MENSENDIECK: SEQUENCE ONE

Sitting on a chair

These are exercises for the neck, shoulder blades, shoulders, arms and lumbar done while sitting on a chair.

Sit on a chair with the seat and the back hard (kitchen chair). You can use a thera band to increase the resistance.

You can stop the movement in whichever moment you want, increasing the contraction of the muscle or muscles involved.

Remember that to do the exercises correctly it is important to:

  1. Always activate the hara before doing the exercise (see the introduction)
  2. Do the exercises with peripheral eyes (see the introduction)
  3. Do the exercises VERY slowly
  4. Do the exercises with total attention (zen mind) (see the introduction)

The first exercise is a beginning exercise to loosen the neck and the shoulders.

Exercises 2 to 16 are for the shoulders, shoulder blades, back muscles and arms

Nr. 1: ‘Loosening the neck’

Technique:

  1. Keep the feet and knees at hip width
  2. Keep equal weight on the feet and sitting bones and root the sitting bones on the chair
  3. Contract the glutei, keep the back straight and the abdomen pulled in (scoop)
  4. Bend the head forward and then backward. Repeat 4x
  5. Bend the head sideways on one shoulder and then on the other shoulder. Repeat 4x
  6. Push the chin forward and then pull it back again (chicken head movement). Repeat 4x
  7. Turn the head to the left and then to the right, keeping the hips and trunk facing straight forward. Repeat 4x
  8. Rotate the head on the shoulders clockwise and then anti-clockwise. Repeat 4x

Nr. 2 : ‘Shoulder rotation’

Technique:

  1. Keep the feet and knees at hip width
  2. Keep equal weight on the feet and sitting bones and root the sitting bones on the chair
  3. Contract the glutei, keep the back straight and the abdomen pulled in (scoop)
  4. Inhale and with the exhalation widen the shoulder blades at the back so that the shoulders come forward. This stretches the rhomboid muscles. The arms hang relaxed
  5. Do not bend the thoracic spine backward (kyphosis)
  6. Inhale and pull the shoulders and shoulder blades upward with the trapezius muscle
  7. Exhale and roll the shoulders backwards. This widens the pectorals and contracts the rhomboids towards the spinal column
  8. Inhale and with the exhalation pull the shoulder blades down next to the spinal column with the latissimus dorsi and the trapezius
  9. The latissimus dorsi starts on the lower spine and attaches on the arm in the armpit. Therefore contracting this muscle the arms are lowered
  10. Do not bend the elbows to pull the shoulders down
  11. In this exercise the shoulders make a circle. It is advisable not to do it the other way around
  12. Repeat 4x

Nr. 3: ‘Widen the wings’

This exercise works on the shoulders and shoulder blades

Technique:

  1. Keep the feet and knees at hip width
  2. Keep equal weight on the feet and sitting bones and root the sitting bones on the chair
  3. With the arms down next to the thighs bend the wrists till the points of the fingers touch the thighs. The arms are in exo-rotation. This is to make the movement from the deltoid muscles, and not from the lower arm muscles.
  4. Contract the glutei, keep the back straight and the abdomen pulled in (scoop)
  5. With an inhalation raise the arms sideways to shoulder height, keeping the wrists bent
  6. Straighten the wrists, palms facing the floor
  7. Exhale and on an inhalation push the arms outwards away from the spinal column, keeping the arms in line with each other at shoulder height (abduction of the shoulder blades)
  8. Hold for 5 seconds
  9. With an exhalation pull the inner borders of the shoulder blades closer to the spinal column so that the shoulder blades flatten (adduction of the shoulder blades)
  10. The muscles of the shoulder blades, the rhomboids, the latissimus dorsi and the trapezius pull the shoulder blades towards the spinal column and flatten them
  11. Bend the wrists so that the fingers point up to the ceiling
  12. Take the arms down with an exhalation. The muscles of the shoulders, the rhomboids and the trapezius pull the shoulders and the shoulder blades down and towards the spinal column and flatten them. Do not just drop the arms down.
  13. Straighten the wrists
  14. Repeat 4x

Variation I.

