How to Improve Your Shoulder ROM
January 13, 2010
Lee Taft is a speed guy – well that’s not entirely correct. He’s THE speed PLUS more, guy. As the co-owner of Sports Speed, Etc., Inc. and President of Lee Taft Speed Academy, he’s dedicated to the athletic development of young athletes. Lee boasts some pretty impressive credentials:
Lee Taft knows speed & more
- B.S. in Physical Education from Cortland State
- M.S. in Sports Science from the United States Sports Academy
- Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS)
- Sports Performance Coach certified by USA Weightlifting
- Certified Level 1 Track and Field Coach by the USA Track & Field
- Author – “7 Points to a Championship Attitude”
- Highly respected speaker – these cities, this year
What does Lee Taft think about the Rotater?
“I recently received the Rotater in the mail and had the opportunity to use it for a couple weeks. I was amazed at how it not only improved my general range of motion but it improved my ability to perform strength exercises. The hidden secret to the Rotater is when used with more functional patterns like standing in a split stance I can incorporate my entire kinetic chain into the movement. I strongly encourage anyone looking to safely improve the range of motion of their shoulders for better function and performance to use the Rotater.”
Lee Taft,
www.SportsSpeedEtc.com
www.LeeTaftSpeedAcademy.com
If you want to learn more about Lee and how he can help you, please visit the links above or if you’re a Twitter fan like me – you can follow him – @leetaft – to stay current on his latest training advice and techniques.
New Rotater Instructional Videos
January 7, 2010
Okay, you’ve been asking for them and here they are. Eight new instructional videos demonstrating how to set up and use the Rotate to stretch your shoulder and strengthen your rotator cuff.
We’d like to express our gratitude to Eric Beard for the excellent job he’s done in each of these videos. Eric is a highly respected health and fitness professional whose specialties include corrective exercise and performance enhancement (MS, LMT, NASM-CPT, CES, PES, NSCA-CSCS). He’s also a great friend. You can learn more about Eric at EricBeard.com or by following him on Twitter at @ericbeard.
| Introducing the Rotater – the #1 Shoulder Rehab and Stretching Device | Importance of Stretching & Strengthening Your Rotator Cuff |
| How to Set Up the Rotater | Strong Arm Set-Up for Rotator Cuff Strengthening |
| External Rotation Made Easy with the Rotater | Internal Rotation – Discover How with the Rotater |
| How to Strengthen the External Rotators of Your Shoulder | How to Strengthen the Internal Rotators of Your Shoulder |
Click Here to Get your Rotater today – you’re shoulders will thank you for it!
I’m 68 and Love the Rotater
January 7, 2010
I was cleaning my office yesterday and found the following letter. It was written in long-hand and had been mailed to our office over a year ago. It reads:
The Rotater Helps Golfers Get a Big Shoulder Turn
“I am 67 years old and have done various execises (free wts., stretching, running, total gym) since I was 15. I started using the Rotater about 6 weeks ago and can’t believe how it has improved my range of motion in my shoulders. This is a fantastic device for any golfer.”
Chris Hastings – Hoover, Alabama
p.s. I tried sending this on your website and it didn’t work.
After reading this great testimonial, I dug around and found Mr. Hastings phone number and gave him a call to see if he would give us permission to publish his letter. We had a great conversation and Mr. Hastings said he’d be glad to let us use this letter – BUT we should make a couple of changes:
- Mr. Hastings is 68 years old now
- He has been using the Rotater for over a year
- He still uses the Rotater every night
- He loves the Rotater and still recommends it to any golfer.
Imitating, but not Duplicating the Rotater
October 26, 2009
They say that “imitation is the most sincere form of flattery”. The Guys over at Homemade Gym Stuff must like the Rotater because they redesigned a pretty good “homemade” version. Hey, you can’t blame a guy for wanting to save a few bucks!
Gym stuff, boxing, mma, fitness, etc.
Anyway, we liked their effort so much that we decided to send them a “real” Rotater to see how it measured up to their version. Here are a couple of excerpts from their article “The Rotater – Revisited“.
…Simple, elegant & stylish – we love ‘em. Dave’s shoulders feel better than ever, Nath now has increased ROM/flexability and my glued-up-mouse-shuffling-key-pushing shoulders are rejuvenated…
…So a heartfelt ‘Thanks’ goes out to two great guys, Chris & Scott for their generosity and dedication not only to the health of the rotator cuff but to the health of ‘er in doors’ too…
Skier says – the Rotater works great!
September 14, 2009
We received this email from a another satisfied Rotater client:
“I received my Rotater 2 months ago and have been using it regularly.
I had a skiing accident that resulted in a 4 part fracture of the proximal humerus that required hemiarthroplasty (half an artifical shoulder) 2 years ago. The top of the humerus was shattered the head was broken off as and both tuberosities were broken. The injury included complete tears of the subscapularis and supraspinatus muscles as well. Doctors and PTs all said I literally destroyed the entire joint.
Falling while skiing can result in shoulder injuries
I had 12 months of supervised PT and have been working on my own to regain strength and ROM since then. My most difficult ROM is internal rotation and part of the reason is it is very difficult to stretch in that direction without assistance. The Rotater works great for that stretch!
I saw my surgeon this morning for a regular 6 month check up. I showed him the Rotater literature and he thought it was a fantastic device. I left the literature with him so he could recommend it to his other patients.
Thanks for everything!”
Jeff Roy
Certified personal trainer gets results with the Rotater
September 7, 2009
Chris Sellards - CPT, CES, PES
We received the following email from Chris Sellards, a National Academy of Sports Medicine Certified Personal Trainer, Corrective Exercise Specialist and Performance Enhancement Specialist.
