Time to Check In and Reinforce What We’ve Learned
These are exercises from the beginning that you should repeat. By this time, if you are practicing good posture throughout your day, you will see that your Range of Motion (while maintaining posture) has increased!
- Good Standing Posture
- Extended Arm Pullback: Band Around Pole
- Bent Arm Pullback: Band Around Pole
- Triceps Extension with Band
- Torso Lateral Flexion with Band
Good Standing Posture
- Nine Steps to Setting Your Posture
- Visualize yourself as a “Puppet on a String”
- “Hang up” your abdominals
- Keep shoulders back
- Lift your chest
- Head on straight
- Hold your “Dime” tight
- Zip your “Zipper”
- Keep your feet relaxed and flat on the floor, with weight evenly distributed on the bottoms – don’t grab the floor with your toes
- Position your feet shoulder width apart
Extended Arm Pullback: Band Around Pole
Position
- Place band around pole at wrist height
- Start with band at plumb line with slight tension
- Focus on proper “Me” posture: correct shoulder position, “Dime” pinched, knees soft and
- “Zipper” zipped
Action
- Press extended arms back, initiating from core
- Slightly release, keeping tension on the band
- Repeat
Tips
- Focus on core, triceps and upper back
- Make wrists an extension of the arms (aligned with arms
Bent Arm Pullback: Band Around Pole
Position
- Place band around pole at elbow height
- Place feet shoulder width apart
- Start with slight tension on band
- Focus on proper “Me” posture: correct shoulder position, “Dime” pinched, knees soft and
- “Zipper” zipped
Action
- Pull arms back (bent at 90 degrees), initiating from core
- Slightly release, keeping tension on the band
- Repeat
Tips
- Focus on core, triceps and upper back
- Make wrists an extension of the arms (align them with arms)
- Don’t extend beyond your Range of Motion
Triceps Extension with Band
Position
- Stand with good “Me” posture
- Keep hands shoulder width apart on band
- Place one fist by sternum
- Hold opposite arm out to the side
- Keep both elbows up and shoulders down
Action
- Extend from the elbow keeping shoulders pinched
- Slowly return keeping tension on the band
- Repeat
- Switch sides
Tips
- Keep shoulders down and back
- Band tension should allow full extension of the elbow while maintaining posture
Torso Lateral Flexion with Band
Position
- Step on the middle of band
- Grab down on the band to create tension
- Focus on proper “Me” posture using shoulders, “Dime”, knees and “Zipper”
Action
- Starting from the top, moving one vertebra at a time, lean to the side
- Guide the band: don’t let the tension of the band control your movement
Tips
- Keep within your Range of Motion
- Do this exercise slowly enough to keep proper alignment
- Hips remain level (parallel to the ground)
- Keep equal weight on both feet at all times