Technique:

  1. Keep the thera band in front of the body and the ends in the hands. Turn the arms so that the fists face backwards (endo-rotation)
  2. Contract the glutei, keep the back straight and the abdomen pulled in (scoop)
  3. Bend the wrists so that the knuckles of the fingers point backwards
  4. With an inhalation raise the arms forward to shoulder height with the frontal deltoid, parallel to the floor and parallel to each other
  5. Turn the wrists so that the fists face upward
  6. With an exhalation stretch the thera band sideways at shoulder height and parallel to the floor, until the arms are in one line
  7. The arms are in endo-rotation and the palms face outward
  8. With the rhomboids pull the shoulder blades towards the spinal column
  9. Hold for 5 seconds
  10. Inhale and with the exhalation take the hands again down slowly next to the sides. Take the arms down with an exhalation. The muscles of the shoulders, the rhomboids and the trapezius pull the shoulders and the shoulder blades down and towards the spinal column and flatten them
  11. Straighten the wrists
  12. Repeat 4x

Variation II.

Technique:

  1. Keep the thera band in front of the body and the ends in the hands next to the thighs. Turn the arms so that the palms face the thighs (exo-rotation of the arms)
  2. Contract the glutei, keep the back straight and the abdomen pulled in (scoop)
  3. With an inhalation raise the arms sideways to shoulder height, parallel to the floor, till they are in one line
  4. The arms are in exo-rotation
  5. Stretch the thera band to the maximum
  6. Hold for 5 seconds
  7. Inhale and with the exhalation take the hands again down slowly next to the sides. The muscles of the shoulders, the rhomboids, the latissimus dorsi and the trapezius pull the shoulders and the shoulder blades down and towards the spinal column and flatten them
  8. Repeat 4x

Variation III.

Technique:

  1. Keep the thera band behind the shoulder blades and hold the ends with the hands at shoulder height
  2. Bend the wrists so that the palms face sideways (endo-rotation of the arms)
  3. Contract the glutei, keep the back straight and the abdomen pulled in (scoop)
  4. With an exhalation stretch the thera band sideways at shoulder height and parallel to the floor, until the arms are in one line
  5. Hold for 5 seconds
  6. Inhale and then, very slowly, bring the hands towards the shoulders and drop the thera band
  7. Repeat 4x

Nr. 4: ‘Rotate the wings’

Technique:

  1. Keep the feet and knees at hip width
  2. Keep equal weight on the feet and sitting bones and root the sitting bones on the chair
  3. Contract the glutei, keep the back straight and the abdomen pulled in (scoop)
  4. Keep the arms down with the palms facing the sides of the thighs. Make the fists
  5. With an inhalation raise the arms sideways to a diagonal position above shoulder level (like wings)
  6. Exhale and turn the fists facing forward with the thumbs over the index fingers (exo-rotation of the arms). The points of the shoulder blades point straight down
  7. Elongate the arms diagonally out of the core, which means that the shoulders, shoulder blades and latissimus dorsi elongate diagonally upwards from the iliac crests
  8. With the exhalation turn the arms slowly inwards (endo-rotation) with the points of the shoulder blades turning towards the sides of the chest (abduction of the shoulder blades)
  9. Rotate the arms in this way a couple of times
  10. With an exhalation drop the arms next to the chair

Nr. 5 : ‘Hands up’

Technique I

  1. Keep the feet and knees at hip width
  2. Keep equal weight on the feet and sitting bones and root the sitting bones on the chair
  3. Contract the glutei, keep the back straight and the abdomen pulled in (scoop)
  4. With the hands next to the hips turn the palms facing backwards (endo-rotatation of the arms)
  5. Bend the wrists in such a way that the finger tips face backwards
  6. With an inhalation slowly raise the arms forward and up, with the wrists bent, using the frontal deltoids, up till shoulder height
  7. Keep the back straight
  8. Hold for 5 seconds
  9. Inhale and continue raising the arms up until they are next to the ears, keeping the wrists bent
  10. Hold for 5 seconds and then slowly, with an exhalation, bring the arms down.
  11. Straighten the wrists
  12. Repeat 4x

