Activities of daily living such as desk work, abdominal crunches, exercise programs with frequent flexion moments constantly cause the spine to flex and hip flexors to have a tendency to shorten. This often results in kyphotic posture and protracted shoulder girdle! An simple, yet demanding, movement pattern is the Banded Wall Climbers.
The banded wall climber movement pattern is a challenging exercise for the posterior shoulder girdle. This is an excellent exercise to help train the parascapular tissue to enhance scapular retraction along with the posterior deltoid, triceps and latissimus dorsi.
Start by wrapping a band or tube around your hands. Place the side of your hands at shoulder height against a wall. Begin with small clockwise circular motions while moving your hands upward. Do 3-4 repetitions each arm. After reaching the designated repetitions, reverse the motion by moving the hands counter clockwise and move downward to the start position. Perform this movement pattern 3-4 times up and down for one set. Do 2-3 sets.
Combining this movement pattern along with the Scapular Retraction and Posterior Shoulder Stabilization, Integrated Shoulder Internal Rotation, Integrated Shoulder External Rotation will provide a tri-plane shoulder stability program that not only enhances shoulder girdle strengthening, but also assist with postural alignment improvements.
To Your Good Health!