Charlie commented on my article about training weak links last week. (If you missed that you can see both parts here and here.
He asks, “How did you ever think of these? I had a right shoulder problem a few years back and did all the standard PT stretches and strength progression, but my right shoulder is still not as solid as my left shoulder. I have to concentrate to get my right shoulder to fire when I do pushup.”
He’s talking about the series of exercises done with a cable in the bent press bottom position, which includes:
Wig-Wag
Shoulder Corkscrew
Side Press
Windmill to Overhead Squat Transition
The answer of how I came up with them is basically two places. From others and from myself.
I’ve picked up bits and pieces here and there over my many years in the physical culture game. For example, the Wig-Wag is an exercise I learned from Professor Orlick in Hand Balancing Made Easy that he talked about for helping handstands by improving shoulder stability.
Then I adapted this with some of the Indestructible Body and Intuitive Mobility work. (Both on Quarantine Sale right now!)
I found that the concept of the Wig-Wag could be applied in a variety of other ways. If it improved shoulder stability in the handstand, why not change positions and get the same benefits in those other positions?
In fact, I’d used it in training for other “heavy exercises” such as my 135 lb. barbell getup.
The adaptation came from listening to my body. In training the Wig-Wag one day, it just felt right to include the corkscrew in there.
You mention the “standard PT” moves. These are a absolutely good place to start…but ultimately if you have an injury it is somewhat unique to you. That is why I advocate learning how to listen to your body.
Once you have a “library of movements” that you know, your body will guide you to using the right ones, whether that is to get yourself out of pain or to strengthen a weak link to perform at an elite level.
And your body will guide you to using new movements that no PT would give you.
The Indestructible Body is mostly about strengthening, making more flexible, more mobile and more stable all the joints in the body. There are quite a few standard movements in there to do so. And there’s a lot of off-the-wall stuff too! It is a good starting place for a library of movements.
Although it’s touched upon there, listening to your body for repairing injuries is best covered inside Intuitive Mobility. Learn the library of basic to complex mobility exercises. Learn how these can be changed up by loading them or changing positions. But most of all learn the PROCESS of listening to your body.
I promise you if you do this, while it may not make your right shoulder (or whatever physical issue…) 100%, you absolutely will see significant improvements.