Pole and aerial are sports in their infancy, but have movement patterns related to mature sports such as gymnastics and dance. Yet the injuries and imbalances of pole and aerial are still collectively undocumented. Around the studio most of us know from observation that there are common injuries and imbalances amongst polers and aerialists. One of the principal issues is overdeveloped muscle groups versus underdeveloped muscle groups. This usually appears from improper techni

There are now three posts about the Thrower's Ten on this blog, but I promised I would write a post on the actual Thrower's Ten PT moves that I use for injury prevention in aerial arts and pole. The Thrower's Ten is a series of physical therapy rehab moves that strengthen and stretch the shoulder girdle. The moves were developed to rehab athletes coming from throwing sports like baseball or racquet sports like tennis. For pole and aerial arts we can use this series to help st

Here is the follow-up post for Upper Back Imbalances for Polers and Aerialists. Basically we are going to look at some corrective exercises that can help work the underdeveloped muscles in the upper and middle back, i.e., the rhomboids and lower traps. As discussed in the first post, these muscle groups and the smaller shoulder girdle muscles tend to be underdeveloped while the lats and pecs tend to get overdeveloped. The upper traps may or may not get over developed as well.

The most common complaint, chronic injury, and biggest body question I receive in pole and aerial arts: what is this pain and knot under my shoulder blade? First off, I am not a doctor, but from years in pole and aerial arts and working with massage therapists, physical therapists, chiropractors and being a trainer, I know that most of this time this wonderful knot is from muscle imbalance. The primary movement patterns in aerial arts and pole involve inverting, doing contro

The Thrower's Ten is a PT exercise series commonly used to strengthen and stretch the shoulder girdle. This set of movement is often used with athletes of throwing sports, but it can work great for aerialists and pole dancers to aid in injury prevention. I use many of the exercises from the Thrower's Ten in my weekly workout routine. However some of the exercises are more effective then others, for pole and aerial. I promise to put out a post that takes the best of the Throwe

Continuing our journey down the path of strength, flexibility and health for shoulders in the world of aerial arts and pole, here is part two of our series on the Thrower's Ten. Check Out Part 1 The Thrower's Ten is a series of Physical Therapy Exercises that were designed to help with shoulder girdle strength and movement. As Polers and aerialists the entire series is a excellent set of additional exercises to train with outside of the studio. However, if you are training a

This is the fifth and final post (for the time being) on tight hip flexors and how to help strengthen, stretch and alleviate this issue. Please check out the other posts in this series. Tight Hip Flexors Tight Hip Flexors (Basic Stretching) Tight Hip Flexors (Myofascial Release) Tight Hip Flexors (Facilitated Stretching) The last piece of the hip flexor puzzle can be tied to the gluteus complex and a weak non-dominant hip flexor. It is easy to have both of these issues happen

Before you continue read part one of our series on Tight Hip Flexors. This post explains the anatomy of the hip flexors and how to check for tight hip flexors. Stretching The Tight Hip Flexor. First I recommend seeing a superstar physical therapist. I went to three PTs, a chiropractor, a physician, two massage therapists and an acupuncturist and they helped but we never got to the root of the problem. I think there are two reasons, first people still don't understand the musc

We wanted to take a few posts and explore the Thrower’s Ten, a series of PT strengthening and stretching exercises that focus on the shoulder girdle. For aerialists, strength and balance in the shoulder is crucial not only for performing movement but for long-term health of the shoulder. The rotator cuff and shoulder musculature, in general, are an area that has a high risk of injury when performing aerial arts and pole. What is the Thrower’s Ten? The Thrower’s Ten in a 10-pa

Hip Flexors and Lack of Flexibility Tight hip flexors are one of the hottest topics in our classes. So we are putting together a blog series on hip flexors. It’s no surprise that tightness in your hip flexors may be from lack of flexibility. Tight hip flexors can also be a weak core and lack of spinal stability or underdeveloped hamstrings and glutes. Today we are just going to focus on lack of flexibility in the hip flexors. Here is a cool chart of the muscles involved in th