Inner Strength Pilates on Strengthening Rotator Cuff Muscles

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Tamara Gollan Inner Strength Pilates and Barre Adelaide

These exercises are fabulous in that they achieve exactly what they set out to do rehabilitation-wise.

(PRWEB) April 11, 2014

In the video Rehabilitation Pilates Workout how to Strengthen Your Rotator Cuff Muscles for her rehabilitation Pilates series, Gollan shows how performing the exercises she outlines can lead to strong, toned arms and stable shoulder joints.

The classes run by her studio for rehabilitation tend to be one on one personal training. Clients are initially given an assessment then discuss their goals and what they hope to achieve through exercise. An individualised training programme is then carefully devised. This means that clients are given exercises solely focused on rehabilitation.

Gollan, a former professional dancer says: “These exercises for strengthening the rotator cuff muscles really are fabulous in that they achieve exactly what they set out to do rehabilitation-wise. Not only that but they are also excellent for individuals who are keen to strengthen their arms.”

To undertake the exercises a theraband is necessary. These come in a variety of strengthens with the black band the toughest to perform with. Blue therabands are slightly easier then yellow and red are even lighter.

The exercise, which is also outlined in the blog post titled ‘Strengthen Rotator Cuff Muscles: Inner Strength Pilates’ is performed standing upright with the legs hip width apart and the weight evenly distributed on both feet. The elbows are tucked into the waist with the palms facing upwards.

Gollan adds; “It's like your holding a tray of food. Just be careful you don't drop down or come up too high.”

To prepare for the exercise it is first necessary to take a breath in, then to breath out. The core should then be engaged and the hands pulled as far away from the body as possible. An inhalation should then be taken to bring the arms back in.

It’s possible to make the exercise more difficult by beginning with the hands closer together.

It is also important, Gollan says, to always be aware of the posture. In other words, it’s essential, in order for the exercise to work properly, for the individual to be standing tall.
“Imagine you got a piece of string attached to the crown of the head and that's lifting you up towards the ceiling.,” she clarifies. “What you are in effect doing is lengthening the spine. Keep your chin lifted. Careful you're not looking down and keep the neck in the correct position by ensuring it is line with the rest of your body.”

It is also important, she stresses, to ensure that the body is not pushing forward from the hips. A common error, she says, is for individuals when pulling their hands away to engage their back to help. Instead the assistance should all come from the core muscle group.

“Always engage your core before and throughout the movement of pulling your hands out and you shouldn't see any movement happen through your spine whatsoever,” she adds.

The actual movement from the exercise should, in fact, be from the back muscles. In order to keep the shoulder joints strong the rotated cuff muscles and the back muscles should remain strong. When the hand is pulled out the side the shoulder blade should be squeezed in a downwards direction. Squeezing the shoulder blades together results in an open chest, which is the desired response.

Gollan recommends completing 15 sets of the exercise every day or every second day to build up.

As well as shoulder injuries, other conditions coaches at Inner Strength Pilates treat include those connected with the back, groin, knee, ankle, neck and shoulder. Headaches are also something that can be treated using Pilates.

The company currently have three studios in Adelaide’s King William Road where they offer a variety of Pilates and Barre classes as well as specialised Pilates coaching for pregnancy. More information is available from the Inner Strength Pilates website where a schedule of classes can also be found.

News updates can be seen on the company’s Facebook page or Google Plus accounts.

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