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Back to Basics: Keeping Your Shoulders Down

FitSugar — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 03:00:00 -0700

When teaching Pilates, I am always telling clients to keep their shoulders away from their ears. Raised shoulders is a sign of serious tension in the neck and upper back and over time it will create pain. Not only that but it wastes energy and can make surrounding areas not function correctly. Pilates clients aren't the only folks with tense necks and raised shoulders. I see this posture all the time when people are working out with weights, biking and running.

In an effort to keep the shoulders down, people tend to tense their necks even more – as if the sheer weight of their neck will calm the busy shoulder joint. Or people tend to grab in their lats or arm pits, which also increases neck tension and interferes with free movement of the arms.

To effectively relax your shoulders, you need to focus on your shoulder blades (scapula) sliding down your back. The muscle that anchors the blades is the bottom part of the trapezius muscle. You also want to feel your collar bone (clavicle) widening and the scapula sliding slightly toward one another. The end effect is an open chest with relaxed shoulders and neck. Nothing should feel pinched or gripped. Imagine the scapula is a slippery bar of soap sliding up and down the back. Try it next time you do bicep curls, sit in freeway traffic or ride your bike.

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What Size Dumbbells to Use When

FitSugar — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 08:00:15 -0800

Dumbbells are an active girl's best friend because they're fairly inexpensive, compact, easy to use, and allow you to tone every part of your body. Using them can be a little confusing since they come in so many sizes, and many people may not realize that one size doesn't fit all exercises. For example, since biceps tend to be stronger than their neighbor muscles, the triceps, you'd want to use a heavier weight when doing bicep curls.

If strength training with dumbbells leaves you in the dark about what size weights to use for which exercise, here's a little cheat sheet. Since lifting too much can lead to a pulled muscle, here are the dumbbell weights you should start off with. Once your body becomes stronger, you can choose to gradually increase the amount.

To see the chart read on

5 Ways to Reduce Shoulder Tension

FitSugar — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 16:00:00 -0800

Stress has many physical manifestations, but for me its main targets are my neck and shoulders.
Muscles tension builds up and seems to create a barrier between the brain and the body, causing pain and making it hard for me to concentrate. If you are feeling stressed, or even just stiff in the neck and shoulders, it pays to move, stretch, and massage those areas.

Here are five ways you can release your shoulders while sitting at your desk:

Inhale lifting your shoulders toward your ears, taking three slow counts to raise them. Exhale and just let your shoulders fall. It is ever so nice to just give into gravity once and a while. Repeat five times.
Gently lower your right ear toward your right shoulder then slowly switch sides. Don't hang in any one position for too long, this isn't really a stretch - super-tense neck muscles don't like to be stretched. Just try to get your stiff, tense neck moving around. Repeat five times on each side.

Learn the other three ways to reduce your shoulder tension when you read more.

Exhale and squeeze your shoulder blades together by pulling bent elbows toward each other behind your back. This might feel like you are doing the funky chicken, but it is a great move for opening your chest.
Nod your chin toward your chest, taking three slow counts to do so. Really isolate the movement so just the neck is moving; don't round the upper back. This move provides a stretch for the muscles in the back of the neck. Repeat three to five times.
Take your left hand to your right, really tighten the muscle between your neck and shoulder joint (the upper trapezius) and squeeze the muscle like a sponge. Squeeze all the tension out. Repeat five times.

Still feeling stressed? Check out these other tips on how to relax.

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Relax Already: Stiff Neck and Shoulders Be Gone

FitSugar — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 10:00:00 -0700

August is the month when I feel the need to squeeze in a last-minute vacation. And while getting away might be relaxing, sometimes the planning and details are not. Stress for me goes straight to my neck and shoulders, making them stiff and sore. Staring at a computer all day certainly doesn't help. To help relieve some of my last Summer stress, I like to give myself a little shoulder massage. I have a little routine I like to do help release this area, and to learn it, just read more.

Inhale, lifting your shoulders toward your ears, taking three slow counts to raise them. Exhale and just let your shoulders fall. It is ever-so-nice to just give in to gravity once in a while. Repeat five times.
Gently lower your right ear toward your right shoulder, then slowly switch sides. Don't hang in any one position for too long, this isn't really a stretch - super-tense neck muscles don't like to be stretched. Just try to get your stiff and tense neck moving around. Repeat five times on each side.
Exhale and squeeze your shoulder blades together by pulling bent elbows toward each other behind your back. This might feel like you are doing the funky chicken, but it is a great move for opening your chest.
Nod your chin toward your chest, taking three slow counts to do so. Really isolate the movement so just the neck is moving; don't round the upper back. This move provides a stretch for the muscles in the back of the neck. Repeat three to five times.
Take your left hand to your right, really tighten the muscle between your neck and shoulder joint (the upper trapezius), and squeeze the muscle like a sponge. Squeeze all the tension out. Repeat five times.

Still feeling stressed? Check out these tips for more ways to relax.

Source

Relax Already: Give Your Shoulders a Squeeze

FitSugar — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 16:30:00 -0800

Holiday stress has been replaced by new-year stress. All those projects, both personal and professional, that had been put on the back burner before Christmas, are now coming to a full boil. Stress has many physical manifestations, and its main targets are the neck and shoulders. This build up of muscles tension seems to create a barrier between the brain and the body, making it hard to concentrate and causing pain. If you are feeling stressed, or even just stiff in the neck and shoulders, it pays to move, stretch, and massage those areas.

To see five easy ways to release your neck and shoulders just read more

Inhale lifting your shoulders toward your ears, taking three slow counts to raise them. Exhale and just let your shoulders fall. It is ever so nice to just give into gravity once and awhile. Repeat five times.
Gently lower your right ear toward your right shoulder then slowly switch sides. Don't hang in any one position for too long, this isn't really a stretch - super-tense neck muscles don't like to be stretched. Just try to get your stiff and tense neck moving around. Repeat five times on each side.
Exhale and squeeze your shoulder blades together by pulling bent elbows toward each other behind your back. This might feel like you are doing the funky chicken, but it is a great move for opening your chest.
Nod your chin toward your chest, taking three slow counts to do so. Really isolate the movement so just the neck is moving; don't round the upper back. This move provides a stretch for the muscles in the back of the neck. Repeat three to five times.
Take your left hand to your right, really tighten the muscle between your neck and shoulder joint (the upper trapezius) and squeeze the muscle like a sponge. Squeeze all the tension out. Repeat five times.

Still feeling stressed? Check out these other tips on how to relax.

Source