'How to Sport Confidence in uncertain times'

Now more than ever You need to stay Focused, Disciplined, and Determined do not give in to medicrioty and stay true to Your heart, soul, and game!

Confidence is a universally desired trait. It affects performance, and since confidence is purely a subjective experience controlled by your perception, altering your perception can greatly influence your confidence. Working on your mindset will likely provide far greater results than time spent training or working out in the gym.

Achieving Your Capacity

You can’t achieve more than your capacity. Let’s face it – you can only give 100 percent, and that should always be your aim: getting as close to your capacity as possible. One of the greatest blocks to performing close to your capacity is problems with confidence.

“Playing as best you can is one of the keys to greatness,” according to John Wooden, one of the few basketball coaches who is in the Basketball Hall of Fame as a player as well as a coach.

In an interview with Anthony Robbins, John said, “I don’t get my players to play to win; I get them to perform the best they can.”

Expanding that belief, you can say, if a player is taking a free throw, his attention is best served focused on doing the task at hand and not wasting valuable space in his mind worrying about the effects of the shot.

John Wooden’s teams often beat better opponents because they played to a higher level of their capacity, even though they had a lower capacity as a team. It was this consistency that earned them so many titles.

The same holds true in other sports. Every tennis player can make a great shot. The great ones just make them more often and at the most important times.

Focusing on playing the best you can in each match will give you a greater chance to reach your capacity.

Focus and “The Zone”

The more you can focus single mindedly on the actions required to achieve a task, the more chance you have of achieving it. Anything else coming into your mind is redundant. When a player has this intense focus, he constantly slips into what athletes call “the zone,” the place where everything is effortless, the mind is quiet and magic just happens.

Richard Bandler (co-developer of NLP) in his work discusses some strange occurrences in this altered state of mind referred to as “the zone.” He notes time distortion in tennis players slowing the game down so they have more time to hit the ball.

The quickest way out of “the zone” is to think consciously, which will happen if you lose confidence or have doubts. Removing the fears and doubts and accepting you will give it your best shot will allow you greater opportunity to enter the zone.

Being Fearless

“I've missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games, and 26 times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed,” said basketball legend Michael Jordan.

This quote shows that Jordan was fearless. He didn’t like losing, but he didn’t fear it. Being fearless meant he was less likely to get taken out of “the zone.”

I worked with a professional tennis player who feared having the second serve returned fast past her. As she threw the ball up into the air, this fear physically manifested itself in her shoulder, causing the muscles to tense up. This in turn caused a self fulfilling prophecy of having a weak second serve. Even thinking about throwing the ball up created tension in this player.

We addressed and resolved the fear using mental/emotional techniques such as NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) and EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique). (EDITOR’S NOTE: For more on each of these techniques, please see the “related articles” to the right.) After EFT in particular, all the tension this player formerly experienced was released, freeing her physically to make the shot and freeing her mind to focus on the game. I have seen many muscle memory issues from past defeats and missed opportunities, and the actual process of clearing these up is simple when using NLP or EFT.

Each time you clear a fear, it frees up more mental capacity to focus on getting close to 100 percent capacity, which results in improved performance. Realizing that “there is nothing to fear but fear itself” is an important step. A fearless opponent is always a very dangerous opposition, as he will adjust his game until he finds openings.

The great players do not fear making shots. They are the ones who will make big plays on match point or with seconds to play in a grand final. They are willing to take responsibility because they hold no fear.

Release your fears of making mistakes and just focus on what you need to do. Once you accept you have fears and you face them, they transform into a valuable resource for you.

Fear and Choking

Choking refers to losing confidence, especially self confidence, just at the moment when it is needed most and doing poorly as a result (e.g., in sports). Often, the act of choking can completely alter an athlete’s life and/or ruin her career.

There have been many famous instances of choking but few greater examples than Jana Novotna’s defeat in the 1993 Wimbledon singles final to Steffi Graf.

