Hey there musicians. This week I’m going to have you focus on mid back mobility and your shoulders.
As a reminder, here’s how to use the routines below…
First, make sure to read and understand the ground rules in terms of pain and when these are appropriate for you.
Second, actually do something. Here’s my thoughts on how much exercise you may want to consider doing on a weekly basis.
- A+ Body Maintenance: Do all the recommended sets and reps of each of the three routines, at least three days during this coming week. That’s an investment of less then 60 minutes each week, which leaves you with another 167 hours to get everything else done. I bet even busy musicians like you can find the time for an A+.
- The Solid B: Do one round of each exercise 2-3 days during the week OR do all the sets and reps of each routine one time during the week.
- The Passing C: Try a few exercises here and there, but without much structure.
- D and below: You just read the email, but don’t actually do anything.
Let’s Go
Have a Stiff Upper Back?
Here are three great thoracic mobility exercises. For “thread the needle” do 5 on each side. Make sure you stop completely at the top of the stretch, breathe in, then breathe all the way out and relax on each rep. For the “lateral pole slide” do 5 slow reps on each side. Use the same breathing pattern. For the “foam roll release” spend 2 minutes rolling out with relaxed breathing. If you don’t have a foam roller, just take 2-3 towels and roll them up. It won’t be perfect, but it will be good enough to get that mid back moving.
Thoracic Mobility | Devon Hoffman via Instagram
Sponsor: Join a Community and Learn About Musician’s Health
Timani Community Membership is for musicians, by a musician that takes a deep dive into how to care for your body in a way that both prevents pain, helps you move more efficiently, and enhances your musical expression. The community is €9 per month (~$11 USD), but you can try it out for 30 days before you ever get charged. To me, the cost is just enough to keep you accountable, while still being fairly affordable and a very good value.
Timani Community Membership | (Affiliate: If you buy through this link, I get a small portion of the sale at no extra cost to you. Thanks for supporting the Musician’s Maintenance mission!)
A Three-In-One Shoulder Movement
Here is a great movement that is one of my favorite exercises for the shoulder. It is all at once a movement riddle, a nerve glide, and a mobility exercise that gets you using all those weird corners of your shoulder that don’t get used in daily life. Think of this less like an exercise and more like an exploration. Practice for 2-3 minutes on each side.
Shoulder Tea Cups | Kayleigh Miller via Instagram
8 Simple Rotator Cuff Exercises
Here are 8 excellent rotator cuff exercises. All of them use a band, but if you don’t have one, just do the same movements without the band (and think about getting a few bands). Do 5-10 slow reps (2-3 second movement in each direction) of each exercise.
Rotator Cuff Band Exercises | Caleb Burgess, DPT via Instagram
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