the exercise keep your core braced (360 degree brace).
- In terms of breathing, do what works and feels best for you.
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#3) Weight Transfers From Bear Crawl
This exercise improves shoulder and scapular controlled mobility (on the side that is moving), and stability (on the side that is planted), and lumbo-pelvic stability. Aside from your moving arm/shoulder blade, the rest of your body should remain in a fixed position for the duration of the exercise.
Coaching Tips:
- Get into a bear crawl position. Your head, torso and hips should be in a stacked position. Your thighs should be vertical, knees bent, and several inches above the floor.
- Place your feet so they are hip to shoulder width apart.
- On the planted side, your hand should be underneath your shoulder. Spread your fingers, and pretend you are suctioning or screwing your hand and fingers to the floor.
- On the other side of your body, place a weighted object.
- Before each rep, take a deep breath in (360 degrees of air around your spine), brace your core (360 degree brace around your spine), and squeeze your glutes.
- Now pass the weight to the opposite side of your body. The farther away the weight travels from the midline of your body, the more challenging the exercise will be.
- Pay attention to your supporting side. Push away from the floor and protract your shoulder blade (move it away from your spine and around your ribcage). Do not mindlessly hang out.
- Before each weight transfer, pause and do a proper reset. Most people rush and do not do a proper reset, and this makes the exercise quite ineffective.
- For the duration of the exercise, your head, torso and hips should remain in a stacked position. Do not allow your lower back to hyperextend, round, or flex laterally, ribcage to flare, torso, spine or hips to rotate, hips to pike or collapse, or weight to shift from foot to foot.
- For the duration of the exercise keep your core braced (360 degree brace).
- In terms of breathing, do what works and feels best for you.
#4) Tall Kneeling Single Arm Overhead Hanging Kettlebell Presses
This exercise improves upper body strength, shoulder and scapular controlled mobility, and lumbo-pelvic stability. The unstable nature of the kettlebell + band makes this very challenging.
Coaching Tips:
- Get into a tall kneeling position. Your head, torso and hips should be in a stacked position.
- Hang a kettlebell from the band, and grab the end of the band.
- Before each rep, take a deep breath in (360 degrees of air around your spine), brace your core (360 degree brace), and squeeze your glutes.
- Perform an overhead press. Do not move the weight overhead by hyperextending your lower back and flaring your ribcage, excessively shrugging your shoulder, or leaning to the side.
- In the top position, your arm should resemble close to a straight line, and your biceps should be in close proximity to your ear.
- Pause for a count and gain control.
- Return to the starting position with control.
- Do not keep your shoulder blade pinned. It is meant to move.
- In the bottom position, your elbow should remain at approximately a 45-60 degree angle with your torso.
- For the duration of the exercise keep your core braced (360 degree brace).
- In terms of breathing, do what works and feels best for you.
#5) Hollow Body + Single Arm Bottoms-Up Kettlebell Presses
This exercise improves lumbo-pelvic stability, shoulder and scapular controlled mobility, and grip strength. This exercise is extremely anti-rotational in nature.
Coaching Tips:
- Lie on the floor. Your head, torso, and hips should be in a stacked position.
- Lift up your legs so they are in a vertical position, fully extend your knees, point your feet away from you (plantarflex).
- Grab onto a kettlebell by the horn, and so it’s in a bottoms-up position.
- Slowly lower your legs towards the floor, and to a range where you are able to maintain proper form (and feel your anterior core muscles). Maintain this position for the duration of the exercise.
- Before each rep, take a deep breath in (360 degrees of air around your spine), and brace your core (360 degree brace).
- Now perform a single arm press. Gain a moment of control when you are in the top position, and then return the kettlebell to the starting position with control.
- In the bottom position, do not allow your elbow to flare out. It should remain at about a 45-60 degree angle with your body.
- For the duration of the exercise, do not allow your lower back to hyperextend, round, or flex laterally, ribcage to flare, torso, spine or hips to rotate, or hips to leave the floor.
- For the duration of the exercise, keep your core braced (360 degree brace).
- In terms of breathing, do what works and feels best for you.
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