Throwers Ten Program

Designed to exercise the major muscles necessary for throwing — an organized, concise program specific to the thrower, built to improve strength, power, and endurance of the shoulder complex musculature.

Equipment Needed

2-pound dumbbell
Chair
Table to support your body
1 light resistance band tube (<$10 at sporting goods stores)
1 towel

Exercise Frequency

Season	Sets & Reps
In Season	1 set × 10 reps, 1–2 days/week
Out of Season	2 sets × 10 reps, 2–3 days/week

Safety Notice: You should not experience pain during or after any exercise. If you do, seek medical evaluation.

Section 1: Diagonal Patterns

Diagonal Pattern Extension

Grip the tubing handle overhead and out to the side with your involved hand. Pull the tubing down and across your body to the opposite side of your leg. Lead with your thumb throughout the motion.

Athlete holding grip tubing handle at rest diagonally across their body

Athlete holding grip tubing handle stretched diagonally across their body to the opposite side of their leg. Motion is lead with one's thumb.

Diagonal Pattern Flexion

Grip the tubing handle in the hand of your involved arm, beginning with your arm out from your side at 45° with your palm facing backward. Turn your palm forward, then flex your elbow and bring your arm up and over your involved shoulder. Turn your palm down and reverse to return to the starting position.

Athlete holding grip tubing handle with arm out from side 45˚ and palm facing backward.

Athlete holding grip tubing handle with their palm turning forward and flexing their elbow to bring their arm up and over involved shoulder.

Section 2: Rotation at Waist

External Rotation at Waist

Stand with your involved elbow fixed at your side, elbow bent to 90°, and your involved arm across the front of your body. Grip the tubing handle with the other end fixed. Pull your arm outward, keeping your elbow at your side. Return the tubing slowly and under control.

An athlete standing with involved elbow fixed at side, elbow at 90˚ and involved arm across front of body while holding a grip tube handle.

An athlete standing with involved elbow fixed at side, pulling their arm outward while keeping the elbow at their side.

Internal Rotation at Waist

Stand with your elbow at your side fixed at 90° and your shoulder rotated out. Grip the tubing handle with the other end fixed. Pull your arm across your body keeping your elbow at your side. Return the tubing slowly and under control.

Athlete standing with elbow at side fixed at 90˚ with their shoulder rotated outward. while holding a grip tube handle with the other end of the tubing being fixed.

Athlete standing with elbow at side fixed at 90˚ with their shoulder rotating inward as they pull the arm across the body.

Section 3: Rotation at Shoulder Level (Optional)

External Rotation at Shoulder Level Optional

Stand with your shoulder abducted to 90°. Grip the tubing handle with the other end fixed straight ahead, slightly lower than your shoulder. Keeping your shoulder abducted, rotate your shoulder back keeping your elbow at 90°. Return tubing and hand to the start position.

An athlete standing with shoulder abducted 90˚. Grip tubing handle while the other end is fixed straight ahead, slightly lower than the shoulder. Keeping shoulder abducted, rotate shoulder back keeping elbow at 90˚. Return tubing and hand to start position.

Internal Rotation at Shoulder Level Optional

Stand with your elbow fixed at your side at 90° and shoulder rotated out. Grip the tubing handle with the other end fixed. Pull your arm across your body keeping your elbow at your side. Return the tubing slowly and under control.

An athlete standing with elbow at side fixed at 90˚ and shoulder rotated out. Grip tubing handle while other end of tubing is fixed. Pull arm across body keeping elbow at side. Return tubing slowly and controlled.

Section 4: Shoulder Strengthening

Shoulder Abduction to Shoulder Level

Stand with your arm at your side, elbow straight, and palm against your side. Raise your arm to the side, palm facing down, until your arm reaches 90° (shoulder level).

An athlete standing with arm at side, elbow straight, and palm against side.

An athlete raising their arm to the side, palm facing down, until the arm reaches 90° (shoulder level).

Scaption — Scapular Plane Raises

Stand with your elbow straight and thumb pointing up. Raise your arm to shoulder level at a 30° angle in front of your body. Do not go above shoulder height. Hold for 2 seconds and lower slowly.

A woman standing with their elbow straight and thumb pointing up.

A woman standing with their arms raised to shoulder level at a 30° angle in front of her body. She is careful to NOT go above shoulder height.

Sidelying External Rotation

Lie on your uninvolved side, with your involved arm at your side and elbow bent to 90°. Keeping the elbow of your involved arm fixed to your side, raise your arm. Hold for 2 seconds and lower slowly.

A woman lying on her uninvolved side, with their involved arm at her side and elbow bent to 90°.

A woman lying on her uninvolved side, keeping the elbow of her involved arm fixed to their side, raising that arm and holding for 2 seconds and lowering the arm slowly.

Section 5: Prone Exercises

Prone Horizontal Abduction — Neutral

Lie face down on a table with your involved arm hanging straight to the floor, palm facing down. Raise your arm out to the side, parallel to the floor. Hold for 2 seconds and lower slowly.

A man lying on a table face down, with his involved arm hanging straight to the floor, and palm facing down.

A man lying on a table face down, with his involved arm raised out to the side, parallel to the floor. He holds this position for 2 seconds and lowers the arm slowly.

Prone Horizontal Abduction — Full ER, 100° ABD

Lie face down on a table with your involved arm hanging straight to the floor and your thumb rotated up (hitchhiker position). Raise your arm out to the side with your arm slightly in front of your shoulder, parallel to the floor. Hold for 2 seconds and lower slowly.