Novotna, who became famous for crying on the shoulder of the Duchess of Kent during the trophy presentation that year, had taken a 6–7, 6–1, 4–1, 40-15 lead and, with victory in her grasp, started missing simple shots. One notable shot was an overhead smash that hit the back tarp. Many shots went out by long margins.

Graf, sensing the crumbling of confidence, went on to win the next five games and the tournament. A great player can sniff weakness in an opponent and will rise to the occasion.

Novotna was a classic example of choking. Gripped with fear, she was unable to relax and play her game.

I once worked with an Australian Football League junior who had lost his confidence. When kicking the ball, he kept choking, which had been affecting him for half the season. This all stemmed from one poor kick he wasn’t able to put out of his mind, and therefore, he couldn’t concentrate on the things he needed to do.

Why is it some shots or failed attempts stick in the mind, and we are unable to get over them? I describe this as shadowing. This one (or more) kick, miss or game overshadows all the knowledge of how to play and overshadows the resources the athlete possesses. This is created from a state of mind that is influenced by many factors. The kick means more than just a missed kick. It could mean letting people down, and this adds unhelpful pressure. If this isn’t dealt with, you can play one bad game after another, which will really make an impression on the mind and can affect long term confidence.

Putting the mistake into perspective and moving on is fundamental in every sport. Michael Jordan had mastered this art. Some athletes perform better under pressure, but it is my belief that these athletes develop greater focus, almost needing something to “kick start” them. They do not allow the tension to affect them and their game negatively.

Relaxing the muscles is important. It is the mind that controls the muscles through its perception of events.

Mind Blocks

One amazing way to improve confidence is to remove a block in an athlete’s perception, which is usually tension created from a poor game or mistake.

I regularly see athletes who are stuck thinking about one bad shot. This blocks them from the mental resources of playing at their peak. They are just unable to stop thinking about it.

The bad event is likely to keep playing over and over in the mind’s eye until the player has learned something from it and can move on.

Let’s say a player played really well in nine games and badly in one. You would expect him to have high confidence, wouldn’t you? But it doesn’t always work that way, as the bad game takes on greater meaning than all the good ones combined. This one bad game literally blocks all of the confidence gained from the good games.

What if you were as good as all of your good performances? What if you could focus on the good ones and forget the bad ones and learn from them?

Something magical happens when this memory is resolved and put into perspective. This often happens naturally, but sometimes it can progress for years and can even ruin a career. When the block is removed, the bad game or mistake blends into the background, and the player gains a more balanced perspective and is able to focus on the task at hand.

I believe the great players learn to let things go the moment they happen and just focus in the present moment and the present shot. Athletes like Michael Jordan can just focus on their abilities. They think about what they want to happen and believe they can achieve it, putting mistakes behind them. Even missing so many important shots, Jordan is still one of the most successful athletes of all time.

Great athletes hold no fear and keep doubt at bay. Losing happens and is part of the game. Great athletes do not invest any energy or mind resource in losing. They get straight up and fight again.

Some will say that the great athletes rely on their ability. This is most certainly true, but how many other athletes have we seen with incredible talent but who are not able to apply it or to regularly get near their capacity. It is not just ability. It is applying that ability consistently.

Everyone’s own thoughts are unique, and it is what these thoughts mean to us that can cause problems. Instead of focusing on playing her game one shot at a time, Novotna let her fear control her, and this cost her the title.

Building the Right Frame of Mind

Since we can now see how the way we think about events affects our state of mind, will changing what we think about change our confidence? You bet it will.

Try it yourself. Think about one of the worst games you have ever played. Now take a moment and notice how your body feels. Notice any tension you feel and notice how much confidence you have. Doesn’t feel good, right? Most of you will have felt some residue energy from that memory. To your body and mind, it feels as though it is happening over again.

Now forget about that and think about the best game you ever played. Think about how great it felt. Tune into your body and sense how it feels. How’s your confidence? The chances are this feels much better. In the space of two minutes, you can completely change the way your body feels through thoughts.

