Bowhunters need Strong Shoulders

(photo courtesy of sorenson photo)

I live in the deep south, Alabama to be exact. Down here, people take their hunting seriously, so if it’s not hunting season, then it’s a good time to get ready for hunting season.

The Hunt Doctors (they are “real” medical doctors) have written “Strengthening Your Shoulders For Bowhunting” in which they explain a little shoulder anatomy in everyday hunter terms and outline a number of exercises to help you develop your shoulder strength. By the way, some of the bows that serious hunters use can require extreme shoulder strength to pull back and then hold for an extended period of time while you wait for the perfect shot. If you think it’s easy, then go to your local hunting store and give it a try.

Should you “work” through a Shoulder Injury?

(photo courtesy of LollyKnit)

A question posed on Stronglifts.com asks about persistent pain in the shoulder and whether to continue lifting weights. “What should I do?” Mehdi’s explanation describes:

• the muscle involved, specifically the infraspinatus ( good illustrations )
• some of the causes of infraspinatus injuries
• some of the symptoms of this rotator cuff injury
• some of the ways to deal with this shoulder problem

Mehdi concludes by giving this advice:

“Stay away from painkillers. Pain is your body telling you something is wrong. Find out what. Educate yourself. Ask your doctor’s advice. But make sure you treat the causes, not the symptoms.

Take it slowly with weight lifting in the meanwhile. Lower the weight, spend time improving technique & slowly build back up. Don’t worry about strength loss, getting rid of injuries is more important in the long run.”

Tips for Preventing Shoulder Injuries in Young Pitchers

(photo courtesy of wjklos)

Brooke deLench, author and noted expert on youth related sports issues has written “Preventing Pitching Injuries” in which she educates parents on some of the things that they can do. She says that there are a number of things that parents and coaches can do to prevent shoulder injuries which include:

• ensure proper conditioning
• teach correct throwing mechanics
• always warmup and stretch
• place limits on pitches
• don’t allow your child to play through the pain

This is a great article that will educate a parent on how to help their future Cy Young award winner to avoid arm and shoulder injuries. If you are a parent, and your child pitches, then you need to read this article.

The King of Lifts – The Bench Press

The bench press is the one lift that everyone knows. I don’t know why – it just is. I can remember when I was fourteen and someone asked me what my bench was. I think I could probably bench 100 lbs. then.

The small muscles of the rotator cuff will limit your max

I’m 46 now and have had shoulder reconstruction on one shoulder and I’ve torn my rotator cuff a couple of times on the other shoulder. As you approach middle-age, your joints, specifically the shoulders for upper body lifts, tend to be the limiting factors in determining how much you can bench. What can you do? (photo used courtesy of jason.lengstorf)

Unconventional rotator cuff exercises

I discovered “Back to Form” Fitness by Keith Scott today and have added this blog to my blogroll. You should check it out. Anyway, Keith has written an article for Men’s Fitness entitled “Press More Pounds” that everyone who works out with weights should read.

He describes how to use a small medicine ball to warm up and activate your rotater cuff muscles prior to hitting the bench. Give his program a try and then amaze your friends.

I expect to have my bench press max up to 135 lbs. any day now.

Urban rotator cuff exercises

On a lighter note, I found the following video showing “urban rotator cuff” exercises on Straight to the Bar. I’m not really sure of the advantages of doing this type of rotator cuff exercise when you can accomplish the same movement using a very light weight ( ten pounds – max ) or a milk jug filled with water. Take a look anyway – it’s an ingenious though somewhat dangerous movement in my humble opinion.

It’s springtime.  The days are longer.  The sun is brighter.  And the world is becoming more alive all around us.  Makes me want to get physical and start teaching my girls how to throw a softball (or baseball), ride our mountain bikes and horses. 

(photo courtesy of foxypar4)

The problem is that although my mind is willing, my body may not be ready – (No! – that is not me in the photo). 

How to avoid stupid injuries

What else would you call them?  I mean, once you hit middle age it’s time to do a little prep work before you do something stupid.  Bruce Mandelbaum (a frequent guest on “The View” and “The Today Show”) wrote an outstanding “get ready for physical activity” article entitled Spring into Spring (but not too hard): A Guide to Avoiding Injuries. 

It’s all about using common sense.  You didn’t get out of shape in a couple of days and your shoulder won’t be ready to throw a fast ball (hard or soft) in a couple of days either.  Take it slow and warmup.  Your kids may make fun of you and be a little restless, but that’s a small price to pay for a pain free shoulder.

How long should you wait to train following a Shoulder Separation?

For me, it was a long time before I went back to hitting the iron.  There are all sorts of issues to deal with.  Some physical and some mental.  You don’t want to start too soon and destroy your orthopedic surgeon’s hard work.  But for a physical person it’s hard to get out of the habit of being physical. 

