Adaptive Pilates: Lateral Arm Exercises

Video Transcript

"This next exercise is a great movement, strengthening movement for the entire upper body. Involves the arms and all the muscles from the torso up through the head. So, as a general rule in all these exercises we're promoting lots of good posture. Lots of breathing exercises just to make that deep connection with the body that is so important. Especially, just using all these muscles in the upper body will be a nice testament to upper body strength and overall posture. So, lifting arms up to the side. Just begin with a gentle shortening and dropping of the shoulders. Shortening on this position here. Dropping the shoulders will lengthen the neck and pull the body into an upright position. Begin by exhaling forward. Squeezing the chest muscles and arms, you can lightly clasp the hands. But, the stretch and the engagement stretch from the back. Engagement down the front of the chest muscles. Then, the exact opposite on the way back. You will inhale, drawing the arms to the back entirely as far as you can go. Now, a note here that is very important is my shoulder blades dictate the movement. It's not as far back as I can stretch my arms, because that will promote a lot of these dysfunctional movement patterns. So, drawing the shoulder blades together. This would be my stopping point right here. And, then exhale. Continue all the way forward, squeezing the chest, stretching the muscles of the mid and upper back and exhale. Inhale to pull back, drawing the shoulder blades together. Squeezing those shoulder blade muscles and stretching all the muscles of the chest. Ok. The same exercise from the side. Just a note on breath, you will notice as I inhale I'm thinking about pulling my body into a nice upright position. And, lifting my arms my shoulders will already be down away from my ears giving me nice length from my ears to my shoulders. Then, begin the exercise exhaling forward. Squeezing the chest and arms. Inhale to draw back. Pulling the shoulder blades together, stretching the chest muscles and repeat. Again, this exercise from the back. Begin to inhale, lifting the whole body into an upright position. Lift the arms, dropping the shoulders away from the ears. Begin to exhale forward, squeezing the chest. Inhale to open. Now, make a note of my shoulder blades coming together. My arms are dictated by my shoulder blades. And, then continue. Exhaling forward and inhale to open."