Chris has been using the Rotater for several weeks and documenting his results. Here is that data:
Initial Observations
Improve your physical condition
Client suffers from tightness in his Infraspinatus, pain in his Supraspinatus, weakness with external rotation, and winged scapula. Goniometric measurements prior to Corrective exercise showed 120 degrees. He complains about pain in shoulders and a feeling his shoulder needs to “pop” when working out. He is unable to do any overhead work – shoulder press/lat pulldowns.
Efforts Stall
I worked with him using basic NASM CEx principles for 6 weeks and moved him into Stabilization training. This is where we stalled and couldn’t seem to obtain the range of motion and stability in the shoulder needed to move into strength training.
After 8 weeks of stabilization with little progress, I was about to refer him to a specialist. This is when I came across the Rotater.
Implementing the Rotater
I used the Rotater with him for 3 weeks using the following routine: Foam roll lats, tennis ball on pec minor and posterior capsule, ball lat stretches, 90/90 stretches, and using the Rotater in all positions for a one minute stretch in each position. CEx exercises included tea cups, external rotation, face pulls, ball combo I and II, Cobras, scapular pushups, and scapular protraction/retraction.
| Typical Workout | Circuit One | Circuit Two |
| Foam roll Lats, rhomboids/traps | Stability ball bench press | Bosu ball pushups |
| Tennis ball on pec minor and posterior capsule | Cobras | Standing rows |
| Static stretch lats and pecs | Ball Squats | Multi-planar lunges |
| Rotater in all 4 positions for a 1 minute stretch in each position | Rotater stretches on the affected shoulder. Hold stretch for 5 seconds, release and repeat for 3 sets. Perform in all 4 positions | Single leg Medicine ball PNF with rotation |
| Tea cups and/or external rotation | Rotater stretches on the affected shoulder. Hold stretch for 5 seconds, release and repeat for 3 sets. Perform in all 4 positions. | |
| Foam roll Lats, rhomboids/traps | ||
| Tennis ball on pec minor and posterior capsule | ||
| Static stretch lats and pecs | ||
| Rotater in all 4 positions for a 1 minute stretch |
Increase your ROM with the Rotater
Results
Using this method for 3 weeks, client increased range of motion to 173 degrees, exhibits stability in external rotation, and is ready for strength training.
Conclustion
I am absolutely amazed with the effectiveness of the Rotater. My client no longer has pain or discomfort in his shoulder, is performing shoulder presses, lat pulldowns, and will NOT require seeing a specialist. The Rotater is the best thing since the foam roll.
Chris Sellards, NASM CPT, CES, PES
Shoulder Tool is Effective for Gaining Range of Motion
July 29, 2009
“We have recently purchased a Rotater for our clinic. We have a large number of shoulder surgical cases, and we have found it to be an effective way to assist in gaining shoulder ROM (range of motion) for External and Internal rotation.
The Rotater has been effective for increasing internal & external rotation
As most PT’s (physical therapists) and ATC’s (certified athletic trainers) know, the capsular pattern of ROM restriction for the shoulder include these two motions. It has been effective in the clinical setting, and we have also allowed patients to take it home with them for periods of time to use in their home exercise programs.”
Jim Nespor PT / ATC
Physical Therapy
(aka Cyclone Sports Medicine)
Iowa State University
132 Lied Recreation Center
Ames, IA. 50011
Phone 515-294-2626
Fax 515-294-2794
Golfer says, “The Rotater adds distance”
July 29, 2009
Glen Taylor swings with confidence - thanks to the Rotater
“The Rotater helps me by increasing my flexibility therefore giving me greater range of motion on my golf swings, boosting my confidence and trust of my swing and best of all adding more distance. I recommend the Rotater to any golfer or athlete whether they are professional or amateur.”
Glen Taylor, 10 handicap
Senior Baseball Player / Expert in Sports Medicine Uses Shoulder Stretching Device
July 21, 2009
Baseball player stretces his shoulder with the Rotater
“As a 20+ year player in The Mens Senior Baseball League and someone with a background in Sports Medicine I can attest to the benefit of using the Rotater in a comprehensive shoulder stretching program.
I use the Rotater after a general warmup which include calistenics and running 1/2 hour before game time. I then follow the recommended stretches outlined in the instructions and finish with general throwing and long toss.
The Rotater has increased my Range of Motion at the shoulder and reduced strain. Our pitchers have tried it and they like the specific stretch it provides at the shoulder girdle. Thanks for sharing the Rotater with our over 40 baseball players.”
H. Robert Perez, Ph.D
Human Performance Lab
Adelphi University
Rehab Device Duplicates Physical Therapy Stretches
July 21, 2009
“I am a police officer who during a foot pursuit after a fleeing suspect injured my right shoulder. The diagnosis was a detached proximal bicep tendon and seriously damaged shoulder joint as well.
Fall contribute to many serious shoulder injuries
I underwent two procedures to attach the tendon and clean up the shoulder joint. As anyone knows who has had a shoulder surgery, the post op was very painful and the my range of motion almost nothing for the first month.
When I started to use the Rotater it was painful but I was able to use it all day everyday, slowly but surely increasing the force and range of motion. There was nothing else I could find that would duplicate the same kind of stretches my physical therapist was doing on me like the Rotater did.
I could only see my PT twice a week too. He told me that he was amazed at how quickly I got my range of motion back as well as my strength. When I went to see the surgeon for a post visit he was also amazed at how quickly I had regained the use of my shoulder. I was able to go back to full duty two months ahead of his projected schedule.
And as far as the customer service, I broke my Rotater from so much use and they promptly shipped me a new one no questions asked. I still use it today on both of my shoulders.
Thanks to the rotater I was able to get back to work and not lose the use of my shoulder in this demanding profession.”
Officer D. Pesko
