A to improving your climbing is to work on your weaknesses. These movements target two of my greatest weaknesses: . thoracic spine extensionshoulder extensionHere are 2 great openers I&;ve been working on:The first one targets more thoracic extension as I limit the motion into my shoulders by bringing them in closer to the wall. Simply stick your butt out further as you sink your body down and take 5 diaphragmatic breaths and bring your chest / face towards the wall. You can target specific vertebra segments depending on how far you stick your butt outSwipe ️ for a modification for targeting more of the shoulders and through the lats. This time try and bring your chest down at a 45 degree angle towards the ground in front of you. . Try these as part of your mobility work before climbing, handstanding or before calisthenics!

posted on July 15, 2017 by | No comments

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A Winging scapula is a result of weakness of the Serratus Anterior muscle or damage to the long thoracic nerve which supplies this muscle. The result is a protruding shoulder blade into the back.Test yourself – While wearing a tank top:Put yourself in a pushup position against the wallLean forward into your handsAsk somebody to take a picture for you.Do you notice a bump on one side versus the other?If you don&;t have a friend – go into the washroom and take a look at your shoulder heights.Do you notice one shoulder significantly lower than the other?If you do. You have scapular winging. This can affect your ability to lift, pull, or push objects. The reason is because scapular winging is a muscular imbalance which results in malpositioning of the shoulder blade. This disrupts the Scapulohumeral rhythm – which is the optimal ratio of movement when you lift your arm from your side above your head. If this is a result from a long thoracic nn entrapment Active Release Therapy or ART can definitely help with this nervous entrapment. Proper positioning and movement of the scapula is critical for full and normal shoulder range of motion. Without it, your scapular is SICK! (Scapular malposition, Inferior medial border prominence, Coracoid pain and malposition, and dysKinesis of scapular movement) SICK scapula or scapular dyskinesis refers to an injury resulting from overuse and fatigue of the muscles that stabilize and provide motion for the scapula.To counteract it we want to:. Treat the underlying soft tissue adhesionsStrengthen the affected musclesGrease the groove and provide stimuli to maintain the positioning and movement of the scapula

posted on May 30, 2017 by | No comments

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This is a great upper body stretching and mobility exercise to help achieve: . Full range in the shouldersStrength StabilityMotor control and coordinationNice stretch. This is a fundamental exercise for many calisthenics movements including any and all ring work, front levers, back levers, muscle ups, and even handstands. Here I do an added pulse to activate my legs and really feel the extension through my shoulders. Doing &;Skin the cats&; will help you achieve:will target:.Shoulder stabilizersBackChestAbdominalsTo try this movement start with your legs in a tucked position to build the required strength and practice closer to the ground so that you can touch the ground. Gradually take your body over further and progress until you can move into and out of the hang unassisted. Grip the rings/bar in a deadhangKeep the arms straight and the legs bentbring your feet up and continue the movement until the feet pass over the arms and head into an inverted hangContinue to move your feet around and toward the ground and extendReturn to the start positionRinse and repeat as a shoulder prep before activity. markham toronto

posted on April 25, 2017 by | No comments

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A common climbing problem is pain on the inside portion of the wrist. Sometimes this pain can be a result to damage to the red circle – or TFCC, which is a cartilage structure on the pinky finger side of the wrist. It&;s function is to support and cushion the small bones of the wrist and stabilize the bones of the forearm (radius and ulna) when the hand grasps or the forearm rotates. It&;s important to strengthen the wrist in more than just flexion and extension. When doing this exercise you are working your wrist using radial and ulnar deviation. Keep in mind the following:Stabilize the forearmSmooth, steady controlled motionGrab closer to the CENTER of the stick for an EASIER exercise Grab closer to the END of the stick for a HARDER exercise Rinse and repeat 20 times as part of your warm up or for sets as an integral part of wrist maintenance series

posted on March 22, 2017 by | No comments

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Broomstick rotations or Pronation and supination of the arm.Another wrist mobilization and a strengthening exercise I use as part of my wrist sequence. Supination is the motion similar to if you were to try and scoop up some water with your hand and have a drink or to tighten a screwdriver (Righty tighty). Pronation is the opposite motion.Using a broomstick perform this action in a SLOW and controlled setting and you&;ll feel your forearms working hard. The more midline to the stick you are grabbing the easier the movement. The closer to the end you grab, the more resistance you will feel. This happens because you are changing the centre of gravity of the object. Do sets of 20 reps for both arms and enjoy your bulletproof wrists. series

posted on March 21, 2017 by | No comments

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Life is better upside down. I&;m starting a challenge for myself to see how much I can improve. This is day one (I&;ve been training for a few months already but not consistent!) Most of my improvements have come from wrist and shoulder mobility drills such as the ones I&;ve shown in my and skin the cats for my shoulders. The handstand requires both good awareness of where your body is in space and is a feat a muscular endurance. Try it out after a wrist warm up (find a soft surface or kick up against the wall). It&;s a great shoulder and core workout! culture

posted on March 16, 2017 by | No comments

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Ulnar / radial deviation fist or patent pending URDF! This is both a wrist mobilization and a strengthening exercise I use as part of my wrist sequence. It is using what&;s known as a closed kinetic chain (the hand is fixed against the ground) eccentric movement(you contract your muscles while they lengthen) The more weight you apply with your body the more tension there is on your muscles. Start off with minimal bodyweight and slowly progress through the motion feeling the end ranges of your wrist. This exercise is great used as a warmup before crushing and to bulletproof your wrist. You can also use it after the sharp pain subsides with a series

posted on March 14, 2017 by | No comments

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