I once worked with a professional athlete who was a great passer of the ball, but when he missed a pass, he would lose confidence. To restore it, he would make lots of small passes until his confidence returned. This seemed far too much work, so we used the following technique: whenever he missed, he thought about the best game he had ever had and felt the adrenalin of that rushing through his body. The result was quite startling. He went on to be player of the tournament.

You are free to think what you like, but we get caught in habitual thinking patterns and assume that is the way things work. Once you realize you have control, you are on the path to mastery.

A golfer may address the ball in the same ritualistic way for each shot to get him into the right frame of mind. Other sportsmen will bounce the ball a certain number of times or hit their gloves together. They are looking to activate a pattern.

If you create a ritual associated to confidence - known as an “anchor” in NLP - then you can fire this anchor off each time you need to access that confidence.

Three Easy Steps to Improve Confidence

1. Clear any blocks. When a bad shot or mistake plays on your mind, just accept you made a mistake and focus on the good shots. You can personally use EFT while thinking about the bad shot or mistake, and it will often clear the block there and then. If this doesn’t work, you may need to go a little deeper, and chances are a good EFT practitioner can quickly resolve it.
2. Create an anchor to get you in the right frame of mind. See www.nlpu.com or any of the thousands of other NLP resources available online. This will allow you to start to control the states of mind you require for top performance.
3. Just give it your best shot. When it comes to choking, realize that, whether you win or lose, doing your best is all that counts. You will win a lot of friends and respect giving it your all. You can’t do more than that. Looking back, you can relax in the knowledge that you gave it your best shot.

Confidence is an abstract concept and unique to each individual. But as we continue to understand more of how the mind and perception works, we can improve confidence significantly, which translates to improved performance.

References:

PT on the net
David Charalambous

Forwarded By, Natalie Pyles

Call Me For Your FREE Consultation Today! 1-800-681-9894 or 480-212-1947 e-mail fitnesselementsassociates@yahoo.com or WWW.MyFitnessElements.com

'How You can Walk for Fitness and Make it count with a pedometer for Lasting Results!'

IF A Giraffe can do it so can You!

* SUMMARY
* Counting your steps with a pedometer can motivate you to keep walking. Here's what to look for in a pedometer and how to set your walking goals.

(MayoClinic.com) Walking paves the way to fitness. But are you taking enough steps? Use a pedometer to find out.

A pedometer is an inexpensive device that tallies your steps — whether you're fitness walking or simply going about your daily activities. A pedometer can be a powerful reminder that every step counts on the path toward better health.
Don't Miss

* Weightloss (Obesity)
* Travel Fitness
* Budget Fitness
* Alternative Exercise
* Cardio Fitness
* Boomer's Health

Choosing a pedometer

Pedometers can be found online and at most retail and fitness stores. Prices vary, but basic models often cost less than $20. When choosing a pedometer, ask yourself these questions:

* Is it easy to use? All pedometers count steps. If that's all you need to know, a basic model might be fine. If you're curious about distance walked, calories burned or other measurements — or you want the ability to upload your walking data or electronically track the numbers — you might prefer a more advanced model.
* Is the display easy to read? Look for a display monitor you can read in different types of lighting, especially if you'll be walking both indoors and outdoors.
* Is it comfortable? Choose a lightweight model that fits on the type of clothing you usually wear.
* Is it sturdy? Look for a sturdy clip and a security strap to hold the pedometer in place.

Remember that a pedometer detects body motion to count your footsteps. Some pedometers may record other movements you make — not just walking — as steps taken. For the most accurate daily tally, you may need to turn your pedometer off when you're not walking.
Setting — and reaching — your goals

A pedometer provides customized feedback on your activity level, as well as a reminder to keep walking. A pedometer can even be the cornerstone of your walking program.

* Establish your baseline steps. Wear your pedometer throughout the day for three consecutive days. Add the total number of steps for each of the three days together and divide by three. This gives you a baseline from which to start setting short- and long-term goals.
* Set short-term goals. Short-term goals might be to add a certain number of steps a day to your routine or to double your baseline steps. It might be easier than you think! Park farther from the door. Use the stairs rather than the elevator. Take short walking breaks during the day.
* Set long-term goals. Long-term goals might be to make 3,000 or more of your daily steps fast steps or to walk 10,000 steps a day.

