All posts tagged: shoulders

On the shoulders of giants: roaming among England’s famous chalk figures | Walking holidays

On the shoulders of giants: roaming among England’s famous chalk figures | Walking holidays

Published by Sam Flores

In the churchyard next to Wilmington Priory in East Sussex, I found a yew so ancient and stooped that its trunk had eaten half a gravestone. Its boughs were supported by long poles, a creepy sight that made me shudder. I had come here to see something just as strange, but more benign than this folk-horror vision – the figure of the Long Man of Wilmington on the hillside opposite, on the steep scarp of the South Downs. He treks over the hill, a stave clasped in each hand. Climbing Windover Hill, just beneath the South Downs Way, I saw that while he was once a chalk giant, his lines are now marked with concrete blocks. The Guardian’s journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. Learn more. The Long Man may be Anglo-Saxon in origin – the shape is similar to the design on a buckle discovered in Kent in 1964 by the archaeologist Sonia Chadwick Hawkes, which probably represents the god Odin (or Woden); but he …

If you want your shoulders to last, you need to keep them strong—start today with this simple dumbbell workout

If you want your shoulders to last, you need to keep them strong—start today with this simple dumbbell workout

Published by Jenni Sidey

Your shoulders are the most mobile joints in your body and while they are a marvel of engineering, one thing they lack is stability. And because so many upper-body exercises require shoulder movement, they’re one of the most commonly injured joints. You might think that’s a reason to avoid workouts with weights as you get older and your shoulders weaken, but strength training is essential for maintaining independence and longevity. You may like It’s far better to train the rotator cuff, deltoids and the scapular stabilizers that support your shoulder joint, and protect your tendons and ligaments from damage. That’s why I’ve created this five-move routine that will bolster your shoulder strength while also improving your posture, supporting your neck, reducing the risk of upper-back niggles, improving bone density and supporting your independence in older age. How to do the workout The workout consists of five exercises. Arnold press Dumb waiter Weighted arm circles Woodchop Single-arm dumbbell row Perform this workout as a circuit. Complete 10 repetitions of each exercise, one after the other, to …

A personal trainer says this one exercise can open up your chest, stretch your shoulders and strengthen your upper back

A personal trainer says this one exercise can open up your chest, stretch your shoulders and strengthen your upper back

Published by Jenni Sidey

Almost all of my personal training clients struggle with tight chest muscles and limited shoulder mobility. Work hours spent sitting at desks and free time spent on smartphones can exacerbate the problem, leading to potential pain and injury down the line. Wall slides, also known as wall angels, are a great exercise to combat these issues. It’s appropriate for most fitness levels, doesn’t require any equipment, and can be done anywhere you have a bare wall. Give them a try as a part of your upper-body workout, or even before you head out of the office for the night. How to do wall slides While this exercise is doable for most people, you should still check in with your medical team before trying anything new. If you’ve just started to work out regularly, consider meeting with a certified personal trainer to ensure you’re performing the movement correctly. You may like Stand about a foot away from a bare wall, facing away from it. Lean back onto the wall. Bend your knees slightly. Engage your core …

Is your desk job making you stiff? A doctor swears by this simple stretch for soothing his achy shoulders

Is your desk job making you stiff? A doctor swears by this simple stretch for soothing his achy shoulders

Published by Jenni Sidey

Is modern life causing havoc for your posture? You’re not alone. Prolonged periods sitting at our desks—or on couches—straining over devices is one of the prime culprits of shoulder pain and slouching. “We spend much of our day not accessing the full range of motion in our shoulders,” explains physical therapist Dr Robbie Mann from Fyzical. “For example, most of our daily tasks involve our arms being forward in front of us, such as working on a computer, eating or working out. You may like “It’s essential to take your shoulders through a full range of motion in all directions, but especially in overhead reaching. Rarely do we fully extend our arms over our heads.” He recommends doing a simple stretch to reset posture and relieve stiffness and tension in the shoulders. “I started to notice in myself a slouch posture—especially by the end of the day when I was wrapping up computer work—as well as neck muscle tightness,” says Mann. “I found that stretching overhead helped to relax my shoulders and it became easier …

If you work at a desk, a Pilates teacher recommends these three yoga strap moves to loosen up hunched shoulders

If you work at a desk, a Pilates teacher recommends these three yoga strap moves to loosen up hunched shoulders

Published by Jenni Sidey

Do your shoulders feel stiff or achy? Do you struggle to turn your head or touch your chin to your chest without feeling a twinge? Are your shoulders tender to the touch or knotted and rope-like under your hands? You may like These are all signs that your shoulder muscles may be tight. Pamela Paley, a Pilates master trainer for Club Pilates, says that tight shoulders can be a symptom of our busy lifestyles. “Most people have tight shoulders from hunching over a computer, driving, and carrying things like computer bags, suitcases or even small children,” she says, but stretching regularly can bring some relief. For these movements, you’ll need a yoga strap that is six to eight feet long and made of non-stretch material. If you don’t have anything purpose-built on hand, a packing strap or even a scarf will do. Start your week with achievable workout ideas, health tips and wellbeing advice in your inbox. “A flat straight strap can help with control, better form and posture, and assist in gaining flexibility throughout …

