any ideas on how I can work this?

[JosephDredd]

So in the last six months or so my physio work to rehab massive shoulder imbalances, kyphosis and shoulder blades winging out/forward has really started to click. All of a sudden my back and rear delts are starting to work properly again in ways they haven't in at least two decades. And as this is happening, I'm starting to realize all they ways this issue held me back in fight training.

I've always had piss poor shoulder bridges to escape from side control. I realize now that I was never getting up on my shoulders because my shoulders were rolled forwards; I was just rocking up on my stretched out lats.

I'm trying to figure out a specific exercise I can do to work this motion because I'd like my escapes to improve as fast as possible. I've started doing shoulder bridges from side to side, really pulling my shoulder under me with back muscles, and have started to add resistance bands. It's really helping.

Can anyone brainstorm other specific work to help me accelerate my progress in shoulder bridging?

 

[corpse]

maybe the first part of a turkish getup alternating sides with every rep? you have to push back with your elbow and pull back your whole shoulder while pushing with the other side. i mean this part:

i really enjoyed tgu's with a heavy sandbag on the shoulder if you want some more grappling specific resistance.

you also should stretch out your pecs but you probably know this already.

 

[JosephDredd]

maybe the first part of a turkish getup alternating sides with every rep? you have to push back with your elbow and pull back your whole shoulder while pushing with the other side. i mean this part:

i really enjoyed tgu's with a heavy sandbag on the shoulder if you want some more grappling specific resistance.

you also should stretch out your pecs but you probably know this already.

TGUs are a good idea. It's been a long time since I did them... and I probably never did them right cuz shoulders. I'll give them a try at my next workout. And I'm definitely stretching my chest out from a few different angles. That has helped a great deal.

 

[corpse]

maybe you profit from typical rhomboid/rear delt stuff, also. if you are not doing this already. i mean face pulls, pull aparts or the batwing exercise. i wouldn't pick too many exercises, though.

also crab walks could be beneficial but i don't like them that much cos they just feel unnatural to me. maybe you like them.

 

[JosephDredd]

maybe you profit from typical rhomboid/rear delt stuff, also. if you are not doing this already. i mean face pulls, pull aparts or the batwing exercise. i wouldn't pick too many exercises, though.

also crab walks could be beneficial but i don't like them that much cos they just feel unnatural to me. maybe you like them.

2-3 times a week I do rhomboid shrugs, face pulls, rear delt flyers, etc. Right now my workout routine is literally 1/2 hour rehab, 1/2 hour strength work. I'm serious about this shit lol

Never even thought about crab walks. Will try it out.

 

[ThunderL1ps]

2-3 times a week I do rhomboid shrugs, face pulls, rear delt flyers, etc. Right now my workout routine is literally 1/2 hour rehab, 1/2 hour strength work. I'm serious about this shit lol

Never even thought about crab walks. Will try it out.

Sounds like treating the symptom and not the root cause.

 

[corpse]

Sounds like treating the symptom and not the root cause.

that's a good hint. working on your posture habits. all back training in the world will not prevent you from standing like bag of crap.

i always had the feeling that overhead lifts teach this in some way. turkish get up for example really teach you something special about keeping your torso straight, if you use significant weight.

 

[JosephDredd]

Sounds like treating the symptom and not the root cause.

That was a fantastic video, thank you! I will incorporate that on my stretching days. Most of those exercises I'm already doing, but definitely not the one where I'm down on all fours and lift one arm and the opposing leg. I never would have thought that was a torso corrector, but I'm intrigued by it.

 

[ThunderL1ps]

That was a fantastic video, thank you! I will incorporate that on my stretching days. Most of those exercises I'm already doing, but definitely not the one where I'm down on all fours and lift one arm and the opposing leg. I never would have thought that was a torso corrector, but I'm intrigued by it.

No problem.

It's when you do the whole sequence of movements in order that you'll benefit the most. There is another video that targets neck and shoulders, that for myself, I found more beneficial. You may want to try that one in its sequence as well.



I had an issue with my neck a few years ago where I couldn't military dumbbell press 20 pounds without a combination of numbness, pain and weakness in my left shoulder. In one week of doing these Egoscue exercises all the pain and numbness was gone.

 

[ThunderL1ps]

that's a good hint. working on your posture habits. all back training in the world will not prevent you from standing like bag of crap.

i always had the feeling that overhead lifts teach this in some way. turkish get up for example really teach you something special about keeping your torso straight, if you use significant weight.

A Turkish get-up incorporates a lot of muscles that we don't use every day. I don't think it's something you think about, but your body responds to. We don't move enough in odd positions.

There's a workout that Pete Egoscue put up that begins with simply getting up and down in different ways as part of the warm-up. If you haven't done something like that in awhile, you'll quickly see how effective it is. This is a good workout for balancing the body. Seeing that this thread is about shoulders, there are some shoulder movements included in it as well -- but the design of the workout is to improve alignment.

 

[dsdoubled]

2-3 times a week I do rhomboid shrugs, face pulls, rear delt flyers, etc. Right now my workout routine is literally 1/2 hour rehab, 1/2 hour strength work. I'm serious about this shit lol

Never even thought about crab walks. Will try it out.

You have the right idea and approach. The vast majority of shoulder imbalances are like yours. The name of the game is loosen up the upper traps and levator scapulae, and get the lower traps and serratus firing again. Restoring the balance between them. If your shoulder is healthy enough to do the prone "Y's" with dumbbells on an incline bench then they will be tremendously helpful. If not, do them isometrically while standing back up against the wall. Remember that your doing this mostly for activation and its not an exercise meant to be done with terribly high intensity. When I had the same problems you have I was doing this isometric all day long for about a minute a clip. It didn't take long for things to improve greatly.

 

[Sano]

A Turkish get-up incorporates a lot of muscles that we don't use every day. I don't think it's something you think about, but your body responds to. We don't move enough in odd positions.

There's a workout that Pete Egoscue put up that begins with simply getting up and down in different ways as part of the warm-up. If you haven't done something like that in awhile, you'll quickly see how effective it is. This is a good workout for balancing the body. Seeing that this thread is about shoulders, there are some shoulder movements included in it as well -- but the design of the workout is to improve alignment.

Egoscue has some good videos on low impact mobility and pain relief, but they can get a little bit too nazi with the "perfect posture" thing. There's no such thing. Doesn't really matter though as their stuff is pretty effective for what it's supposed to help, barring any injuries or more complex stuff.

I think "moving about" in different ways and getting actively stretched out in various directions, especially ones that are not used much, is severely underrated in general.