Shoulder Exercises and Range of Motion Focus with Excy Upper Body Ergometer
Quick tip: Optimal Pin Placement for shoulder exercises: Lowest position (will vary). Place Excy on a table sideways. Align your body to be centered with the Excy system. Stand straight with proper posture. Keep elbow at 90 degrees. Focus on small motions. See more positions.
Inwards Shoulder Rotations
Outwards Shoulder Rotations
Back and Forth Rotations
Shoulder Exercises for Range of Motion Training Video with Excy
Shoulder Exercises and Range of Motion Setup
Setup to enjoy Excy shoulder exercises for range of motion: Open the Excy system and place it sideways on a sturdy table in its lowest position with the pedal crank arm at 6 o’clock. Use the Clevis Pin to adjust the pedal height so that your forearm is parallel to the ground, your elbow by your side (bent at 90 degrees), and your wrist straight when you grasp the pedal with your hand (like you are going to shake someone’s hand). Clevis Pin placement will vary based table and the user’s height. Adjust the height as necessary. Taller users will need to squat down with proper posture to properly align the elbow, forearm, and wrist. Make sure your fingers are not near the crank arm as they may get pinched during cranking. Hand pedals or hand gloves can be added for comfort. Wrist exercises can be added to this position using the same setup, but instead of turning the crank, simply turning the pedal back and forth like a doorknob. Exercise: Set resistance to easy. Face forward and align your body to be centered with the Excy system with both toes pointing forward and feet shoulder-width apart. Grasp the pedal. Let your resting arm hang naturally down the side of the body while standing firmly with a strong core. Slowly rotate your forearm inwards and upwards and then around and down in a full circular motion while keeping your elbow, forearm, and wrist in their proper setup position. Keep your head level and do not push your head forward, backward, or to the side. Add small levels of resistance as needed (higher levels of resistance will require you to use your free hand to stabilize the system). For those who can’t do a full rotation, work in smaller arcs for shoulder exercises.
Resistance Guidelines for Clinic and Home Physical Therapy
Excy offers a wide range of resistance to accommodate all riders. Depending on your goals, you may want to do more rotations or cranks with less resistance, or the opposite. Excy is designed to take either path or a combination of both. Generally, rotations with light to moderate resistance are used to improve cardio vascular endurance, while high resistance with fewer cranks are used to increase muscle size and strength. It is important to start easy before increasing tension as it is easy to get very sore muscles almost immediately doing high tension cranking motions that a person is not use to.
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Getting Started
There’s a big advantage of pedaling, spinning, or cranking Excy with controlled forces. Take time to pedal slowly at the easiest levels until it feels smooth and controlled before increasing resistance. Before pedaling, always protect your surface with a towel or mat.
Pedaling Forwards & Backwards
Whether using hands or feet, think in terms of square rotations to improve technique. Envision pushing your hand or foot forward along the top of a square and pushing down against the front side of the square and pulling towards your body as you pull up the backside of the square. To pedal backwards, follow the same process.
Back and Forth Strokes
Pedaling back and forth is great for range of motion and strength training. Simply apply pressure, unweight the opposite hand or foot in a repeating motion.
Isometrics
Instead of relying on pedaling with resistance cranked up to fatigue the muscle, you will instead set the resistance to easy and steadily press into the pedals with even forces to constrict your upper or lower body muscles and hold it until fatigue sets in.
Upper Body Setup Guidelines
- Palms facing each other
- 5-10 degree in elbow
- Pedal axis at shoulder or 1-2″ below
- Never hyper extend elbow
- Focus on good posture and engage core
- Pin placement will vary based on user preferences and goals
Lower Body Setup Guidelines
- Start with heel on pedal with straight leg
- Cycle with the balls of your feet (aligned with metatarsal)
- 20-30 degree bend in knee while cycling
- Hips/feet/knees properly aligned (do not splay feet or knees inwards or outwards)
- Barefoot and socks favored
- Never hyper extend knee
- Pin placement will vary based on user preferences and goals
On-Demand Exercise, Home Physical Therapy, and Strength Training Instruction!
Download the free Excy mobile coaching application for on-demand, live, and guided workouts. Save workouts, set goals, and keep track of progress over time! Watch instructional videos from physical therapists to learn proper technique. Contact with questions at excy@excy.com or 425-205-9444.
