What is super stretchy, versatile, challenging, cheap, and takes up hardly any space? The Theraband is a must have prop for everyone of all ages, fitness skill level, rehabilitation to sport specific training and every Pilates studio will have them. They can be used on their own to mimic the resistance based training of the Pilates apparatus or add them in to mat, reformer, Cadillac and chair repertoire.
Here I’ll give you a shoulder/arm series that is inspired by a medley of arm series exercises in the BASI Pilates Comprehensive Teacher Training on the Cadillac and on the reformer.
Personally, I have struggled with shoulder joint pain since my joints dislocate and cause hypertonic (tight) muscles to the surrounding areas. I require extra efforts to strengthen ROM in all capabilities in this area. These exercises are like vitamins or a tune up for my body, to do what it loves to do. I hope you find some revelations into how important strengthening this area is to feel your best. This can be mentally challenging when discomfort can make us want to just rely on foam rolling, massage, rest, or nothing at all.
The shoulder is a muscle dependent joint made up of three groups of muscles that all need strength and ROM. These groups need two BASI Pilates principles in particular: precision and harmony within and amongst each other.
1.) The rotator cuff is an intricate group of muscles connecting the humerus to the scapula. Known as “SITS” supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor, and subscapularis.
2.) The second group of muscles connects the scapula to the axial skeleton: the serratus anterior, levator scapula, and rhomboids.
3.) The last group are the large shoulder muscles like the pectorals, latissimus dorsi, and the deltoids… or as we call them in the gym “pecs, lats, and delts”.
In traditional gym settings the large shoulder muscles are often addressed without the details of the underlying structures such as 1 & 2 mentioned above.
While I do feel a major shift in traditional gym settings are better towards form and less superficial muscles to support the larger structures, there seems to be a disconnect in how we use our arms and shoulders functionally in life. Joseph Pilates stated the issues, in the 1920s, with how civilization was countering healthy function in the body. So imagine what he would think today?!
Technology, especially, puts the body in forward head and protracted shoulder postures all the time which make it impossible to access the muscles in the posterior chain of the upper body.
Scapulohumeral rhythm is the interplay of the ratio of how much the glenohumeral joint abducts or flexes vs how much the scapulothoracic joint upwardly rotates. Basically it’s how much the shoulder blade lifts in conjunction with the arm. For every two degrees of lift in the arm, there is one degree of upward rotation in the scapula. Therefore, we do not need to lock our shoulders down. As teachers, we can sometimes overuse the cue “shoulders down” since the goal is to relax the top of our shoulders/neck while moving the arms and counter the tendency of lifting them too much. Instead we want to encourage strength through ROM in the shoulder girdle and in the rotator cuff muscles (and all of our muscles 🙂
When I am teaching private Pilates lessons, group classes, or BASI Pilates Teacher Training, I like to use the analogy of a tree or a plant in relation to the arms. The plant grows from the root system which is deep and strong even as a storm comes and blows the branches around. Think of your arms like the plant, the shoulder socket is where the plant connects to the earth and our upper back/scapula is the root system. As the arms move, the root system is dynamically stabilizing. We don’t disturb the humerus in the socket or pull the plant up from the soil.
A strong back, shoulder girdle and arm structure will help keep your neck and shoulder joints pain and injury free.
Chest Expansion
(Adapted from the kneeling arm series on the reformer in the BASI Pilates Comprehensive Repertoire.)
Muscle Focus & Objectives: latissimus dorsi, shoulder extensors, triceps, scapular stability, trunk stability
Setup: Standing on the center of your theraband, reach down and hold as far down to gives you resistance when you stand. Feel the pull of the shoulder girdle wide and down. Roll the shoulders up, back and relaxed down.
Exhale: Extend arms back keeping elbows long and chest open.
Inhale: Return to starting position
Repeat 5-10x
Biceps
(Adapted from the standing arm series on the Cadillac in the BASI Pilates Comprehensive Repertoire.)
Muscle Focus & Objectives: biceps, anterior deltoid length, trunk and scapular stability
Setup: Standing on the middle of the theraband holding low to gives you enough resistance. Hold arms slightly back. Keep elbows pointing back and still in space as you move.
Exhale: Bend elbows bringing hands toward shoulders and keep elbows pointing back.
Inhale: Extend lower arms back to starting position
Repeat 5-10x
Hug A Tree
(Adapted from the standing arm work on the Cadillac in the BASI Pilates Comprehensive Repertoire.)
Setup: Begin with the theraband across the upper back and behind the arms, chest height in a T position. Think of reaching the scapula wide and in line with the spine. Try to keep the eyes of your arms and palms of the hands facing forward.
Exhale: Reach the arms towards each other to a parallel position in line with your shoulders.
Inhale: Open to the starting position
Repeat 5-10x
Lat Pull In External Rotation
Muscle Focus & Objectives: latissimus dorsi, shoulder external rotators infraspinatus & teres minor, scapular and trunk stability
Setup: Holding the theraband chest width apart so there is a slight bit of resistance then shoulder width. Begin with the arms shoulder width and height.
Inhale: Reach arms overhead in slight external rotation (elbows bias slightly forward of hands).
Exhale: Pull the elbows to 90 degrees maintaining slight external rotation.
Inhale: Reach back up.
Exhale: Return to starting position.
Repeat 5-10x
Internal & External Rotation
Muscle Focus & Objectives: latissimus dorsi, shoulder external rotators infraspinatus & teres minor, internal rotators subscapularis, teres major, scapular and trunk stability
Setup: Holding the theraband chest width apart so there is a slight bit of resistance then shoulder width. Begin with the arms shoulder width and height.
Inhale: Reach arms overhead in slight external rotation (elbows bias slightly forward of hands).
Exhale: Pull the elbows to 90 degrees maintaining slight external rotation.
Inhale: Internally rotate shoulders bringing hands forward
Exhale: Back to 90 external rotation
Repeat internal and external rotation portion 5-10x. Return to starting position.
Repeat 5-10x
Single Arm Work – Circles Up & Circles Down
(Adapted from kneeling arm series in the BASI Pilates Comprehensive Repertoire.)
Muscle Focus & Objectives: latissimus dorsi, shoulder extensors, shoulder horizontal abductors & adductors, pecs, shoulder ROM, scapular stability, trunk stability
Setup: Standing on one side of the theraband, holding it in one hand low enough to gain resistance.
Inhale: Lift arms over head with palm facing up and back, when overhead.
Exhale: Rotate palm to face forward then reach arm out to side returning to starting position.
Repeat 5-10x & Reverse Direction
Triceps
(Adapted from the side arm series kneeling on the reformer from the BASI Pilates Comprehensive Repertoire.)
Muscle Focus & Objectives: triceps, torso lateral flexion, trunk and scapular stability
Setup: Standing on one side of the theraband, holding it in one hand low enough to gain resistance when over head. Side bend torso slightly to opposite side pressing hand into your thigh and rotate head to gaze down. Reach the arm vertical in line with the shoulder, elbow bend and reaching to ceiling, palm facing up, wrist straight.
Exhale: Straighten elbow keeping the upper arm still in space.
Inhale: Bend elbow return to staring position.
Repeat 5-10x
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