Tired of Boring Rotator Cuff Exercises?
February 16, 2011
Are you tired of doing the same old boring warm up exercises for your rotator cuff muscles? Here’s a quick clip to provide you with some options and challenges. Give these shoulder exercises a try and let me know what you think. These are great for core activation / development as well. Hint: use light weights to start with.
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.
The Strength Doctor Prescribes the Rotater
November 7, 2009
Health Through Strength
“Health through Strength” – that’s the motto of Tim Hull and his website TheStrengthDoctor.com. Tim is a Licensed Massage Therapist (LMT), a physical therapy professional (PTA) and an outspoken advocate of fitness and strength. Tim’s passion for helping people achieve better lives through strength can be seen in:
- his creation of Thera-Strength, an online fitness program “to mold you into a strong, healthy, and vibrant person”
- Tim’s development of an online strength and fitness community (I’m a member) – Muscle Tribe
- his branded fitness clothing line – Muscle Tribe Clothing
Thoughts on the Rotater
After using the Rotater for several months, Tim posted the video you seen on the right to YouTube and sent me the following email:
“The Rotater is a great piece of equipment for anyone looking to rehab or strengthen their shoulders. It helps to stretch and strengthen the hard to isolate external and internal movements of the rotator cuff. My patients have gotten great benefit from this device.”
Tim Hull, PTA, LMT
TheStrengthDoctor.com – providing education on building a strong and healthy body through nutrition and exercise. Using a unique combination of Prehab, Rehab, Plyometrics, and Old-School Strongman principles.
Disclosure: Tim was provided with a Rotater at no charge. His testimonial was voluntary and not required.
Review of John Izzo’s Shatterproof Spine DVD
October 5, 2009
Back injuries are debilitating! Unlike an injury to an extremity ( ie, arm, leg, ankle, hand, finger, etc ), you can’t work around a back injury. If you’ve hurt your back, then you know what I mean.
Shatterproof Spine - How to Build an Athletic Low Back
In 1981, I tried out for the basketball team at the junior college I was attending. On the last day of tryouts, I took a charging foul on a fast break and literally got knocked on my butt. Later that day at work, my back hurt so badly that I couldn’t perform my job and had to go home. The next day, a doctor’s examination along with a bunch of x-rays revealed three fractured vertebrae.
Fortunately, my back healed completely and I’ve never suffered any lasting pain or limitations – but not everyone is so lucky. Therefore, I was very happy to receive John Izzo’s new DVD – “SHATTERPROOF SPINE! How to Build an Athletic Low Back” to review.
John Izzo is:
- a Certified Personal Trainer ( NASM – the National Academy of Sports Medicine, ACE – American Council on Exercise, NESTA – the National Exercise & Sports Trainer Association )
- a Performance Enhancement Specialist – NASM
- a Nutrition Consultant – American Fitness Professionals & Associates (AFPA)
This DVD was filmed in a “live” workshop setting. You feel like you’re part of the seminar with John speaking directly to you.
John works with a number of golfers and this dvd uses them to illustrate many of his points. Considering the the stresses and forces exerted on the spine during a typical golf swing, this makes perfect sense.
Some topics covered are:
- Why does your back hurt? Seems like a simple question, but the answers my surprise you
- What are the functions of the Spine?
- What are some of the stresses of the Spine?
- Muscles that can contribute to lower back pain
- Some things to avoid – did you know you could stretch AT THE WRONG TIME?
- “Hands-on” practical – John takes the time to illustrate exercises you can do to improve your lower back strength and explains how and why they work
Summary
Before watching “Shaterproof Spine”, I thought I had a good understanding of the spine - I WAS WRONG! Thanks to John, I’m more informed and can make better decisions about the health of my lower back.
John uses lots of graphics to illustrate his points. The graphic that really stood out for me was how weight gain over time affects your posture and limits the function of your spine. Nothing beats seeing this progression to make you want to get yourself into better shape.
Shatterproof Spine covers a tremendous amount of material in one hour and 30 minutes. At a cost of $25.00 it’s a “NO-BRAINER” – do your back a favor and get the DVD. Learn how to improve your low back strength and live your life without limitations.
“..the Rotater is the easiest and most effective product I have seen..”
May 28, 2009
PGA Pro praises shoulder stretching device
As a PGA Professional, I have had many golfers come to me over the years looking to improve their games. Most come to me for a lesson as what they see as a last resort after many failed attempts to improve using the latest swing aid or magic club.
Kinesiology – the science of human movement
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.
Fitness is the key
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.
Do you want to hit the golf ball farther? Work on your shoulder turn
PGA Expo discovery
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.
Better shoulder turn & more consistent ball striking
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 (Human Kinetics)
Disclosure: Derek was provided with a Rotater at no charge. His testimonial was voluntary and not required.