Dave Draper, the bodybuilding legend was asked a similar question on his web site – davedraper.com.  His advice on this topic it great, but I really love his closing quotes:

“Overall training will bring you back to full power and speed in time. Injury and recovery have a weird way of complementing the musclebuilder….Confidence will grow with exercise-injury understanding and muscle strength and shoulder health.”

The Effect of Ergonomics on Shoulder Pain

It’s no longer a secret – you should be somewhat comfortable when you work.  Now the words “work” and “comfort” are seldom used in the same sentence, but for a person who spends a great deal of their time working from a desk, this concept is important. 

I have been sitting in what I thought was a comfortable chair – but I’m not comfortable.  My shoulders and neck ache and my arms hurt.  After watching the video below that I found in an article posted by Dr. Edward Gould entitled “Pain at Work”, I think there may be a better way. 

Watch this video – I’ll be looking for the Freedom Chair and accessories.

(photo courtesy of danperry.com)

What do you consider to be a “long drive”?  I guess for different people it means different things.  For me ( a part-time hacker ), it means an occasional 250–275 yard stroke of luck.  For you, it may mean hitting a consistent 300 yard drive.

Can you imagine driving a golf ball 551 yards?

That’s right, 551 yards!  That’s the distance that Mike Dobbyn hit (“smoked” is more like it) a golf ball during a Butch Harmon Tour Event in Las Vegas on July 17, 2007. 

How did Mike do it?

Mike Dobbyn is a big guy – 6’8” and close to three hundred pounds of muscle and he works out - a lot. So I’m sure that all that working out allowed him to develop the power to launch a golf ball 551 yards, right?  Well watch this video and listen as Mike describes what he feels are the key components to launching a golf ball into the stratosphere.  You may be surprised to hear how much value he places on flexibility. 

Listen for Mike’s quote from the video, “If you want to hit the ball longer, get..get more flexible.”

(photo courtesy of Erik Charlton)

Here’s a video I found while visiting Diesel Crew, a hard core, high intensity website dedicated to strength and muscle.  If this video doesn’t open your eyes to your potential, then you may want to call 911.

If you want to succeed in reaching your fitness or rehab goal, then never give up!

Quitting is easy and can become habit-forming.  Watch this short video I discovered on rosstraining.com blog.  Push yourself a little farther and you’ll gain an entirely different perspective, but don’t quit.

Does Tiger’s swing resemble your swing?  Do you get a “big” shoulder turn?  Probably not and it could be for a variety of reasons.  Here is what one golfer told us in an email that we received recently:

“To: The Rotator Guy

You sure should be proud of your “Rotater” invention.  Ever since the PGA Show when you introduced me to the “Rotater”, I have been using it daily.  The results for me have been outstanding.

Previously I was very restricted in my shoulder flexibility and add a touch of bursitis to the equation and you get a very short backswing.  After my “Rotater” program started, I experienced significant improvement in my shoulder movement and now I can actually get a full shoulder turn (without pain).

I cannot wait to get to the course once the weather warms up so I can “wow” my buddies.

Ed Wallace
(a very happy customer)”

Discover how the Rotater can help you.

Golf Today magazine has been keeping the golfer informed for twenty one years.  Scott and I had the pleasure to meet Bob Koczor the publisher/owner or Golf Today magazine during the fall PGA expo held in Las Vegas this past September.

We were riding the elevator to our twelfth floor room, when the gentleman in the elevator with us introduced himself (as Bob Koczor, the owner of Golf Today magazine) and asked about the shoulder device that we were caring.  He was very interested in hearing all about the Rotater and promised to come by our booth the following day to try the Rotater for himself. 

Bob came by our booth the following day and not only tried the Rotater, but took one with him for further testing and evaluation.

Orlando PGA Expo is huge!

Due to the strong reception that the Rotater received from the golf professionals who attended the Vegas show, we decided that we would take the “big leap” and go to Orlando for the “big” PGA expo.  Big is not really the correct word.  This event is huge beyond our imagining.  

When the doors opened, Bob Koczor was the first person to come by our booth.  He had seen Scott in the entrance area and made it a point to come by and speak with us about the Rotater.  He also told us that he would be publishing an article about the Rotater.

 The Rotater is noted in Golf Today Magazine

(this photo demonstrates how to use the Rotater to stretch external rotation)

If you haven’t seen Golf Today Magazine, then you have missed an online resource that offers in depth information at a price you can afford – free!  In addition to that, there are a number of blogs associated with the web site that keep you up-to-date with what’s going on in the golf world – today.

What I really like is the way that they present their digital version of the Golf Today Magazine.  Yes, that’s right.  You can read the magazine online.  And it’s in a real page flipping style – just like hard copy. 

