This is a mobility drill that works great as a pre-round or workout warm up.
More Pars Fitness Coaches Danny V and Christina Ricci show you a simple move that awakens the subtle and not-so-subtle muscles of the shoulder region.
Key benefits of this move:
Strengthens your shoulder regionImproves mobility
Strengthens your glutes and hamstrings
Grab a broom handle, driver or head to the local hardware store to grab a dowel. Cut down to about 5 feet.
Mobility Move: The Set Up & Execution
• With a wide and loose grip, shrug your shoulders up as you pass the dowel gently overhead.
• Shrugging as you go back, not on forward move.
• Drop the dowel back behind you, dropping as low as comfortable, don’t force the move.
• Full extension as you extend overhead.
Overhead Squat: The Set Up & Execution
• Same grip as above.
• Fully extend dowel overhead. It should be 6-8 inches above your head, so adjust grip accordingly.
• Arms set behind ears.
• Weight in heels as you drop your buttocks back and down, keeping an engaged and quiet torso.
• Head level and eyes fixed for stability.
• At the bottom of the move, buttocks below parallel, with arms fully extended overhead, with arms still just beyond ears.
Set your grip width that allows the overhead dowel position to be about 6-8 inches from your head.
Be sure to shrug your shoulders as you pass the dowel from front to back to protect the shoulders. Overhead Squat Move: If you cannot maintain arms beyond ears at any point, don’t force it, simply, shorten the range of motion. If you cannot keep the weight in your heels, at any point, this could indicate tight hips or tight shoulders.
So let’s make sure you get green checks on these key points:
• Shrug for the shoulders on the back dowel pass during the shoulder mobility move.
• Overhead Squat: Same squat principles apply with added element of shoulder engagement with the dowel overhead.
• Squeeze your glutes hard to initiate the move up.
• Come up to full extension and repeat.
Your goal is a repetition of 10-15 times for both moves.