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WEEK 5

Many athletes, horse riders included struggle with shoulder mobility, flexibility and good posture.

Even though we agonize over good posture for the perfect seat in a dressage test, or the all illusive chest up in show jumping, most riders hold a lot of tension and tightness in their neck and shoulders, and often when riding our concentration leads us to look down and begin to round our shoulders and hollow our chest. Over time, as with people that sit at a desk punching away at a computer all day, this posture begins to form shortness and tightness in our chest as well as upper back and shoulders weakening and lengthening. Over time this posture can affect the functioning of your spine and arms and breathing can become difficult.  A long list of muscles are involved, but there are a few big contributors, as you continue to round your shoulders pec minor grows tight, in turn mid trapezius and rhomboids grow long and weak. As a result of this ,smaller muscles that were not meant to be postural muscles work harder causing neck shoulder and upper back tension.

So this week I’m going to show you some shoulder MOBILITY AND STRETCHING exercises for internal rotator muscles , Pec Major, Anterior Deltoids, Subscapularis and Latisimuss Dorsi ans STRENGTHENING exercises for posterior muscles  Rhomboids, Mid Tapezius, Teres Minor and infraspinatus. If you feel you need to make major improvements to your posture, devote 1 or 2 days training a week to rehab stretch and strengthen, but try to remember to do the stretches after most of your workouts.

Mobility first

Postural Correction Lying Long on the Foam Roller.

Lay the foam roller logway’s on the ground. Position yourself laying on your back with the roller along your spine, neither head or backside hanging off. Position your arms out to your sides palms up like a crucifix. Remain here allowing your chest to stretch and your arms relax to the ground

Pec Stretch on Stability ball.

Position yourself on the ground on hands and knees, with a SB at your side, place one arm on the ball, elbow bent at 90 degrees, keep the arm on the ball still and ontop of the ball and turn your head away in the opposite direction and drop down into the shoulder as shown. Do both sides.

Broomstick Stretch

Hold one end of the broomstick at your head height with the pole behind you. With your other hand reach across your body and grab the lower end of the pole, keep your arm at shoulder height placing the BS in the middle of the back of your upper arm and  pull forward on the lower end of the BS

Anterior Delt Stretch

Standing up, link your fingers together behind you straighten your arms rolling your shoulder back then lift your arms away from you body.

Resistance Band Row

Either standing or kneeling attach a Band to a pole, door handle, tree, or what ever similar spot you can find. It needs to be stable. Position yourself in front of the pole with the band in both hands (like reins), you can also use on in each hand. Draw back on the bands keeping your chest up and abs switched on, continue to pull so that your elbows go beyond your body behind you rolling your shoulder blades together. Release and return to start position.

Stability Ball Medicine Ball Pull Over

Holding a MB, sit on a SB. Slowly roll out on the SB to position yourself comfortably with your head and neck supported, toes pointing forward, hips, knees toes in alignment. Life hips toward ceiling creating a plank, shoulders, hips and knees in a line. Raise the MB above your head, lower the ball with straight arms down over your head until your arms are parallel with the floor, or as far as your range of motion will allow(this will improve). Return to start position.

External Rotation , arm at 90 Degrees

With a light dumbbell in each hand (1/2kg) hold one in each hand and raise your arm up and to your sides with elbows bent and dumbbells beside your head facing forward. Keeping your upper arm and shoulders at the same height roll your lower arm forward until hands are at the same level os your shoulders. Return to start.

Till next time. Train Hard. Eat Well. Rest.

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