Brookeemilyfitness

The face pull 🤪

This exercise primarily targets the:
> Rear deltoids (back of the shoulders)
> Middle and lower trapezius
> Rhomboids
> External rotators of the shoulder

Why might I use it?
1. Improving shoulder stability

Many shoulder problems involve poor movement patterns of the shoulder blade or weakness in the muscles that stabilize the joint. Face pulls train these muscles to work together.

2. Addressing rounded shoulders and desk posture

People who spend long periods sitting, typing, or looking at screens often develop tight chest muscles and weaker upper-back muscles. Face pulls help strengthen the muscles that pull the shoulders back.

3. Rehabilitation after shoulder pain

Face pulls can strengthen the external rotators and scapular muscles without placing excessive stress on the shoulder.

4. Balancing pressing exercises

People often do a lot of pushing movements (bench press, push-ups, overhead press) but less pulling work. Face pulls help restore balance between the front and back of the shoulder.

Mum uses this to combat long days spent sitting at her desk and feels great upper back tension relief from engaging these muscles ✌🏽

The Landmine Sumo Squat 🏋🏼‍♀️

Improving squat mechanics: The angled path can make it easier for people to learn squatting patterns

Reducing stress on the lower back: the load is held in front of the body and follows an arc, many people can maintain a more upright torso, which may decrease spinal loading

Targeting the hips and inner thighs: “sumo” stance places greater emphasis on the glutes, adductors

Rehabilitation after injury: It can be useful when rebuilding strength after certain knee, hip, or back issues as it can be scaled easily and feels more stable than free-weight squats

Improving hip mobility: (MUMS REASON) The wider stance encourages movement through hip abduction and external rotation

Developing functional strength: trains coordinated movement of the hips, knees, and trunk in a way that transfers to everyday activities such as lifting objects from the floor.

The overhead cable Y lift ✌🏽 - one of the many shoulder rehab exercises in the tool box!

Used to improve shoulder blade control, overhead stability, and rotator cuff endurance.

It targets lower trapezius and serratus anterior, which help upwardly rotate and stabilize the scapula during arm elevation.

> important for smooth, pain-free overhead movement and proper shoulder mechanics.

Because it uses light resistance, slow tempo, and controlled movement, it helps retrain coordination between the scapula and humerus while building endurance rather than maximal strength.

Compared with heavier overhead pressing, this provides a safer and more controllable way to load the shoulder, with lower joint compression and consistent tension throughout the movement.

Top tip - using 2 ropes is even better to allow the arms to lift slightly wider into a true “Y” shape.

The Weighted Side Bend 🧳

> to improve lateral trunk strength and control
> targets the obliques, quadratus lumborum and spinal stabilizers, helping patients resist side-bending forces and restore side-to-side symmetry after injury, surgery, or chronic pain.

It can also build tolerance to asymmetrical loading demands seen in daily life, work, and sport such as carrying objects on one side ~ while improving frontal plane control important for gait, balance, and change-of-direction movements.

In selected low-back pain cases, it may also help condition the QL and lateral stabilizers to improve trunk endurance and control.

For me this is a progression after mastering more isometric exericses like -
* Side Plank
* Pallof Press
* Farmer’s and Suitcase Carry

Here’s mum learning the technique for this one 😝 she’s in end stage back pain rehab. As always make sure you see a physio if you have an injury yourself ✌🏽

Shoulder mobility: the sleeper stretch 🛌😴

Targeting internal rotation + posterior capsule tightness!

When the back of the shoulder is tight, the humeral head can shift during movement. That may:
* Reduce range of motion
* Cause pinching/pain during overhead activity
* Alter shoulder mechanics
* Increase strain on the rotator cuff

You usually:
1. Lie on your side with the affected shoulder underneath you
2. Bring the shoulder and elbow to roughly 90°
3. Use the top hand/ light weight to gently rotate the forearm downward toward the floor

It should feel like a mild stretch in the back of the shoulder NOT sharp pain in the front.

Make sure you see a physio and get the right diagnosis to use it.
- if over done without control or in the wrong shoulder, it can irritate.

I often use it for people with:
* Shoulder impingement
* Rotator cuff irritation
* Throwing-sport injuries
* Postural stiffness
* Reduced overhead movement
* “GIRD” glenohumeral internal rotation deficit - common in athletes

Back day exercise: the single arm vertical pull 🔥

As a physio I love to train single side movements

Why?
1. Improve shoulder blade control

Many shoulder and neck problems involve poor shoulder blade movement.

