I see many clients with various injuries, and one of the most popular are shoulder-related. Many experience symptoms like difficulty raising their arms up or behind their backs. Reaching during overhead exercises may cause pain for them, and this is largely due to poor muscle strength in the shoulder. This is a common complaint heard in the studio.
Some of these individuals have rotator cuff injuries or frozen shoulder. In aging adults, Shoulder Impingement Syndrome is pretty common.
Shoulder restrictions can be troublesome, but I have two Pilates moves to help our clients strengthen those shoulder muscles and avoid long-term severe damage such as a rotator cuff tear.
Lateral & Forward Press
Using the band, we’ll work on lateral and forward presses. The key is to keep your elbow zipped in by the ribs.
This exercise – once learned by a professional Pilates instructor – can be performed at your home. Try using a band similar to this one:
If you have a shoulder injury, please contact me so we can set up a private session filled with exercises to help you strengthen your shoulder and improve your range of motion (without all of the pain!)