Nr.6: ‘Horizontal triceps extension’

Hold the thera band in both hands

Technique:

With two arms:

  1. Keep the feet and knees at hip width
  2. Keep equal weight on the feet and sitting bones and root the sitting bones on the chair
  3. Contract the glutei, keep the back straight and the abdomen pulled in (scoop)
  4. Bend the arms with the hands and the elbows at shoulder height, holding the thera band
  5. Contract the glutei, keep the back straight and the abdomen pulled in (scoop)
  6. Inhale and with the exhalation stretch the arms with the thera bend sideways at shoulder height
  7. With the exhalation bring the hands together again, keeping the elbows up

Nr. 7: ‘Pull down’

Hold the thera band in both hands

Technique I:

With two arms:

  1. Keep the feet and knees at hip width
  2. Keep equal weight on the feet and sitting bones and root the sitting bones on the chair
  3. Contract the glutei, keep the back straight and the abdomen pulled in (scoop)
  4. Hold the thera band in both hands
  5. Bend the wrists so that the palms face backward and raise the arms up over the head slightly at an angle forward with the frontal deltoid muscles
  6. Bend the wrist so that the palms face upward
  7. Slowly pull the ends of the thera band down sideways until your hands are at shoulder height
  8. Repeat 4x

Technique II:

With one arm:

  1. Hold the thera band in both hands
  2. Keep the feet and knees at hip width
  3. Keep equal weight on the feet and sitting bones and root the sitting bones on the chair
  4. Contract the glutei, keep the back straight and the abdomen pulled in (scoop)
  5. Bend the wrists so that the palms face backward and raise the arms up over the head slightly at an angle forward with the frontal deltoid muscles
  6. Bend the left wrist so that the left palm faces upward
  7. Slowly pull the left hand down sideways until it is at shoulder height
  8. Take it up again and repeat with the right arm

Nr. 8: ‘Handcuffing’

Technique:

  1. Keep the feet and knees at hip width
  2. Keep equal weight on the feet and sitting bones and root the sitting bones on the chair
  3. Contract the glutei, keep the back straight and the abdomen pulled in (scoop)
  4. With the fists next to the hips turn the palms facing backwards (endo-rotatation of the arms)
  5. Bend the wrists in such a way that the knuckles face backwards
  6. Inhale and elongate the arms backward as high as possible, with the fists facing backwards (endo-rotation of the arms: triceps medial part)
  7. Hold for 10 seconds
  8. Exhale and bring the arms down again.
  9. Rotate the arms outward so that the fists face the side of the body (exo-rotation of the arms: the outer part of the triceps)
  10. Inhale and elongate the arms backward again as high as possible
  11. Hold for 10 seconds
  12. Take the arms down
  13. Repeat 4x

Nr. 9: ‘Handcuffing’

With two thera bands

First one hand at a time, and then with both arms.

Variation I: With one arm

Right arm

  1. Place one end of the thera band under the right foot and hold the other end in the right hand
  2. With the right hand next to the right hip keep the palm facing backwards (endo-rotatation of the arm)
  3. Bend the right wrist in a way that the knuckles face backward
  4. Contract the glutei, keep the back straight and the abdomen pulled in (scoop)
  5. Inhale and elongate the arm backward as high as possible, with the arm in endo-rotation (triceps medial part)
  6. Hold for 10 seconds (isometric) or repeat 10 times (isotonic)
  7. Bring the arm down again and then rotate the arm outward so that the fist faces the side of the body (exo-rotation of the arm: (the outer part of the triceps)
  8. Inhale and elongate the arm backward again as high as possible
  9. Hold for 10 seconds (isometric) or repeat 10 times (isotonic)
  10. Take the arm down
  11. Repeat 4x
  12. Repeat the same movements with the left arm