The 3 Best Trap Exercises for More Defined Shoulders

The 3 Best Trap Exercises for More Defined Shoulders

Published by Jenni Sidey

Ask someone in the weight room to point to their trapezius muscle, or “traps” in gym-speak, and they’ll probably gesture toward the small mounds of muscle nestled in between their neck and shoulders. But while those are technically part of your traps, they’re really just the tip of the iceberg. “There’s actually a lot more mass to the traps than most people realize,” says Luke Carlson, founder and CEO of Discover Strength. Your traps are a diamond-shaped group of muscle fibers that extend from the sides of your neck to your shoulders and down to a point at around your mid-back, covering about a third of the visible muscle on your back. However, because the traps live in a gray area somewhere in between shoulder day and back day, they’re often left out of both. “When someone wants to add lean muscle tissue, a lot of times they think about the chest, the lats, the biceps, and the triceps,” Carlson says. “But we usually miss out on training the traps, and there’s a significant amount …

I’m a yoga teacher and this is the stretch I rely on to loosen up stiff muscles in the shoulders and upper back

I’m a yoga teacher and this is the stretch I rely on to loosen up stiff muscles in the shoulders and upper back

Published by Jenni Sidey

Most of us know that nagging feeling of stiff, unhappy shoulders. This discomfort can be caused by all kinds of things, but hunching over a laptop all day is a common culprit. I’m a yoga instructor and my go-to move for relieving tight shoulders at the end of the day is eagle arms. You may like You can instantly feel your muscles releasing as you enter the pose, which targets the shoulders, upper back and arms. How to do eagle arms How to Do Eagle Arm Pose – YouTube Watch On Eagle arms, known in Sanskrit as garudasana, can be practiced either sitting or standing. I like to do a few shoulder rolls before entering the pose. Here’s how to do it. Start your week with achievable workout ideas, health tips and wellbeing advice in your inbox. Inhale and lift your arms out to the sides to shoulder height. Exhale and bring your arms in front of your chest. Inhale and bend your elbows. Exhale and cross the right elbow over the left. If comfortable, …

‘Motion is lotion’: how to really look after your shoulders | Life and style

‘Motion is lotion’: how to really look after your shoulders | Life and style

Published by Sam Flores

You’re clinging to the overhead strap on a packed bus during rush hour when the driver suddenly slams on the brakes. As the crowd surges, your arm jerks back and your shoulder takes the full force of the momentum. It’s times like these one is grateful for a strong and healthy shoulder. “If you’ve got a strong and mobile shoulder, you have the control to reduce the risk of anything [bad] happening,” says Dr Josh Zadro, a physiotherapist and senior research fellow at the University of Sydney. We often ignore our shoulders until they scream for attention, but prevention is far more effective than treatment, says Dr Anelise Silveira, a physiotherapist and researcher at the University of Queensland. Here experts guide us through the principles of maintaining healthy shoulders: Use your full range of motion daily According to Zadro, problems arise when we stop moving entirely. “There’s not one perfect posture,” he says. “People move and sit in a variety of ways … we’re not worried about that.” He says “motion is lotion” – as …

Stiff shoulders and back? This is my favorite stretch to reverse the damage from sitting at your desk

Stiff shoulders and back? This is my favorite stretch to reverse the damage from sitting at your desk

Published by Jenni Sidey

Sitting at a desk for hours plays havoc on your body, because it isn’t designed to be sedentary. Slouching and hunching over devices puts pressure on your neck, shoulders and back muscles, causing aches and pains in the short term and potentially more serious issues like obesity, type 2 diabetes and heart disease in the longer term. Studies have shown that sitting for too long can even reduce oxygen to the brain, impairing focus and problem solving. It has also been linked to anxiety and depression. “Sitting for long periods can increase loading of the spine and spinal discs, and at the same time, by not stimulating the muscles, it can work to decondition [weaken] your spine,” says Dr Rahul Shah, board-certified orthopedic spine surgeon at Premier Orthopaedic Associates. You may like “By simultaneously overloading the discs and deconditioning the back muscles, these long periods of abnormal loading and deconditioning can set us up for additional injury or backache,” he adds. If you’ve been stuck at your desk or hunched over your phone, take regular …

A trainer says this is the most underrated move for building strength in your core, shoulders, arms and back

A trainer says this is the most underrated move for building strength in your core, shoulders, arms and back

Published by Jenni Sidey

If you’re new to working out, you might not have come across the term compound exercise yet—but there are probably a few already in your routine. A compound exercise is any movement that recruits multiple muscle groups at once. That means workout staples like squats, deadlifts and chest presses all fall into this category. Because these moves fire up lots of muscles, they’re high-effort, more functional and help you burn more calories. They also build strength more efficiently because they engage different areas simultaneously. You may like I asked trainer Krissy Cela, founder of activewear label Oner Active and fitness app EvolveYou, what her favorite compound move is and she suggested one that fires up lots of upper-body muscles. “I think one of the most underrated exercises is a plank row,” says Cela. “I think it’s just such an amazing move for your core, your back, your stability—your glutes have to stay really contracted and tense. I think it’s very underappreciated.” How to do a plank row Sets: 3 Reps: 4-6 each side Start your …