Whatever your goals, take them one step at a time. Use your pedometer to set and track realistic goals based on your fitness level. The more steps you can accumulate throughout the day, the better.

©1998-2009 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (MFMER). Terms of use.

Forwarded By, Natalie Pyles

Fitness & Nutritional Expert, Author, Speaker

Call Me For Your FREE Consultation Today! 1-800-681-9894 or 480-212-1947 e-mail fitnesselementsassociates@yahoo.com

'How to use All Purpose Push Ups - Part 2'

In Part 1 of this series, we effectively set the stage for building and rebuilding the push up. This article will look at how the push up can be incorporated to help build hypertrophy, strength, power, power/endurance and torso stability.

Push Ups for Stability

1. Slide Board Push Up


The slide board push up increases muscle tension around the shoulder joint by forcing the posterior shoulder muscles to contract by resisting the band pulling the hands together. We have found that many people who cannot perform a normal push up due to shoulder pain can successfully perform this variation, pain free. This exercise demands a slippery surface as the friction created by the normal ground offsets the pull of the band. If you don’t have a slide board, simply use socks on a tile floor.

2. T-Stabilization Push Up




The T-stabilization push up was influenced by the spinal stabilization protocols laid out by educator Stuart McGill. It’s great for developing awareness and stability of the torso and shoulders. The key to performing the T-stabilization push up correctly is to keep the pelvis and shoulders rotating at the same time and at the same rate. This exercise can also be used to assess spinal stability and torsional control.

You can further progress this exercise by bringing the feet together. This reduces the base of support and increases the stabilization demand.

Push Ups for Hypertrophy

When training for hypertrophy, we want 1) high volume and 2) constant muscle tension. Here are two unique push up variations that address these two components and therefore are great for building hypertrophy.

1. Swiss Ball Squeeze Push Ups

Normal Swiss Ball Push Up	Squeeze Push Up

In the above images, notice how the hands are placed lower on the sides of the ball than a normal ball push up. This is a small change that makes the exercise more difficult by forcing the exerciser to squeeze the ball very hard in order to avoid falling and continue the exercise. The squeeze creates a tremendous amount of tension on the pecs, shoulders and triceps. A weight vest and/or elevated foot position can be used for increased overload.

2. The Arko Wheel Push/Fly Up



This exercise is just plain tough! The combination push up/fly really allows you to maximize pec and shoulder recruitment. It should be noted that this movement demands a lot of torso strength and control. A weight vest can be added for overload.

Push Ups for Strength

When it comes to building strength, I have not heard many coaches incorporating the push up. This is most likely because they don’t feel it provides enough overload. In general, I would have to agree. However, there is one style of push up that can humble even the strongest athlete, and that is the one arm push up!

1. The One Arm Push Up



The one arm push up is by far one of the best exercises for developing incredible upper body strength and torso stability, and yet it has basically been forgotten. Because of its difficulty, we use a specific progression (see below) strategy to help our athletes accomplish this movement.

Stage 1 - One Arm Plank

• The one arm plank develops the body awareness and torso control required to perform the one arm push up successfully.
• The goal is to maintain a flat pelvis and avoid rotation at the pelvis and lumbar spine.
• The one arm plank actually has its own mini progression. We start with a wide base of support and gradually progress to a closer base, which requires more torso stability.

Easier	Harder

Stage 2 - Lock Offs

• This exercise builds off of the stability developed in stage one and starts to add some single arm strength. This stage also develops the ability to “lock off” at the top position, hence the name.

Stage 3 - Roll Overs

• Now that a solid foundation of torso stability and lock off strength has been achieved, we can add the roll over push up. The roll over push up can be done in alternating fashion or one side at time.

This exercise teaches correct body positioning and builds the strength required to push out from the bottom of the one arm push up while still allowing some assistance from the other arm. In order to ensure proper strength progression, make sure to gradually use the arm on the side you’re leaning toward (the working side) with increased frequency and the opposite arm (the non working side) less. For example, the below percentages show how to distribute your bodyweight from arm to arm on the roll over push up.

