Reverse Flyes with
Shoulders at 90 degrees
Starting Position
- Start this ball exercise by kneeling in front of the ball and stretching forward over the balluntil your waist is over the top of the ball.
- Legs should be straight, toes on the floor behind you about shoulder width apart.
- Hands rest lightly on the floor in front of you with your thumbs pointing toward one another.
Action
- With your elbows slightly bent, raise your arms out to your sides at 90 degrees to your trunk.
- Squeeze your shoulder blades together when you reach the top.
- Hold for 2 seconds.
- Return to the starting position.
Prime Movers
- Scapular retractors, posterior deltoid, rotator cuff
Physio Tips
- Keep your neck straight, chin tucked and chest up to strengthen neck stabilizers.
- Don't shrug your shoulders up toward your ears and don't let your chin poke out.
- You can assist your neck stability by pressing your tongue to the roof of your mouth and pretending you are gripping a grapefruit between your chin and your chest. This helps to engage deep neck flexors.
Progression
- Add 1-2 kg dumbbells and increase the weight as the exercise becomes easier.
- Try keeping one foot off the ground while you perform this exercise to further challenge balance.
- Add air to your exercise ball for a less stable surface
This exercise integrates rotator cuff strengthening with core strengthening in a way that allows you to feel correct scapular motion. As you perform this exercise you should feel your shoulderblade rotate, but don't allow it to rise up toward your neck.
This is a good open kinetic chain exercise for the rotator cuff muscles. The shoulder is used in an open kinetic chain in the sports of swimming, dancing, and anything that involves throwing. Also try the
reverse flyes in 450 and
the reverse flyes in 1350 to target the other parts of the rotator cuff musculature.
Repeat this ball exercise 6 times
Repeat this ball exercise 10 times
Repeat this ball exercise 15 times
