Shoulder Rotation Exercise with Excy Using a Side Profile
Forward Rotation
Reverse Rotation
Back and Forth
Isometric Shoulder Exercise
Shoulder Rotation Exercise with Excy Using a Side Profile Video
(See Minute 1:24)
Shoulder Rotation Exercise with Excy Using a Side Profile
Setup for the shoulder rotation exercise is easy: Open the Excy system and place it on a table sideways in its lowest position. Turn your body and place the hip of the shoulder you wish to exercise against the table with both toes pointing forward and feet shoulder-width apart. In this position, Clevis Pin placement height, degree of elbow bend, shoulder position and hip alignment with the Excy system will vary based on multiple factors, including the table height and the user’s objective or injury. Your elbow should never be fully extended. Exercise: Set resistance to easy. Stand even with the Excy system and align your shoulder with the center of the axle (your PT may ask you to step forwards or backwards and may adjust the system higher to extend your reach). Let your resting arm hang naturally down the side of the body while standing firmly with a strong core. Place the hand of the shoulder you wish to exercise on top of the pedal. Keep your head level and do not push your head forward, backward, or to the side. Slowly forwards pedal in full circles. At higher levels of resistance, you may ask a family member or your PT to hold the front base firmly. See other Shoulder Rotation Exercise positions for “Back and Forth”, “Isometric”, and “Backward Circles” 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.
