Overview
The Seated Arm Series is the library's purest arm work: the client sits tall on the short box with a strap in each hand, and the carriage never moves. That single fact is what makes the series teachable and what makes it easy to teach badly — if the carriage moves, the client is rowing, not pressing.
The box sits transversely on the carriage and the feet anchor under the foot strap, so the pelvis is fixed and the ribs can stack over it. From there each exercise takes one shoulder action through its range:
- Front Raises — shoulder flexion to shoulder height.
- W Raises — scapular retraction with the elbows bent into a W.
- Triceps Press — elbow extension with the upper arms glued to the ribs.
- Lat Press — shoulder extension from the armpits, a few inches of travel.
- Overhead Triceps Extension — elbow flexion and extension with the upper arms vertical.
Order them front raises, W raises, triceps, lat press when you teach the whole series: the first two establish the shoulder blades, the last two load them.
Setup
- Every version runs on a single medium or light spring. The springs only anchor the straps — they are never the resistance, and if the carriage moves the client has lost the exercise.
- Front Raises, W Raises, Triceps Press and Lat Press: footbar down, headrest down, short box transverse on the carriage, feet anchored under the foot strap.
- Overhead Triceps Extension: the same box position, footbar down, headrest down.
- Sit tall with the ribs stacked over the pelvis and the shoulder blades settled down the back before the first rep. Check the strap length before you start: the arms should reach the starting position without the client leaning back.
Key Teaching Cues
- All five: keep the trunk still. The ribs stay stacked, the pelvis stays planted, and nothing below the shoulder blades moves.
- Front Raises: raise to shoulder height and no further; the shoulders stay drawn down as the arms travel.
- W Raises: draw the elbows up and back into the W, squeezing the shoulder blades together, and stop the elbows below shoulder height.
- Triceps Press: the elbows stay glued to the ribs and the upper arms do not travel — only the forearms move.
- Lat Press: start the press at the armpits so the shoulder blades glide down and back; the hands never rise above the hips, and the elbows stay soft.
- Overhead Triceps Extension: keep the upper arms vertical and close to the head, and let only the forearms travel.
- Exhale on the effort, inhale on the return — the breath should match the tempo you want.
Common Faults
- The carriage moving. This is the first thing to check, because it means the client is pulling with the whole body.
- The shoulders shrugging toward the ears as the arms lift.
- The ribs flaring and the low back arching as the arms travel — the sign that the load has moved into the spine.
- In the triceps press and the overhead extension, letting the elbows drift away from the ribs or forward of the ears.
- Gripping the straps: the hands hold, they do not squeeze.
Variations
- Lighter spring: the standard regression. A lighter anchor keeps the arm action honest while the shoulder blades learn the pattern.
- Reduced range: stop short of shoulder height (front raises, W raises) or shorten the bend (overhead extension). This is the injury modification for shoulder impingement, in every version of the series.
- Longer hold: hold the end position for two breaths before releasing. This is the progression the whole series shares — the load is small, so time under tension is where the strength comes from.
- Programming: place the series after the larger pulling work (Seated Row, Pulling Straps) as a precision block, or use two of the five as a wash-out between heavy leg sets. It is also the natural place to teach a client what their shoulder blades do before they meet the same demand under a travelling carriage.
Safety
Keep every version pain-free through the front of the shoulder. For shoulder impingement, work at or below shoulder height with the elbows low, keep the range short, and skip the series with active pain — see the Shoulder Impingement Protocol.