Like almost everything else in life, I can’t claim that this to be an original thought. I’ll go out on a limb and either attribute this exercise to fellow swimming strength & conditioning coaches Tad Sayce or John Mullen.
The beauty in this exercise is that it forces the shoulders to act independently of one another.
One one hand (literally) an isometric contraction builds in difficulty as the other hand presses against the band tension. The ability to both stabilize and create movement at the shoulder simultaneously is an imperative for optimal shoulder health and performance.
In the video, I’m demonstrating with a red resistance band from westside barbell. This is a difficult exercise to acclimate to, so I wouldn’t recommend starting with much more band tension than that. Additionally, those with longer wing spans add more tension to the band, creating a more difficult press.
This is a great warm up or strength training exercise for swimmers, baseball players, or really anyone trying to get a little better at utilizing their shoulders.