Variation II: With two arms

Repeat the same movements as with one arm, keeping the arms straight and parallel to each other and a thera band underneath each foot

Nr. 10: ‘Handcuffing with bridge’

Technique:

  1. Repeat the movements of handcuffing with both arms
  2. Contract the glutei, keep the back straight and the abdomen pulled in (scoop)
  3. Inhale and with the exhalation bend the trunk forward over the thighs in the bridge, pulling the arms up backwards as high as possible, keeping the head up
  4. Repeat with the arms both in endo-rotation (medial part of the triceps) and exo-rotation (outer part of the triceps)
  5. Hold each one for 10 seconds
  6. Exhale, come back up again and take the arms down

Nr. 11: ‘Swing’

This is a combination of the previous two: ‘Hands up’ and ‘Handcuffing’

From ‘Hands up’ bring the hands back into ‘Handcuffing’

Repeat 4 x

Nr. 12: ‘Embrace the world’

Variation I.

  1. Keep the thera band in front of the body and the ends in the fists
  2. With an inhalation raise the arms forward to shoulder height, parallel to the floor and parallel to each other
  3. The fists face downwards
  4. Inhale and with an exhalation stretch the thera band towards the sides at shoulder height and parallel to the floor, until the arms are in one line
  5. The arms are in endo-rotation
  6. Hold for 5 seconds
  7. Inhale and with the exhalation bring the hands again slowly towards the center
  8. Repeat 4x

Variation II.

  1. Keep the thera band behind the shoulder blades and hold the ends in the fists at shoulder height
  2. Inhale and with an exhalation stretch the thera band towards the sides at shoulder height and parallel to the floor, until the arms are in one line
  3. The arms are in exo-rotation
  4. Hold for 5 seconds
  5. Repeat 4x
  6. Inhale and then, very slowly, bring the fists towards the shoulders and drop the thera band
  7. Repeat 4x

Nr. 13: ‘Butterfly’

Technique:

  1. Keep the thera band behind the shoulder blades and hold the ends in the fists at shoulder height with the arms in exo-rotation
  2. Inhale and with the exhalation bring the fists forward at shoulder height until the fists touch each other . The shoulder blades widen away from the spinal column and the shoulders come forward
  3. Hold for 5 seconds
  4. Inhale and with the exhalation take the fists again to the sides, closing the shoulder blades against the spinal column with the rhomboids
  5. Repeat 4x

Nr. 14 : ‘Frog swimming’

Technique:

  1. Inhale and extend the arms forward and up to a diagonal position, parallel to each other, with the palm facing each other
  2. Exhale and turn the palms facing outwards (endo rotation of the arms)
  3. Inhale and elongate the arms sideways and then backwards (swimming) so that the shoulder blades close against the spinal column
  4. Inhale and with the exhalation lower the arms at the side, pulling the shoulder blades towards the spinal column with the latissimus dorsi, till the arms are just below the level of the shoulders
  5. Inhale, rotate the arms in an exo-rotation and bend the elbows, pulling them down with the latissimus dorsi, next to the chest.
  6. The muscles of the shoulders, the rhomboids and the trapezius pull the shoulders and the shoulder blades down and towards the spinal column and flatten them
  7. Drop the arms and exhale
  8. Inhale and start again from the beginning
  9. Repeat 4x

Nr. 15: ‘Back swimming’

Technique:

