Exercises

DB 1 Arm Row: While I endorse the DB 1 Arm Row to train the upper back while also engaging core stabilizers in the low back, this advanced exercise is not recommended for everyone. Athletes must develop good form, strength, and endurance with RDL  before moving on to the DB 1 Arm Row.

1. Begin at the bottom position of an RDL, spine neutral from head to tail bone.
2. Rest your right hand on a bench and hold a dumbbell in your left hand with arm extended and palm facing toward you.
3. With spine remaining neutral and core engaged pull the dumbbell toward you—rotating to a neutral grip as you reach the top of the motion.
4. Finish with elbow even with or slightly in front of your torso. Think about pulling through with your elbow as your left shoulder blade moves toward your right shoulder blade. Avoid rounded back, shoulders forward, or elbows finishing behind the torso, all of which hinder scapular movement and increase risks for shoulder injury and dysfunction. 
5. Under control, lower the dumbbell to starting position, allowing shoulder blade to protract (wrap around your rib cage).
6. Repeat steps 1-5 for desired reps then switch sides.

TRX Inverted Pull Up  By adjusting foot placement, athletes of all strengths and levels can perform this exercise.

Note: The best grip for shoulder elbow, and wrist health, and the only grip I use with overhead athletes, is a neutral grip—palms facing. The overhand and/or underhand grip may be appropriate for non-overhead athletes with good shoulder mobility and without existing shoulder pain or injuries.

1. Take the TRX handles with a shoulder width grip. To increase difficulty walk feet forward.
2. Begin with arms extended while still keeping tension. Avoid a dead hang—losing all tension and allowing shoulders to shrug forward. The dead hang places strain on your biceps tendons and rotator cuffs.
3. Engage muscles around mid-section (as if expecting a punch to the gut). When Inverted Pull Ups are done improperly, the ribcage flares upward and the back hyperextends, which indicates a lack of core recruitment and increases risk of back injury. In a proper Inverted Pull Up, the spine remains neutral from neck to tailbone.
4. With core engaged, pull yourself straight up toward the TRX handles until elbows are even with or slightly in front of your torso. Think about pulling through with your elbows as your shoulder blades move toward one another. Avoid rounded back, shoulders forward, or elbows finishing behind the torso, all of which hinder scapular movement and increase risks for shoulder injury and dysfunction. Also avoid reaching your chin forward at the top of an Inverted Pull Up—although a tucked (double chin) is okay in order to take strain away from neck muscles; The forward head position leads to neck pain and muscle imbalance. 
5. Under control, lower yourself to starting position—arms extended while still keeping tension— allowing shoulder blades to protract (wrap around your rib cage).

Inverted Pull Up Unlike a traditional Vertical Pull Up, Inverted Pull Up is a Horizontal Pulling Exercise that counts toward the Pull/Push ratio to build shoulder stability. 

Note: The best grip for shoulder elbow, and wrist health, and the only grip I use with overhead athletes, is a neutral grip—palms facing. The overhand and/or underhand grip may be appropriate for non-overhead athletes with good shoulder mobility and without existing shoulder pain or injuries.

1. Position a bar in a rack to about waist height.
2. Take a shoulder width—or slightly wider than shoulder width—grip and position yourself underneath the bar so that the bar is directly above your chest. Extend your legs and place your heels on the floor. In order to decrease difficulty, bend your knees and place the soles of your feet on the ground (as shown above).
3. Begin with arms extended while still keeping tension. Avoid a dead hang—losing all tension and allowing shoulders to shrug forward. The dead hang places strain on your biceps tendons and rotator cuffs.
4. Engage muscles around mid-section (as if expecting a punch to the gut). When Inverted Pull Ups are done improperly, the ribcage flares upward and the back hyperextends, which indicates a lack of core recruitment and increases risk of back injury. In a proper Inverted Pull Up, the spine remains neutral from neck to tailbone.
5. With core engaged, pull yourself straight up toward the bar until elbows are even with or slightly in front of your torso. Think about pulling through with your elbows as your shoulder blades move toward one another. Avoid rounded back, shoulders forward, or elbows finishing behind the torso, all of which hinder scapular movement and increase risks for shoulder injury and dysfunction. Also avoid reaching your chin forward at the top of an Inverted Pull Up; The forward head position leads to neck pain and muscle imbalance. 
6. Under control, lower yourself to starting position—arms extended while still keeping tension— allowing shoulder blades to protract (wrap around your rib cage).

Half-Kneeling Band or Cable Pulldown When performed with good technique and as part of a balanced program, this is an ideal exercise to develop Lat muscles (Latissimus Dorsi) in the middle back. These muscles are key to core stability, coordinating power from hips and core, and transferring that power through the upper body. Half-Kneeling Band or Cable Pulldown targets muscles the same as a Pull Up and the same rules apply. Like Pull Up, when Half-Kneeling Band or Cable Pulldown is performed improperly and or overused, the exercise may actually increase the risk of shoulder and back injuries. 

Note: The best grip for shoulder elbow, and wrist health, and the only grip I use with overhead athletes, is a neutral grip—palms facing. The overhand and/or underhand grip may be appropriate for non-overhead athletes with good shoulder mobility and without existing shoulder pain or injuries.

1. Position a cable to the highest setting; Or attach a band to an anchor at its highest point.
2. Grab the cable grip or band with a shoulder width grip and situate yourself in a half kneeling position just a few inches in front of the cable stack or band anchor.
3. Begin with arms extended and shoulder blades upwardly rotated—imagine shoulder blades reaching up and wrapping around rib cage.
4. Engage muscles around mid-section (as if expecting a punch to the gut). When Cable or Band Pulldown is done improperly, the ribcage flares upward and the back hyperextends, which indicates a lack of core recruitment and increases risk of back injury. In a proper Cable or Band Pulldown, the spine remains neutral from neck to tailbone, and the scapula rotates upward and downward on the rib cage.
5. With core engaged, pull the band or cable straight down until hands are just below your chin. Think about pulling through with your elbows as your shoulder blades rotate downward and together. End with elbows even with or slightly in front of your torso. Avoid rounded back, shoulders forward, or elbows finishing behind the torso, all of which hinder scapular movement and increase risks for shoulder injury and dysfunction. Also avoid reaching your chin forward; The forward head position leads to neck pain and muscle imbalance. 
6. Under control, return the band to starting position—arms extended—allowing shoulder blades to rotate upward and wrap around your rib cage.

Note: Emphasize Horizontal Pulling (Band or Cable Rows, Inverted Pull Ups, and DB Rows)
While Cable or Band Pulldown can be a useful part of an overall program, the exercise is frequently overused. Coaches often program Pulldown in every workout as the primary pulling exercise; but Pulldowns are middle back dominant (not shoulder stabilizers) and don’t count toward the balance of pull to push. Overhead athletes typically require a 2 or 3 to 1 ratio of horizontal pulling to pushing. Non-overhead athletes require at least a 1 to 1—and more often a 2 to 1—ratio of horizontal pulling to pushing. In addition, too much emphasis on vertical pulling can put the scapula in excessive downward rotation, eventually interfering with the ability to produce healthy upward rotation of the scapula. Scapular upward rotation is necessary for arms to move safely overhead.