How do you come up with these exercises?
If I had a dollar for every time that a patient asked me this question I just may be able to retire from treating patients.
The answer is both complicated and simple at the same time.
First, you have to understand the demand placed on the body during the activity or activities of interest. For example, what does the shoulder need to be able to do in order to hit a volleyball?
Even if you aren’t familiar with the sport or desired activity at hand, my best advice would be to familiarize yourself with the desired movements and ask yourself 3 things: what range of motion is required? What strength is required? What movement coordination is required?
These 3 pillars create the foundation for your exercise prescription. How can you achieve these goals through exercise? Start here and program from this framework.
Lastly, it is imperative to understand that the desired body region does not function independently. You must understand how the upper extremity, lower extremity and trunk all work together to perform the desired movements.
Now it’s your turn! What is your target tissue? What is your target body region? What is your target activity? How do these pieces tie together?
The exercise creativity is limitless when you operate with these fundamentals in mind.