The exercise helps train:
* Scapular depression
* Upward/downward rotation control
* Coordination between shoulder blade and arm

We often use it after:
* Shoulder impingement
* Rotator cuff irritation
* Shoulder instability

2. Correct left-right imbalances
Using one arm at a time exposes asymmetries:

* One side weaker
* Poor control
* Compensation patterns
* Reduced range of motion

3. Restore pulling mechanics safely

It lets us:
* Reduce load
* Control range carefully
* Adjust arm angle
* Watch movement quality closely

That makes it useful in rehab before progressing to:
* Pull-ups
* Heavy rows
* Sports movements

5. Reinforce proper movement patterns
The goal is often neuromuscular retraining, not just strengthening.

Try it! even light resistance can feel surprisingly difficult if the stabilizers are weak or poorly coordinated.

Kings chair leg raises ~ hitting hip flexors and abdominals 💯

1. Builds abdominal strength
targets the:
* Re**us abdominis (“six-pack” muscles)
* Hip flexors
* Obliques (with twisting variations)

2. Trains core stability
Your abs work not just to lift the legs, but also to stop the body from swinging. That anti-swing control is useful for:
* Sports
* Running
* Lifting
* Posture

3. Lower back support (when done correctly)
A stronger core can help reduce strain on the lower back by improving trunk stability.

4. Progression friendly
It’s easier than full hanging leg raises because the back pad and arm supports reduce grip and shoulder demands.

Common mistakes
* Swinging the legs
* Using momentum
* Arching the lower back excessively
* Raising legs too high too fast
* Letting shoulders collapse into the pads

Good form cues
* Press forearms into pads
* Keep ribs down
* Move slowly
* Exhale as knees rise
* Lower under control

Important!
People often think this exercise isolates the abs, but the hip flexors do a lot of the movement . The abs stabilize the pelvis and spine while helping curl the pelvis upward near the top of the motion. That’s why form matters more than simply lifting the legs high.

Watch this space for progressions!!

Exercise of the Day: The Rack Inverted Row 💪🏼

We are using this as part of our pull up conditioning work, the lower the bar, the harder the movement!

Trains scapula retraction (pulling shoulder blades back), rhomboids and trapezius (mid and lower fibres) which a lot of people that are desk based need to train in my clinical findings.

This is an easier, lower load movement to a pull up.. focusing on control and adding bodyweight load over time by changing bar height and foot position/knee bend.

Top Tip: move the chest to the bar, not jutting the chin forward or shrugging the shoulders. Mum aced this!

Counter movement to the scap push up, another exercise youll see in the series!

Exercise of the day: The scapula push up ✌🏽

used to target the control and stability of the shoulder blade (scapula) which is essential for healthy shoulder movement.

> your shoulder joint doesn’t work in isolation. It depends heavily on how well your scapula moves and stabilises on your rib cage.

1. Activates the right muscles (serratus anterior) this keeps your scapula flat against your rib cage
It helps with upward rotation when lifting your arm
Weak serratus anterior = poor shoulder mechanics.

2. Improves scapular stability and control - it teaches control of the scapula without overusing larger muscles like the traps.

I often use it in -
shoulder impingement
rotator cuff injury
scapular dyskinesis

By improving scapular mechanics, it reduces stress on the shoulder joint.

4. We want to build a foundation for bigger movements, so we can progress to heavy pushing (like bench press or push ups).

Instead of bending your elbows like a normal push-up, you:
Keep arms straight
Let your chest sink slightly (scapular retraction)
Then push the floor away (scapular protraction)
That “push away” part is the key as it’s where the serratus anterior fires.

See the 3 levels of progression in this video!

Tip of the Day: 🍑🍑🍑

not feeling glute engagment, we find raising heels and shifting some of our weight into our toes is one way we can find better glut activation in our RDL..

Think TRIPOD big toe little toe and heel are points of contact on the ground - mum in her RDL will rock all her weight back into her heels and lift her toes up.

Heres me coaching mum through this today :)
- weight in even spread through the tripod
- slow controlled movement
- shoulders back and down
- soft knee bend
- fundamental movement is a hip hinge: a huge part of hip rehab

Que to hinge: close the car door with your bum NOT bend forward.

What you should feel...
Stretch: hamstrings at the bottom
Effort: glutes when coming up
Minimal: quads and lower back dominating

workouttips