So, I actually have, well, had, weak shoulders due to a car accident. Someone rear ended me @60+mph while I was sitting, signaling to turn. It shattered my clavicle and I've had shoulder issues ever since where my bones would come out of joint. At the time it was slight after my shoulder healed. But then my lower back going out on top of it all after that just compounded things a few years later and I developed a flat spine. It took years but I'm pretty determined/stubborn to not quit and now I'm back in better shape than most and even better than I was before it all. Anyway, as I was starting to get back into working out at the tail end of the heavy chiro visits, working out took on a whole new mask for me. Where I took things way more carefully than I ever had before. A friend of mine introduced me to Ido's stuff and I found a routine specifically for my shoulders that I just incorporated into ANY of my pre workout preps if you guys are interested. Apparently, Ido had some shoulder issues as well.
Here is my full pre workout prep. I do this EVERY time, no exceptions. If this is enough to make you start feeling it, don't worry, I couldn't go any further than this when I first started with my injury. I took it slow and built my tendons and stabilizers back up.
I start with an ankle routine that I put together with this vid and reading his blog on top of some other vids I can't remember rn lol. A friend had come to me to train him and we found that he had terrible flexibility in his ankles due to years of hiking in boots while in the army so I ended up putting together a routine for him, this is just one of the things I ended up incorporating into my prep.
I start with my back to the wall. I do 1 set of 12 heel raises with my feet about 1 and a half foot lengths away from the wall. Just stand where you feel it the most.
Then I do 1 set of 12 toe raises with my feet about 1 foot length away from the wall. Just stand where you feel it the most.
Then I have my feet at shoulder width, toes always pointing forward. I turn my ankles all the way out with my ankles pointed toward the ground as far as I can so I am standing on the outsides of my feet with my toes pointing forward. Like this.
I do this about 12 times, one second on the side of my foot and one second off.
Then I do the opposite side. I turn my ankles in and toward the ground as far as I can so I am standing on the insides of my feet with my toes pointing forward. I do this about 12 times, one second on the side of my foot and one second off.
Then I turn my ankles out again the same way, but this time I try to walk forward with them like that. 12 paces forward and then DON'T turn around, just do 12 paces backwards back to the wall.
Then I turn my ankles the other way, the same as before and I try to walk forward with them like that. It's ok to spread your legs a little wider here as needed. 12 paces forward and then DON'T turn around, just do 12 paces backwards back to the wall.
Do this up to 3 sets and as your body allows.
That's it. On to the next.
Now, I do wrists. So just the first part of this vid until 2:20.
Now onto the shoulders. I start with this.
These are not about building muscle but about fixing weak areas and building tendons and stabilizers so they call for light weight. I've worked my way up to an 8 pound band but I started off with the lightest I had for months, which was 1.5 pounds. This helps immensely with my scapular winging and just holding in the ribs around that area in general. Just concentrate very hard on trying to build that brain body connection if you have a weakness in this area. Feel your scapula rotate and even have someone watch you who can tell you if they are moving properly as you do the motions
slowly and make corrections as needed. As you progress and build that connection you will get through this faster.
Then a bit of legs. I had really weak legs and bad knees from years of doing tile with bad pads and then the accident... Plus, it's just great for getting the blood pumping to your legs before the workout.
I do these slow and strong always. Really focusing on what I now understand as my core, my bum and hammies. Which takes
much of the stress off of your knees.
Then back to the shoulders.
I use the same band here as I did before. You can go even lighter weight if you need. I've come to find that some people (even some of my beefier friends) are just really weak in some of these areas and need to start really light weight to build up those stabilizers and tendons.
Do these up to 3 sets depending on the length and intensity of your workout. So if you have a high length and intensity workout, just do one set. Do 3 if you have a short or low intensity workout. You can also do the shoulder portion at any time you feel you need to like I do. I even do it before I mow the lawn, but I use one of these for our 1.5 acres...
I'll often substitute mowing for my cardio and I'll do my entire workout prep beforehand...
And there you go. You are now ready to start your workout.
