YWLT is the shoulder workout that you really need

The person on the far left  did the YWLT sequence exclusively: the other two women did military presses and classic lateral raises.

The shoulder workout that you really need- How do I know? Well having busted my collarbone as a cyclist  I have learned almost every exercise there is out there from the experts- My PT worked on Olympic Rowers and I got Lucky- a client got me in there and she totally fixed it- But more importantly I STILL do the exercises. The YTML sequence is one of my favorites. I did it with my Clorox bottles  starting at the 2 lbs the PT  suggested.(Clorox bottles make great weights).

 Eventually I got up to 8 lbs per hand. If you know anything about the physics of shoulders  an object held out from the side of the body with a barely flexed elbow exerts pressure on the core as well- It is not all shoulder all the time...

Using the Pythagorean Theorem  A2  times B2 = C2  An 8 lb ball in Apollos hand would "weigh "@ 200 lbs if the shoulder was the only  muscle doing the work

Which explains shoulder injury because the shoulder likes to think it is doing all the work...

No kidding -- think of All the idioms we have in the English language on Loads and Shoulders,,,


 Forces you need to understand : 
Weight Lifters need to  play with some numbers.

If Apollo's armpit to palm  Length is about  24 inches
and armpit to next set of supporting muscles Length
(lats on the rib cage) is about  8 inches
 the force of the ball as it is being held out is tremendous.

 I did  post PT work on my own with a 2 lb ball and worked up to 8 lbs using the exact same Apollo pose to arm relaxed by my thigh. It is tremendously difficult.I never did more than 5 reps deliberately. How did the shoulders tolerate this? I owe it to the YWLT sequence. 

                                                            Apollo is holding 192 lbs of total force as the arm is held at its farthest point

Knowing that your body is used to the weight of your own arm and hand  it is easy to understand why when you rip a shoulder tendon or break a collarbone the shoulder is no longer playing with others and can barely hold up your own arm/hand. No wonder they call your arm/ hand an appendage.

Shoulders need to be built gradually. Starting right around the 1st holiday of the year MLK day is a good idea.

Since it is cold you will be forced to do a decent warmup. Also wearing long sleeves is always a good idea-  body heat is needed during the workout.My favorite warm-up involves visualizing myself as a stunt person in a Kung Fu Movie. I do not use a sword or any weight- I do this for about 3-5 minutes - a slight sweat is the goal.

Thanks to the staff  Wire- Fu for this 14 second  clip                        https://youtu.be/VgL7f5DAcoI

The YWLT workout 

It is imperative that you start out with light weights and every 2-3 weeks add a pound. 

I went out of my way to get magnetic weights which add exactly a pound to a dumbell. This is not an inexpensive approach,  so if you are on a budget- keep reading.

  You can literally save your pennies by using them as a weight addition to your dumbbells. Just keep the duct tape handy.  If you place the taped money around the grip area it will force you to work harder since you cannot wrap your fingers and thumb completely around . Your shoulders will work more effectively  with a wider grip.

How many pennies per pound U.S. cents are there? There are approximately 145 copper pennies  pre 1982 in a pound  There are approximately 181 copper plated zinc(after 1982) pennies in a pound  one pound is equal to 3 rolls of pennies duct taped to the handle

Here is the progression of pennies/weight to lift for the YWLT  dumbell exercises in this article,

  1-2 weeks every 3 days /  2 lbs /  8-12 reps /  3 sets   /  stretching static 5 positions  10 minutes total 

  2-4 weeks   every 3 days /  3 lbs /  8-12 reps /  3 sets   /  stretching static 5 positions  10 minutes 

  4-6 weeks every 3 days /  4 lbs /  8-12 reps /  3 sets   /  stretching static 5 positions  10 minutes total 

  6-8 weeks   every 3 days /  5 lbs /  8-12 reps /  3 sets   /  stretching static 5 positions  10 minutes 

  8-10 weeks every 3 days /  6 lbs /  8-12 reps /  3 sets   /  stretching static 5 positions  10 minutes 

 10-12 weeks  every 3 days /  8 lbs /  8-12 reps /  3 sets   /  stretching static 5 positions  10 minutes 

                              

Proper execution 

I do not stretch between sets  Instead there is a maximum one minute break between sets that is a visualization turned into a kinetic chain active stretch sequence. Imagine you have wings and the tip on the right wing in Dips Into  Your Back Right Jeans Pocket, then your left wing , then both wings in pockets. Repeat. (I do this wing dip exercise throughout the day  and I also do other stretches throughout the day-  only way to keep brain from aging is to move.....especially after a cycling accident.) 

Channing Tatum in Jupiter Ascending/ Warner Brothers  2015

These are the post workout stretches They can also be done anytime- which Is What I Did to get beautiful shoulders . The stretches can be held up til 2 minutes like Yoga. Anything past 2 minutes may make you stiff however.You will know ,because as you hold the stretch the feeling of tightness should fade. NEVER Work Out Shoulders That Are Sore .

Instead pressa finger  into your shoulder to see if it still is holding broken up (catabolic) waste materials.  Still sore ?? Do your Kung Fu warmup  and stretch some more , but do not lift.

Big hint- I also slept with a t shirt and a ball of socks in the sleeve of the t- shirt at armpit level. This kept the shoulders from working too hard while I slept  in a fetal position .  It is very hard to find a great pillow that supports the shoulders and neck , so the PT recommended the socks - it worked!

Finally I did myofascial release :see the picture below.
Rolling around on a ball with some stiffness got my shoulders feeling like I could go swimming.
 But as not to overdo it I would substitute  a dumbell workout for a pool workout. 
    Here is my workout which was originally on Instagram- @ Margo Fitnesstrainer Remember to use the every 2 weeks progression written in this article.
 In the Fall,  I decided to do balance exercises to keep  beautiful shoulders and get ready for ski season . Instead of a seated military press I did a sequence called single leg deadlift  to one legged military press. Its a core move really. Pictures are at the end of this article.
                                                                 

https://www.spri.com

 

Sports 

Hmmm- why did she do that? Balance is another article-

 it is the least developed part of a workout -

 but balance is why athletes can produce power in any direction

finish>>>>>>>>>>

start>>>>>

Balance is neural training that makes your moves look effortless too. As a trainer I find  balance in several planes are fitness  moves that are   fun to teach. Golfers especially benefit from this kind of training if done mimicking uneven terrain and increasing rotational power  in the  upper body. 

 The above is   definitely a sequence for sports

 Scroll down to see it   http://mbssa.webs.com/workout.htm.

Questions ? e mail me at fitnessishealthy@gmail.com   or leave a comment after this article