All about the innovative Cross Arm Swing
(Pilates)
BENEFITS & MUSCLES WORKED: Shoulders, Arms, Chest, Upper Back. A good preparation exercise for Muscles, Tendons, and Joints before a workout. Flexibility.
START POSITION: Stand up straight with feet placed slightly wider than hip width apart. Rest your hands in front of you on the top of your legs. Bend your knees a little and lean back heavily on your heels (but be sure to keep both feet flat on the floor). Start by throwing your arms forward and upwards with your elbows slightly bent. Bring your head down slightly so you are looking at a point in front of you, positioned below the horizontal. It might be a good idea to focus your eyes on the bottom of the wall in front of you. Still, this depends, of course, on your body type.
If you are transitioning from the previous exercise (Front Arm Rotations), you do not need to pause between exercises. Just keep the swing rhythm going smoothly and adjust your head so that you are looking downwards a little more.
NOTES: As your arms come upwards to the top front position (just before starting to swing back), make a cross with your wrists (one in front of the other), and at the top position, the cross should be somewhere around forehead height or just above. As you swing your arms backwards, you will need to shift some bodyweight forwards a little to counterbalance the swing, and you might find it easier to let your head position drop a little also. Allow the backward swing momentum to follow through so that your arms end up behind you (like a pair of wings that are folded behind you). Keep your knees, legs, and hips rigid at this point, but relax your arms and shoulders, allowing the arms to swing back again towards the front position. This time, however, you need to cross your wrists at the top in the opposite formation – so if the left hand was on top last time, then now the right hand should be on top.
This exercise should be done immediately after the Front Arm Rotations (see previous exercise). You can use the same Start Position for both exercises, and each one flows smoothly into the other. You can even switch backwards and forwards between the exercises. Do whatever feels right for you. Remember, this is a fairly relaxing exercise and is excellent for waking up your body to prepare it for more intense activities later.
I invented this exercise myself. When you work out regularly, you will sometimes find that you become more ‘in tune’ with your body and that instinctively you start to make minor adjustments to your form because the exercises somehow feel more natural and beneficial. However, it’s essential to be mindful that you are not making mistakes with your form that could lead to injury. Therefore, I advise you to conduct some research and consult with other athletes and coaches to gauge their opinions on your form. Every Gym and Pilates exercise that exists today was invented by someone at some point in history – and inventions nearly always happen after substantial experimentation, trial, and error. I suppose that this is the essence of learning, creativity, and progress. Remember that all of us humans never stop learning, both through our research and from one another.
Arnold Schwarzenegger invented his compound exercise for the shoulders, known as the Arnold Press.