  1. With the arms next to the hips turn the arms till the palms of the hands look backwards (endo-rotation of the arms)
  2. Bend the wrist till the knuckles of the fingers point backwards
  3. Contract the glutei, keep the back straight and the abdomen pulled in (scoop)
  4. With an inhalation, using the frontal deltoid raise the arms slowly forward up till shoulder height
  5. Keep the arms straight and parallel to each other
  6. While the arms go up the trapezius lifts the shoulder blades and the shoulders
  7. Contract the glutei, keep the back straight and the abdomen pulled in (scoop)
  8. Exhale and again inhaling continue to raise the arms till they are next to the ears, keeping the hands bent in the wrists
  9. Now lift the hands in the wrists till the point of the fingers point upwards
  10. Inhale and with the exhalation bring the arms down sideways , pulling the shoulder blades towards the spinal column with the latissimus dorsi, till the arms are just below shoulder level.
  11. The muscles of the shoulder blades, the rhomboids and the trapezius pull the shoulder blades towards the spinal column and flatten them. That brings the arms down under shoulder level
  12. Continue pulling the arms down with the muscles of the back
  13. Repeat 4x

Nr. 16: ‘The crab’

Technique:

  1. With an inhalation raise the arms sideways in an exo-rotation
  2. Clasp the fingers of the hands with the arms slightly bent
  3. On an exhalation stretch the left side of the trunk upwards and bend the spine towards the right, stretching as much as possible the left arm
  4. The pelvis remains straight and the weight remains even on the ischias bones
  5. Keep the abdomen in (scoop)
  6. Inhale and with the exhalation come back up
  7. Repeat on the other side, stretching the right arm
  8. Repeat both sides twice

You can do this exercise also with the hands crossed behind the head and the elbows back

Nr. 17: ‘The twist’

Technique:

  1. Put the right hand outside the left knee on the chair and the left hand behind the left hip on the chair
  2. Inhale and with the exhalation turn the trunk and the lumbar to the left
  3. The pelvis remains straight and the weight remains even on the ischias bones
  4. The trunk remains straight in the sense that the left side and the right keep the same height
  5. Keep the abdomen in (scoop)
  6. Inhale and with the exhalation come back to the center
  7. Repeat to the other side
  8. Repeat each side twice

You can do this exercise also with the hands crossed behind the head and the elbows back

Nr. 18: ‘The scoliosis’

Technique:

  1. With an inhalation elongate the arms sideways at shoulder height
  2. With the exhalation pull the left shoulder blade down and towards the spinal column, so that the right ribs are pushed towards the right and upwards towards the right hand
  3. Keep the arms and the shoulders at the same height and the weight even on both ischias bones
  4. Do not rotate the trunk and the spinal column. This is only a lateral movement
  5. Elongate the right arm, thinking that you have to touch something with the right hand
  6. With the exhalation come back to the center
  7. Repeat each side 2x

You can do this exercis also with the hands crossed behind the head and the elbows back

Nr. 19 : ‘The Swing’

Technique:

  1. On an inhalation curve the lumbar and part of the thoracic vertebre forward in a lordose), rotating the pelvis forward on the ischias bones
  2. With the exhalation push the lumbar spine backwards in a kyphosis, rotating the pelvis backwards on the ischias bones
  3. When the pelvis rotates forward, the spinal muscles are contracted, while rotating backwards the central glutei and the abdominal muscles are contracted from the pubic bone to the xyphoid bone

Nr. 20.’ Horse riding’

Technique:

  1. Rotate the pelvis forward, leaving the arms hanging down
  2. Inhale and bend the spine in a lordose, pushing the ischias bones backwards
  3. On the exhalation bend the abdomen forward on the thighs and then the chest, keeping the back and the kidneys concave and the ischias bones pointing backwards
  4. Stay for a couple of breaths
  5. Inhale and with the exhalation pull the ischias bones forward, bending the lumbar spine backwards (kyphosis)
  6. With a scoop come back up, starting with the pelvis, then the lumbar spine and then the chest (kyphosis). The head is the last one to come up
  7. On the exhalation bend the abdomen forward on the thighs and then the chest, keeping the back and the kidneys concave and the ischias bones pointing backwards
  8. Stay for a couple of breaths
  9. Inhale and with the exhalation pull the ischias bones forward, bending the lumbar spine backwards (kyphosis)
  10. With a scoop come back up, starting with the pelvis, then the lumbar spine and then the chest (kyphosis). The head is the last one to come up
  11. Repeat 4x
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