Welcome to Day 6 of the Six Day Challenge!
Upper body work. I saved it for the end. Not because it’s not important- but because it’s only one piece of the puzzle. And all-too-often, it gets parked in front of everything else, and when we run short on time- or we miss a workout in a weekly cycle, it never seems to be the upper body work that gets missed.
I wanted this to be different.
Upper body work is important. I’ll advocate for it. But not in the way that you might be used to. In this minimalist upper-body workout, we’re going to place the highest priority on the quality and the purpose of the movements we make. Ultimately, this is about shoulder health.
Mobility, stability, and only then- strength.
Today’s Workout : Minimalist Upper Body Mobility, Stability, and Strength- Healthy Shoulders
These drills aren’t meant to set your arms on fire.
You might wake up a little sore tomorrow- but not in a way that won’t allow you to butter your own toast.
Once again, we’re going to run through a mobility sequence before we do anything else. Following that, we’ll move into stability drills that on top of the mobility sequence, will prime and prepare the shoulder joint for some good strength work.
Why is this so important?
The answer is simple, and should probably be written all throughout the Six Day Challenge…
We don’t build strength on top of dysfunction.
The mobility and stability drills we use as warm-up and preparatory exercises give us an opportunity to assess and recognize the functional role and the health of the joints and muscles involved in a movement before loading them with resistance.
If at any point during the mobility and stability drill sequence, you’re experiencing pain or discomfort in the shoulder joint- recognize this sign as an indicator of a larger (albeit, very-likely temporary) problem.
The Six Day Challenge | Day 6 | Minimalist Upper Body Mobility, Stability, and Strength- Healthy Shoulders
Done today’s workout? Great! Time to upload your proof of your workout via time-lapse video, and, if you managed to do it, additional proof of your tea-cup shoulder mobility challenge in real-time video!
Remember… you’ll need to be logged into your YRDSB GAPPS account to do this part.
When you’re uploading your proof, make sure you select your class teacher from the “My Teacher” drop-down menu. This is important for scoring class results on the school leaderboard!