How To Use A Shake Weight Routine For Arms, Shoulders And Chest Exercises

Shake Weight workouts can work wonders for your arms, shoulders and chest. If you just want a really good laugh, watch the video. If you want to discover a lot of new information about your body in general, then read and enjoy this hub in its entirety. Under no circumstances however, should you buy or use the Shake Weight before reading this hub to the very end.

Despite its hilarious suggestive double-meaning reputation, and the ridiculous hard core advertising, the Shake Weight is a good invention and definitely works. Yet like many new pieces of exercise equipment, the Shake Weight was probably launched by well meaning enthusiasts for a breakthrough in the mega fitness equipment market. And they might, for a short time, succeed. But with the current lack of proper physical education for the buying public, the Shake Weight will probably end up with all the other fitness junk in the attic or at a car boot sale.

But Sue, you just said that the Shake Weight definitely works, so what are you saying?

Well, read on ...

“Ladies, when you put on that sleeveless dress what’s the first thing that sticks out? Our arms ! ...Shake Weight is the flab-busting breakthrough ... based on ... Dynamic Inertia ... only 6 minutes a day to work out your arms, shoulders and chest. Get the Shake Weight and get arms you'll be proud to show off.”

flab-busting breakthrough? But unless you read this hub very carefully, Shake Weight will give you:

• A stiff neck

• Upper Back Tension

• Shoulder Strain

• Wrist and Fingers Stress

• A Shaken Up feeling like you got the jitterbugs

• And maybe ... if you use your imagination, induce the biggest multiple orgasm ever.

But Sue, a minute ago you said that the Shake Weight definitely works, so what’s the problem?

The problem is that any fad used dumbly as an exclusive exercise method is bound to fail the customer. There is more to toning your arms, chest and shoulders than being made to vigorously shake a phallic object, as you well know. Before muscle toning can have any beneficial effect, the base structure, the skeleton, has to be well aligned. Building muscle on a poor structure causes damage. You might aggravate your aches and pains, perhaps even injure yourself. The customer then blames the piece of equipment and discards it. Bye, bye Shake Weight, go and join all your fad siblings on the scrap heap.

But Sue, two minutes ago you said that the Shake Weight definitely works, so how could it work?

The Shake Weight could only work in the long run for those who have a sound posture and have already achieved a great deal of suppleness and strength in the neck, shoulders, wrists and finger joints. For a person with permanently raised, forwardly stuck shoulders, an over-curvature of the neck, and weak hands, using the Shake Weight would only make a miss-aligned body hold its miss-aligned body parts in a stronger, even more miss-aligned way, i.e. with enormously increased tension.

So before using the Shake Weight

Make sure your shoulders can fully relax, are well placed at the side of your body, that your neck is straight above your spine, and that your wrists and fingers are loose and strong. Plus, and I repeat, your posture should be near perfect.

For those who don’t fall into the "perfect" category (just about everybody), the only safe and beneficial way to use the Shake Weight is to:

1. Lie on the floor, on a soft mat or folded towels, on your back. Perhaps with one of those bolsters placed longitudinally under your spinal column as shown in one of Marisa Wright’s excellent hubs (*Linked at the end of this hub).
2. In addition you could have a larger bolster under your knees to keep the curve behind your waist as shallow as possible. Now in this comfortable, correctly aligned position you may safely use the Shake Weight to tone up your arms, but remember, without lifting the elbows (as doing so would engage and maybe hurt the shoulders, back and neck).

1. Keeping your elbows on the floor, lift the Shake Weight off the floor and put it down again. Experiment with height, angle from your body and establish a sequence. At all cost, don’t take your elbows off the floor yet.
2. To tone the triceps turn over onto your front (take away the bolsters), keep your neck relaxed, with your head resting on the floor and, palms facing up, lift the Shake Weight up in the air, again, trying a few different heights and angles until you find a comfortable routine.

Number of reps for 1. and 2. above, between 8 and 32 at your own discretion; try to reach your own limit of endurance and don’t forget to establish a matching breathing pattern, breathing in on the “up”, and out on the “down” motions.

3. Put the Shake Weight away.

This little sequence is most useful for any one with stiff shoulders, even if you have no intention of buying the Shake Weight or as a preparation, even a recovery move for using it.

1. Lie on your back, with your arms spread out at shoulder height.
2. Pull up your joined knees and place them at your right side on the floor. If they don’t reach, place a cushion or bolster under them.
3. Relax. Where is your left shoulder? Has it risen off the floor?
4. Now draw a backward circle on the floor with your extended left arm. Look at your hand while doing so. You will now feel where the stiffness in your shoulder is at its strongest (usually where the X is on the picture).
5. Gently and repeatedly move through the stiff part of your circle on a daily basis until your left shoulder stays on the floor and your fingers no longer have to leave the floor to trace the circle.

6. Repeat on the other side.

Note: If your shoulder comes off the floor while circling your arm, then I’m afraid you are not ready to take your elbows off the floor with your Shake Weight machine. But you will very soon, once you get your shoulders back into their intended anatomically correct place.

At first Arm Swings and Circles should be done without any weights at all. At this point the limp weight of your own arm is enough resistence to loosen and tone your shoulder. Once your shoulders are loose and strong without any additional weights, you may progress to wearing wrist weights, hold a dumbell or, eventually for the most advanced version, you could try slowly doing the Arm Swings and Circles using the Shake Weight (at your own risk)

Arm Swings

1. Stand in a stable lunge position, the left foot in front and the right foot behind with the front leg bent and both heels on the floor.
2. Swing the right arm up as far as you can until you feel the limit in the shoulder joint.

3. Swing the arm down and back, again as far as you can feel it stop in its joint.

Breathe in on the uplift and out on the down swing. Use momentum rather than force, allow the arm to drop as it goes down. Do about eight or more swings while increasing speed and momentum until you are sure that all the little crackely noises (stiffness) have gone from your shoulder joint.

Reverse the position of the feet and repeat with the left arm.

Full Arm Circles

Stand in the same position as in the previous sequence and now make continuous backward circles with your arm. Again, breathing in as you go up and breathing out as you go down. Begin slowly and increase the speed of the movement until your arm wants to circle quite fast to throw off all the tension; until you feel a tingling in your fingertips. If you look at your hand, it is quite red, full of blood.  When you finish, hold the arm above the head and shake the hand to allow all the blood to flow back down again.

Change the position of your feet and repeat on the other side.

Note: Welcome any clicking or crunching noises in your shoulder as long as it doesn't hurt. Your Arm Swings and Circles are oiling your rusty joints. After a few repetitions those noises soon vanish.

So like with any new piece of equipment the Shake Weight can work very well indeed for people with a good deal of body awareness. Having body awareness does not require you to be a professional fitness expert or an athlete. Anyone can become well informed and increase self awareness in the body with research, experimentation, chosing what works for you and then, a lot of practice. And because your practice is your own discovery and your own choice, it is great fun and most beneficial. If, during your research, something doesn't make sense to you, then you are probably right, there is a lot of money grabbing hype and ignorance out there. Inform yourself, try things out but always trust your own common sense and intuition by listening to your friendly body.

"The Body Cannot Lie" Martha Graham.

For greater results and more fun with your regular exercise routine, with or without your new Shake Weight, be sure to read:

How to Structure an Exercise Session

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*Marisa Wright’s recommended hub mentioning good use of back bolster:

Best ways to loosen a stiff neck or shoulder

How to make more money with Adsense

You too can JOIN HUBPAGES and get paid for what you've got to say.

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Does anyone have a problem using the shake weight?

You can leave a comment or ask a question which I'd be happy to answer if I can.