70% - 30%
80% - 20%
90% - 10%

Once you’re able to achieve a 90 to 10 percent weight distribution from both arms for at least six reps, you will be more than ready to start performing the full one arm push up.

2. Feet Elevated Push Up w/Plate

If one arm push ups aren’t your style, then you might want to try this variation. This style push up can actually work to develop hypertrophy or strength depending on the weight, tempo, reps and rest used. Use a heavy enough plate, and your abs will be talking to you as well.

Push Ups for Power Development

One of the popular push up exercises used for improving power is the clap or plyo push up. This exercise is great for developing explosive pushing power. However, the constant pounding on the wrist from the landing is a concern for some athletes like wrestlers and football players. These types of athletes are constantly being thrown down and therefore having to breaking the fall by landing on their wrists in much the same way as the plyo push up. The last thing I want to do as a coach is use an exercise that replicates something an athlete probably does too much of already, especially something that has a high risk versus benefit ratio.

Here is a great alternative to the plyo push up that we have found to be just as effective at developing explosive pushing power while limiting impact on the wrist.

1. Box Jump Push Ups

We prefer to use a closer, shoulder width hand position on this movement as it has more functional carryover to sports like wrestling and football. This exercise can easily be progressed by increasing the height of the box.

2. Swiss Ball Ricochet Push Up

This is one of my all time favorite exercises and another great way to develop explosive power and speed in the upper body. We prefer to do movements like this for timeframes of eight to 15 seconds at max speed. When performing this exercise, be sure to maintain ideal spinal alignment.

Metabolic (Power-Endurance) Push Ups

The concept of metabolic strength training and power endurance is just starting to be explored in the world of performance training. In most sports, athletes are required to continuously explode and repeatedly produce power, sometimes for hundreds of reps.

This type of power endurance will not be developed with traditional (5x5; 3 mins rest) methods and therefore requires specialized protocols. Below are two push up based metabolic protocols we use to ensure our athletes remain explosive and end up being the last one standing when the smoke clears. I recommend establishing a proper technical, strength and power base before utilizing these protocols.

1. 20/20/20 Push Ups

This is a great metabolic circuit that is easy to remember and doesn’t require any additional equipment. We normally use this circuit at the beginning of our power endurance phase. It takes one minute to complete.

• Perform with no rest
• 20 sec push ups
• 20sec push up pause (hold bottom position)
• 20 sec plyo or clapper push ups
• Rest 1-3 min

2. The JC Push Up Circuit

This is an awesome metabolic protocol I learned from my good friend and colleague, Juan Carlos Santana. You’re going to need a medicine ball (MB) for this one.

• Perform as circuit with speed.
• 5-10 MB lock offs on each side
  
  

• 5-10 MB cross over push ups on each side (alternate sides)

• 5-10 MB close grip push ups

• 5-10 MB drop and returns

• Rest one to three minutes.
• We normally start with five reps and progress one rep a week until 10 reps is reached.

Both of the above metabolic protocols can eventually be progressed so that the exerciser can complete two to three rounds without rest.

Hopefully I have provided you with a wide variety of new push up progressions and variations that you can easily integrate into any program. By no means is this an exhaustive list of the limitless possibilities that push up training offers. This is simply a list of my favorite and most commonly used variations. I hope the concepts in this article have given you a new appreciation for the push up and inspire you to be creative in your own training.

References: Nick T.

Forwarded By, Natalie Pyles

Fitness & Nutritional Expert, Author, Speaker

Call Me For Your FREE Consultation Today! 1-800-681-9894 or 480-212-1947 e-mail fitnesselementsassociates@yahoo.com

Are You ready for All Purpose Push Ups - Part 1?

It’s most likely the first exercise you learned and the one fitness novices do almost instinctively when they try to work out. Yet the push up remains one of the most valuable and effective movements, provided you know how to use it to its fullest potential.

