Week 4 - Save your Shoulders

Helpful tips for happy shoulders!

• I suggest performing the shoulder conditioning routine or active shoulder routine weekly or some other shoulder routine of your choosing.
• Finish every pole session you do with stretches for the shoulders, wrists, and hands.
• Watch the S.O.S. save our shoulders video.
• Make sure you can pass the shoulder mobility test found here at 15 seconds, before training single-arm spins like reverse grab, handstands, and tricks like Ayeshas and handsprings.

Things you'll need:

• A selection of resistance bands
• Foam roller
• Peanut, tennis ball, or massage ball

Here's my week-long V.I.P. plan for shoulders.

Shoulder conditioning routine - One time per workout session.

Active shoulder routine - One time per workout session. This is great if you're not totally new to training.

Below is a list of individual exercises you can use to maintain healthy shoulders. Perform 1-3 sets of 10-20 reps for all exercises listed 1 to 3 times a week. Three times a week is recommended if you're new to pole or just getting back into it after a long break with no exercise.

Scapula drills 1 minute or more running through the different motions of the scapula.

Rear pulls 1-3 sets of 10-20 reps

Lateral pull downs 1-3 sets of 10-20 reps

Modified shoulder press 1-3 sets of 10-20 reps

Scapula push-ups 1-3 sets of 10-20 reps

The 6 conditioning exercises listed below are in the shoulder conditioning routine, so if you're doing all of these videos at once, including the shoulder conditioning routine, there is no need to repeat these 6. I wanted them to be here individually so you can choose to use them on their own if you like.

Up and neutral scapula 1-3 sets of 12-20 reps

Forward and back scapula 1-3 sets of 12-20 reps

Front raises 1-3 sets of 12-20 reps

Lateral raises 1-3 sets of 12-20 reps

External shoulder rotations 1-3 sets of 12-20 reps

Internal shoulder rotations 1-3 sets of 12-20 reps

Easy ups (split grips 4 ways) 1-3 sets of 12-20 reps

Up and over stretch Move through this stretch 3 times, slowly!

Overhead stretch Hold for 20-40 seconds using whichever method of stretching you like.

Shoulder clock stretch Move through this stretch 2 times, on both sides, slowly!

Reverse shoulder stretch Hold for 20-40 seconds using whichever method of stretching you like.

Under-arm massage Massage as long as you like!