The Rotater: Basic Functional Training Equipment
August 23, 2010
I’d like to thank Ron Jones for including the Rotater in his list of Basic Functional-Training Equipment. Ron is a highly respected fitness professional with qualifications that include:
- MS, Kinesiology/Sport & Exercise Psychology from California State University, Northridge
- Health Fitness Specialist – American College of Sports Medicine
- Russian Kettlebell Instructor – Russian Kettlebell Challenge
- National Bicycle Safety Instructor – League of American Bicyclists
Ron Jones using a stability ball
Here’s what Ron has to say about the Rotater (and why he included it in this list of basic functional training equipment):
“This is a weird looking manual stretch device created by two industrial mechanics. It works great to stretch your shoulder in positions impossible to reach by yourself.”
So…if you need to increase your shoulder range of motion, then get the Rotater.
World Class Athletic Performance Coach Impressed with the Rotater
July 13, 2010
A few months ago we sent a Rotater to Doug Fioranelli for testing and evaluation. Doug is one of the premier personal trainers in the world and has trained high school, Olympic and professional athletes. Check out Doug’s testimonials! Here are some of Doug’s qualifications:
- Doug has Master’s degree in Kinesiology
Doug Fioranelli - World Class Performance Trainer
- he has been published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research
- Doug is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS)
- he is a Certified Olympic Weightlifting Club Coach through the USA Weightlifting Association (USAW)
- he is a Certified Russian Kettlebell Instructor under Pavel Tsatsouline (RKC Level II)
- Doug is a Certified Sports Nutritionist from the International Society of Sports Nutrition (CISSN)
Doug Fioranelli gives his opinion of the Rotater
“I had the opportunity to use The Rotater for several months now and I have to say this is an amazing product. It is very simple to use and easy to understand. Pretty much get it out of the box and you are ready to go.
I think it is very important for people to realize that joints do not move in the exact same pattern even when essentially performing the same motion. It is a huge advantage to expose, strengthen, and mobilize the shoulder joint and its muscles in as many movement patterns as possible to ensure their optimal strength, stability and performance. The Rotater allows for unlimited angles to stretch, mobilize and strengthening the joint and muscles around the shoulder to maintain its movement and integrity.
I found The Rotater to be a great tool and have even loaned mine out to friends who were having shoulder inhibition and pain. I highly recommend that you add this fantastic tool to your arsenal and keep your shoulder joints mobile, strong and healthy for life.
Pros:
- Simple to use and easy to understand. Pretty much get it out of the box and you are ready to go, I like that.
- The unlimited angles for stretching and strengthening. I think it is very important for people to realize that generally joints do not move in the same pattern even when essentially performing the same motion. It is a huge advantage to expose, strengthen, and mobilize the joint and muscles in as many movement patterns as possible to ensure their optimal strength, stability and performance
- I like how easy it is to stretch and strengthen the muscles of the shoulder when the arm is placed behind the back. It is VERY difficult to do this without The Rotater. I was surprised to see how limited my right side was until I used it and I was able to gain some ROM using it.
CONS: (I am being very very nit picky, I think it is a great product)
- Plastic frame could be a little stronger. I did not break mine but I did almost step on it getting out of bed and could have cracked it. I also felt it “flex” sometimes when I do certain movements. Maybe just a little harder plastic would be good for future frames.
- I think the elastic strengthening band could be a little easier to adjust when switching angles and tension. I think instead of closed loops on the frame and untying it each time, maybe an open “bulb-shaped” slot could work where the elastic could just drop down and secure itself in there
- My DVD sound only worked on the main menu page, not sure if it was just mine or a few of them.”
Doug Fioranelli
Rise Above Performance Training
If you like Twitter, then be sure to follow Doug – @RiseAboveStr…you can check out his Facebook Page or see all his videos on YouTube.
Notes: The Rotater is guaranteed against breakage and will be replaced at no charge if you ever break or damage yours – NO MATTER HOW THE DAMAGE OCCURS!
Disclosure: Doug was provided with a Rotater at no charge. His testimonial was voluntary and not required.
Click Here to Buy Your Rotater Today!
Increase Your Shoulder Mobility … Win a FREE Rotater
April 30, 2010
What do the following people have in common?
Win a FREE Rotater
- Christopher Warner
- Brad Kerr
- Milan Turner
- Reva Skie
- Warren Moore
- Trey VanDyke
- Art Whitaker
- Shane Connor
- Michael Mahony
- Andrew Peterson
- Mike McNeil
…Each person listed is increasing his or her shoulder mobility because they’ve all won a FREE Rotater and Strong Arm! How? Simple:
- Join the Rotater Fan page (hint: just “click” the “Like” button right over here —-> )
- Watch for us to post a “Win a Free Rotater” question on the Rotater Fan page
- Be the first to answer the question correctly (the questions are pretty easy – plus we give great hints!!)
The Rotater has become the “go to” shoulder rehab tool for physical therapists, athletic trainers, shoulder rehab patients and athletes of every genre. If you want to increase your shoulder mobility, then get the Rotater.
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!
Another Rotater Success Story
December 20, 2009
The ROTATER: The Skinny by Michael James
I first heard of The Rotater from Chris Melton on Twitter. He had seen where after twenty five years of racing motocross I was pretty much done and beaten up. I was dealing with a shoulder ailment and he said he wanted to send me a product he thought would help. I was pretty skeptical at first since I didn’t know where he was coming from but Chris turned out to be the real deal…and his shoulder rehab device, The Rotater, is also the real deal.
First off, the Rotater, like all great ideas, is so simple you wonder why you didn’t invent it yourself. The device in basic terms is used to help people recover from shoulder injuries and or rotator cuff issues. The Rotater allows the patient to use the device by themselves if they are dexterous enough or with the aid of an assistant to help them through the ranges of motions needed for a properly functioning shoulder. I won’t go into how to use the device for space’s sake but you can find all the info you need at http://therotater.com/wp/.