Although the push up is well known and commonly practiced in the world of strength training, it’s still very misunderstood and under utilized among performance and fitness professionals. In this article, you will learn how to use creative push up progressions and variations to:

• Assess and correct muscle imbalances
• Build hypertrophy
• Increase strength
• Develop torso stability
• Increase power
• Improve metabolic endurance (power endurance)

The goal of this article is to give you a new appreciation for the push up and help you to understand that it’s much more than just another “horizontal pushing” variation.

Re-thinking the Kneeling Push Up

Performing push ups on the knees is not for everyone. The issue has nothing to do with mechanics or safety. In that respect, the movement is okay. The issue is one of progression, or in this case, a lack thereof.

In the past, the kneeling push up was used as a regression strategy in the hopes that it would eventually lead into normal push ups. Unfortunately, there has been little to no carry over from the kneeling push up to the regular push up. The reasons for this include lever arm length, angle difference, etc. I personally have seen hundreds of people perform endless reps of kneeling push ups but still couldn’t even come close to performing a single regular push up. For this reason, the kneeling push up is what I call a “dead end” exercise. Keep doing them, and you will go nowhere!

Luckily, there is a much better regression/progression strategy when it comes to push ups.

Incline Push Ups



The concept here is pretty simple. Because you are at an incline, there’s less force on the moving muscles and torso stabilizers, which makes the push up easier to perform.

The best place to do this is on a Smith machine because it’s simple to adjust and easy to keep track of the bar depth from session to session.
Once someone can perform 20 quality reps at one height, simply lower the bar one or two pegs. The lower the bar gets, the harder the push up becomes.

As mentioned earlier, just because your client can easily perform kneeling push ups doesn’t necessarily mean she can do any real push ups. However, if someone can perform 20 reps at a low bar setting, she can definitely bang out a few good reps from the floor.

Simple Solutions to Complex Problems

Over my years as a performance coach, I have performed thousands of postural/movement assessments. In doing so, I have successfully used push ups as both an assessment tool and as a corrective exercise. Here are the two most common movement flaws I’ve seen during the push up and simple ways to correct them.

Common Flaw #1 - Faulty Spinal Alignment



This type of flaw is very common and normally caused by a lack of general body awareness, torso strength and postural stability.
Faulty spinal alignment can appear as:

• Sagging head
• Sagging back (lordosis)
• Hunching back (kyphosis)
• Any combination of the above

In some cases, people will begin with ideal alignment and gradually lose alignment as the exercise progresses and fatigue sets in. In other cases, they will start out right away with poor alignment. Regardless of when the fault happens, this is a muscle imbalance that needs to be corrected!

The imbalance I’m referring to is that the mover muscles (chest, shoulders, triceps, etc.) involved in pushing the body away from the floor are stronger and posses more endurance than the spinal stabilizer muscles that are responsible for maintaining ideal alignment. In other words, you’re unable to control the movement and force that you can create. This can put you on the fast track to injury.

It’s for this reason that I usually do a max rep test on the push up during my performance assessments. This allows me to see if an athlete’s stabilizers give out before his prime movers.

The solution to this alignment problem lies with a very high tech piece of gym equipment: a dowel rod. There is a three step progression we use to correct faulty spinal alignment issues using the dowel rod.

Step 1 - Build Awareness

This quadruped position shortens the lever arm (bent legs) and takes most of the load off the system while still keeping the torso and arms in a very similar position to the push up. The dowel is placed along the spine and is kept in contact with three points: the back of the head (not the top), thoracic region (between shoulder blades) and sacrum (tail bone). This forces you to understand and become aware of proper alignment.

Step 2 - Static Control

The elbow plank takes what was learned in step one and lengthens the lever arm (straight legs). This increases postural stability and endurance in a manner necessary to perform the push up successfully. We try to progress everyone to be able to maintain this position for at least one minute without deviation. The hold time we choose for each individual is usually double the number in seconds of their max push up reps. For example, if your rep max is 30 push ups, then you should be able to hold the elbow plank for 60 seconds. We use this standard because the average push up is performed at a 1-1 tempo, which translates into each rep taking two seconds. At 30 reps, that would take 60 seconds.

