Tips

The exercise presented here enhances shoulder mobility and thus promotes greater range of motion for the arms. Done correctly, this exercise will “sort out” the bunched up muscles in the upper back and offer relief for tight neck and shoulder pain.

Follow the pictures demonstrating how the different parts of the body are moving. Visualization and awareness is essential to this exercise, not strength.

1.Stand or sit up right. Hold a towel with elbows slightly flared away form the body.

2.Raise the arms in front of the body. Pull the towel taut.

3. Keep the towel tart. Bend and pull the elbows out, keeping the shoulders down and the upper arms parallel to the floor. Allow the outer lower part of the shoulder blads to flare out and “hollow” the armpits.

4.Return the arms stretched out in front of the body, and soften the pull of the towel.

5.Raise the arms up above the head. Pull the towel taut.

6. Keep the towel taut. Bend and pull the elbows out, keeping the shoulders down and the upper arms parallel to the floor.

7.Return the arms stretched up above, and soften the pull off the towel.

Return to starting position. You have now coompleted one set.

Do 4 to 8 sets, 3 times a week.

Your posture is one of the first things people notice about you. Whether you work out or not…

No matter what your fitness level is…

Good posture makes you appear strong and confident.

Here is a simple way to manage your posture.

Locate these 5 spots in the upper body:

Spot 1 - The base of the chest, the solar plexus.

Spot 2 - The upper back, between your shoulder blades.

Spot 3 - The upper chest, just below your collarbone.

Spot 4 – One inch behind the ears.

Spot 5 - The temples.

Start from the front of the body. Imagine threading a string from Spot 1-the base of the chest up and through Spot 2-the upper back. Continue up and over to Spot 3-the upper chest then to Spot 4-one inch behind the ears and send the string upward as well as passing it through Spot 5-the temples and up to the sky.

With each inhalation, weave the string in a zigzag course from Spots 1 through 5. With each exhalation, draw the strings upward from behind the ears and the temples. Let the chin and jaw soften. Allow the shoulders to hang down and away from the ears.

Better posture lays the foundation for a healthy back. It also serves as an instant “pick me up” from a gloomy state of mind.

Support yourself with your hands or elbows. Place the foam roller or body ball under the strained area of your adductor muscles. You may need to move the foam roll/body ball around to find the “knots”. Sink your body weight into the foam roller/body ball. Allow gravity to aid this process. Imagine laying an uncooked pizza dough over a ball. The dough will “fall” around the ball and be stretched by its weight.

Using a foam roller or a body ball allows you to reach the origins - the fixed ends of the muscles that are attached to the bones. These areas are hard to get to because conventional stretches only allow you to stretch the “body” of the muscles.

You may want to gently and slowly rock back and forth to massage the muscles.

Breathe, allow your body to relax . Take at least 5 minutes in each position.

Do this for 20 minutes a day, 3 times a week. It will drastically reduce your recovery time.

Useful links:

See image of the adductor muscles

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adductor_muscles_of_the_hip

Where to get a body ball

http://www.yamunabodyrolling.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=SFNT&Store_Code=0127

Learn more about Yamuna Body Rolling Technic

http://www.yamunabodyrolling.com/

A pulled groin muscle usually refers to a strained muscle group (adductors) whose main function is to move the thigh bones (femurs) together. They are commonly known as the inner thigh muscles. The adductor muscle group originates from the inner pelvis and insert on the inner, backside of the femur.

Ice the pull groin area for the first couple of days. After that, I suggest the following passive, static stretches using a foam roller or a body ball to speed up the recovery.