The shoulder is acutally composed of several joints
A little background on the shoulder joint: First off, the shoulder isn’t really a joint like the knee, hip, or elbow. The shoulder is a series of tendons and muscles that pass between, through and around the collar bone, and shoulder blades.
There is no ‘joint’ so to speak and this is what allows the shoulder its 360 degree mobility. Because of this mobility, the shoulder is the weakest joint in the body. It is easily injured and the most common injury among athletes is a rotator cuff tear. When an injury occurs to the shoulder, mobility is limited because pain stops you from moving it in the direction of the injury. The upper shoulder attaches to a host of muscles including the traps, pectorals, and upper back muscles but for now let’s stick with the rotator area. This is where most athletes suffer overuse injuries or like Chris and myself, high speed impact related injuries. Motorcycle racers tend to fall on their shoulders as they roll to avoid injuring more vital areas of the body. Chris mentioned that the idea for the Rotater came to his business partner, Scott Kay, while recuperating from his own shoulder injury.
Necessity is the mother of invention and The Rotater works as advertised. It helped me in early 2009 get from not being unable to lift my arm even to shoulder height because of the tightness and pain in the injured area. It wasn’t a fresh injury but an old one that didn’t really go away. I am not going to say The Rotater by itself healed me; I was already in a rehab for the shoulder but once I started using it the PTs at the well known rehab started telling me they saw quick improvement. I didn’t mention The Rotater to them but each week when I went to them I was worlds better than the week before. Why, you might ask. The Rotater in my case was an excellent stretching device. A shoulder that is too tight and knotted up will not respond to any treatment. Only when my PT Karen mentioned that I had excellent flexibility in the shoulder did I mention that I was secretly using The Rotator during the rest of the week.
She and the staff became curious as to what a “Rotater” was. When I brought the device to them they were as puzzled as to how to use it. After a five minute lesson they all got the hang of it just as I did. Once past the tender stage of the injury, The Rotater is a good tool to start the strengthening phase of recovery. The device has “cut out slots” on the arm to increase or decrease the resistance on your shoulder as you use it. My unit came with an attachment of surgical hosing which helped me gain some strength back after the mobility came back.
The Rotater will help anyone up to and including elite athletes regain their flexibility post injury and send them into the strengthening phase. This in turn will allow them to hit the weight room and full training sooner than later. Once back up to full strength, the only drawback with The Rotater is that is cannot be used soley as a strength training device. It then reverts back to a flexibility device.
As I mentioned I had more or less parked the motocross bike and taken up road cycling. According to the head PT, that is about the worst thing one can do to a shoulder or with an injured shoulder. The necessities of road cycling mean one is hunched over, weight on their shoulders with arms extended for several hours at a time.
This body position wreaked havoc on my shoulder when I tried to get on the bike too soon but semi daily workouts with The Rotater had me back to doing light weights, then heavier weights then actual riding. I battled back from almost three months of being out of work and off the bike to a high point of an eighty-five mile, yup you read right, an 85 mile bicycle ride. I still use mine once a week to keep things fresh and moving smoothly. I didn’t write these words as a writer who gets paid to write things, I wrote these words because this is my personal Rotater success story. Thank you Chris Melton for following through with a terrific product in The Rotater.
Michael James
Who is Michael James?
Michael James
Michael is an avid motocross rider, a hardcore road-racing cyclist and a freelance writer. His articles have appeared in:
- Hudson Valley Motocross News
- Racer X Illustrated (paper)
- Cycle News
- MX East
- MX America,
- mxlarge.com
- motonews.com
- mxnewsfeed.com
Michael James was accepted into the prestigious Major Taylor Iron Riders club in late 2009.
Disclosure: Michael was provided with a Rotater at no charge. His testimonial was voluntary and not required.
Free DVD for training the Athletic Shoulder
November 3, 2009
First, let me be clear – I am not being paid to promote this free DVD.
I met Eric Beard in Atlanta about six months ago while he was in town performing a workshop for personal trainers. Eric’s qualifications are incredible:
- Senior Master Instructor at National Academy of Sports Medicine
- Adjunct Faculty at California University of Pennsylvania
- Head Athletic Performance Coach at New England Academy of Tennis
- Corrective Exercise Specialist
- Manual Therapist (LMT)
- Athletic Performance Enhancement Specialist
When I met Eric, two things about him really impressed me:
- his mission and passion is helping people
- he’s an informed, educated and charismatic speaker – he really grabs and holds your attention
You can really see Eric’s passion shine through in this video interview
The free stuff
If you’re a personal trainer, then visit Secrets and Staples of Training the Athletic Shoulder and sign up to receive your free DVD (note: YOU pay shipping & handling). It’s loaded (54 minutes) with information you can start using to help your clients – today!
Hey, it’s FREE! What are you waiting for?
If you want a live stream of free information, then follow Eric on Twitter – @ericbeard.
Shoulder Stretching is Daily Routine for PGA Pro
July 21, 2009
Stretch your shoulder - the golf pros do!
“I was very glad that I stopped at your booth at the PGA show. The Rotater” has become as much a part of my morning as my cup of coffee.
It is easy to stretch out my shoulders from all directions to maintain my flexibility. Having had rotator cuff surgery on my left shoulder in 2005 I know how important stretching is.
Thanks for a great product!!”
Perry R. Green
Director of Instruction
Director of Golf Operation
The Golf Club at Wescott Plantation
Shoulder Stretching Device Provides a Full Shoulder Turn
July 16, 2009
Increase your shoulder turn for more power and distance
“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)