Step 3 - Dynamic Control

Once awareness is created and strength/endurance is built, the final step is to integrate both components into the actual movement itself (in this case, the push up).

The dowel push up is much more challenging than it looks because so much effort is dedicated to maintaining alignment. Eventually, as your postural endurance improves, this push up will become easier.

We try to get everyone to achieve the same rep max with the dowel rod as without it. Once you can do this, the dowel is no longer needed.
A few additional notes on the above progression:

1. During all three progressions, the dowel should remain in contact with the back of the head, T-spine and sacrum.
2. Begin with neutral spinal alignment, and stop the exercises when spinal curvatures change or the dowel falls.
3. The worse your alignment is, the harder these exercises will be, and the longer it will take to progress through them.
4. Use a mirror at floor level to help with visual feedback, body position and awareness.
5. In the case of a hunch back (kyphosis), I recommend you perform some additional anterior abdominal stretches because the rectus abdominals is most likely overactive.

Common Flaw #2 - Scapular Winging

Scapular winging can be much more complicated than the previous flaw and therefore may be beyond the scope of even the most experienced trainer or coach. However, there are some cases in which a few simple, well designed corrective exercises are all you need.

In order for you to understand how to successfully address a winged scapula, you must first understand what it is you’re dealing with. A winged scapula is a shoulder condition in which the scapula (shoulder blade) sticks out at the back, particularly when performing pushing exercises like the push up. Common symptoms of a winged scapula include the following:

• Pain and limited shoulder elevation
• Difficulty in lifting weights
• Pressure on the scapular from a chair when sitting

A winged scapula can be caused by one of two reasons:

1. Damage to the long thoracic nerve of the shoulder. If the long thoracic nerve is damaged or bruised, it can cause paralysis of the serratus anterior. Damage to the nerve can be caused by a contusion or blunt trauma of the shoulder, traction of the neck and can also sometimes follow a severe illness. In this case, I would highly recommend consulting a skilled orthopedic professional before engaging in any exercise or sporting activities.
2. General weakness in the serratus anterior muscle. In this case, the winging scapula can be improved with some specialized exercises designed to build strength in the weak serratus anterior muscle.

There are a few corrective exercises shown below. Important note: If you’re dealing with a winged scapula and are unsure of its causative source, I recommend playing it safe and getting an evaluation from a skilled professional. As they say, “It’s better to be safe than sorry.”

Corrective Exercises

There are three exercises you can use to help correct and prevent scapular winging through strengthening the serratus anterior muscle. During all three movements, careful attention should be paid to scapulohumeral rhythm and symmetry. Also, effort should be made to maintain a stable pelvis and neck.

Each of these exercises achieves essentially the same thing. However, it’s important to utilize a variety of methods in order to find what is best for the specific situation or individual.

1. Hand Walks

The pattern is one hand up, next hand up, one hand down, other hand down, repeat. Adjust the height of the box for added difficulty.

2. Arm Shuffle

Begin with your hands very wide. Shift your weight back and forth while simultaneously touching one hand on top of the other as shown.

3. Push Up Plus

Once you have completed a standard style push up, add the “plus” motion by protracting your scapula as much as possible without changing your spinal alignment. This can be difficult for some people to dis-associate their scapula from the rest of their body. When performing the push up plus, we like the hands to be no wider than the shoulders. Sometime I will even keep the hands together (thumbs touching). This allows for increased ROM and increased demand on the serratus muscle.

Each of the above exercises is normally performed for a timeframe of 20 seconds to one minute.

Now that we have effectively set the stage for building and rebuilding the push up, the next article in this series will look at how the push up can be incorporated to help build hypertrophy, strength, power, power/endurance and torso stability.

References: Nick Tumminello

Forwarded By, Natalie Pyles

Fitness & Nutritional Expert, Author, Speaker

Call Me For Your FREE Consultation Today! 1-800-681-9894 480-212-1947 or e-mail fitnesselementsassociates@yahoo.com