Some excerpts from Golf Today magazine about the Rotater

The following excerpts are taken from the article that appeared in the February edition of Golf Today magazine.  This link will take you to the page 55 where you can read the entire article (you may have to use the zoom function).

“…I tried the sample they provided and, at first felt muscles and ligaments and whatever keeps me glued together that I had not felt since my 3 – hour Thai Massage about five years ago.”

“The Rotater provides Internal and External Rotation for one’s arms and shoulders which, in turn, results in stretching exercises that are key to good golf.”

“The Rotater allows you to get your body fluid enough to do those things and the results are outstanding.”

Visit our web-site to see if the Rotater can help you.

Physical rehabilitation is tough

Anyone who has ever had to go through physical rehabilitation knows and understands that their will be pain involved.

• Your joints will have become stiff and swollen
• Your muscles will have atrophied and become weak
• You are constantly battling the doubts that you can return to your former activities and level of performance

Physical conditioning is hard

As a whole, our planet is in a full scale battle with obesity. Most people prefer not to be obese and in fact, would rather be athletic and trim. The problem is that conditioning is hard.

• It�s difficult to get out of bed in the morning and perform 30 � 45 minutes of cardio
• It�s a pain in the ass to keep up with a gym bag and all the assorted gym stuff
• It consumes precious time
• Eating a diet that is nutritious, healthy and tasty requires additional planning and preparing
• It can be expensive in either gym fees or gym equipment (if you have the space)

Strength training is a battle

As we age, muscle becomes more difficult to maintain, while our fat stores increase with every extra bite

• Lifts and poundages that we did with ease ten years ago are now our max
• Steroid use and abuse seems to be the norm

(photos are used courtesy of otisarchives2, organic.matter and ericmcgregor)

Have we all become a bunch of crying and whining sissies?

Watch this incredible video of a high school wrestlers as he trains, then get rid of every excuse you�ve got, suck it up and get busy.

• How flexible should my shoulder be?
• Is there a standard that I can compare my shoulder flexibility to?
• What factors can affect my shoulder flexibility?
• Will the ideal shoulder flexibility be different for men vs. women?

Health and Fitness tradeshow

Yesterday, we were at a health and fitness tradeshow in Columbus Georgia that was being sponsored by WTVM.    While demonstrating the Rotater, several people told me that they had no idea how flexible their shoulders were and they didn’t know that there were ways of regaining lost shoulder flexibility.

How can you test your shoulder flexibility?

This question has been lingering in the back of mind all day, so when I got the chance, I did a little research to find an answer.  I have found that there is a way to test your shoulder flexibility with a broomstick, a yard stick ( or tape measure ) and a partner. 

There is a great article posted by Mark Scott at He’s Fit, entitled Testing Your Shoulder Flexibility that offers a simple way to test your shoulder flexibility.  He also provides a standard for both men and women.  Take the test and see how you measure up. 

With a background and degree in Kinesiology, I have studied the motions of many different athletes in many different sports. Through my experiences I believe that many of these golfers that come to see me would see improvements in their games if they would simply improve their overall strength and fitness levels first, more specifically flexibility and range of motion, before concentrating solely on technique.

I feel limitations in the fitness areas are more directly responsible for plateaus and declines in ability for many golfers than are sudden losses of ability or improper technique. Fitness should play a more significant role in many players� game improvement plans.

It was at the 2007 PGA Merchandise show in Las Vegas that I first picked up the Rotater and I have now been using it for 2 months and I am happy to say that I have experienced the benefits and improvements that I had hoped for.

By using the Rotater for only a few minutes a day, stretching my shoulder both internally and externally, I have been able to see a measurable difference in the range of motion in my shoulder. This has transferred over to a wider, more efficient and more powerful turn in my golf swing.

Having greater flexibility has allowed me to make a better turn with my shoulders without compensations, which has translated into creating greater consistency in my ball striking.

I always keep my eyes open for products that can truly help golfers in areas where I have seen some glaring deficiencies. Almost every golfer can benefit from increased range of motion in the shoulder joint to help them create wider, more powerful and more consistent swings, and the Rotater is the easiest and most effective product I have seen to achieve this task.

Derek Highley
Global Golf Marketing
PGA Member, HK

For more information about Global Golf Marketing and Derek Highley, you can reach him at:

• United States Office
• 125 Flagship Drive
• Lutz, Florida 33549
• (727) 565-1811
• info@globalgolfmarketing.com
  

or

• Canada Office
• 871 Janette Ave.
• Windsor, Ontario N9A 5A2
• (519) 962-9581
• info@globalgolfmarketing.com
  

If you would like more information about the Rotater the visit www.therotater.com