A man lying face down on a table with his involved arm hanging straight to the floor and your thumb rotated up (hitchhiker position).

A man lying face down on a table raising his involved arm out to the side with the arm slightly in front of one's shoulder, parallel to the floor. He holds this position for 2 seconds before lowering the arm again slowly.

Prone Rowing

Lie on your stomach with your involved arm hanging over the side of the table, dumbbell in hand and elbow straight. Slowly raise your arm, bending your elbow, and bring the dumbbell as high as possible. Hold at the top for 2 seconds, then slowly lower.

Two views of a woman (from the side and from the top looking head-on) lying on her stomach with her involved arm hanging over the side of the table, dumbbell in hand and elbow straight.

Two views of a woman (from the side and from the top looking head-on) lying on her stomach. She slowly raises her arm, bending the elbow, and brings the dumbbell as high as possible. She holds this position at the top for 2 seconds, then slowly lowers her arm.

Prone Rowing into External Rotation

Lie on your stomach with your involved arm hanging over the side of the table, dumbbell in hand and elbow straight. Slowly raise your arm, bending your elbow, up to the level of the table. Pause one second. Then rotate your shoulder upward until the dumbbell is even with the table, keeping your elbow at 90°. Hold at the top for 2 seconds, then slowly lower over 2–3 seconds.

Two views of a woman (from the side and from the top looking head-on) lying on her stomach while she pauses for one second, and then rotates her shoulder upward until the dumbbell is even with the table, keeping her elbow at 90°. She holds this position at the top for 2 seconds, then slowly lowers her arm over 2–3 seconds.

Section 6: Functional Exercises

Press-Ups

Seated on a chair or table, place both hands firmly on the sides of the chair or table, palms down and fingers pointed outward. Hands should be level with your shoulders. Slowly push downward through your hands to elevate your body. Hold the elevated position for 2 seconds and lower your body slowly.

A young adult seated on a chair, with both hands placed firmly on the sides of the chair. Their palms are down and fingers pointed outward. Their hands are level with his shoulders.

A young adult seated on a chair, with both hands slowly pushing downward through their hands to elevate the body. He holds the elevated position for 2 seconds before lowering his body slowly.

Push-Ups

Start in the down position with arms in a comfortable position. Place hands no more than shoulder width apart. Push up as high as possible, rolling your shoulders forward after your elbows are straight. Start with a push-up against a wall. Gradually progress to a tabletop and eventually to the floor as tolerable.

A child demonstrates a push-up. Their hands are no more than shoulder width apart, with their arms pushing up as high as possible. Shoulders are rolled forward after elbows are straight.

A child demonstrates a push-up. He starts in the down position with his arms in a comfortable position, with hands no more than shoulder width apart.

Section 7: Elbow & Wrist Exercises

10A

Elbow Flexion — Bicep Curl

Stand with your arm against your side and palm facing inward. Bend your elbow upward, turning your palm up as you progress. Hold for 2 seconds and lower slowly.

A young adult sits at a table, a small towel rolled up below their outstretched arms. Arms are placed against his side with palms facing down while holding light weights.

A young adult sits at a table, a small towel rolled up below their outstretched arms. With arms against his side, he slowly bends his elbow upward turning his palms face up. He holds this position for 2 seconds and lower his arms/palms slowly to their original position.

10B

Elbow Extension — Tricep Press

Raise your involved arm overhead. Provide support at the elbow from your uninvolved hand. Straighten your arm overhead. Hold for 2 seconds and lower slowly.

An athlete performs a stretch by raising their involved arm overhead and provides support at the elbow from their uninvolved hand.

An athlete performs a stretch by supporting their involved arm at the elbow and straightens the involved arm overhead. This position is held for 2 seconds and then lowered slowly to the original position.

11A

Wrist Extension

Support your forearm with your palm facing downward. Raise the weight in your hand as far as possible. Hold for 2 seconds and lower slowly.

A man supports his forearm with the palm facing downward off the edge of a table.

A man supports his forearm with the palm facing downward off the edge of a table. He then raises the weight in his hand as far as possible and holds that position for 2 seconds before lowering his hand slowly back to the original position.

11B

Wrist Flexion

Support your forearm with your palm facing upward. Lower the weight in your hand as far as possible and then curl it up as high as possible. Hold for 2 seconds and lower slowly.

A man supports his forearm on a chair's armrest with the palm facing upward off the arm wrest.

A man supports his forearm on a chair's armrest with the palm facing upward off the armrest. He then lowers the weight in his hand as far as possible and then curls it upward as high as possible, holding that position for 2 seconds before lowering his hand slowly.

12A

Wrist Supination

Support your forearm on a table with your wrist in a neutral position. Using a weight or hammer, roll your wrist taking your palm up. Hold for a count of 2 and return to starting position.

A man supports his forearm on a table with the wrist in a neutral position. Using a weight or hammer, roll your wrist taking your palm up. Hold for a count of 2 and return to starting position.

12B

Wrist Pronation

Support your forearm on a table with your wrist in a neutral position. Using a weight or hammer, roll your wrist taking your palm down. Hold for a count of 2 and return to starting position.

A man supports his forearm on a table with the wrist in a neutral position. Using a weight or hammer, roll your wrist taking your palm down. Hold for a count of 2 and return to starting position.

Schedule an Appointment

352-273-7001

Contact us to schedule an appointment to be evaluated for a sports-related injury with one of our sports medicine providers.

UF Health Sports Medicine Providers

Provider	Specialty
Kevin Farmer, MD	UF Team Physician — Sports Medicine Surgeon
Ryan Roach, MD	UF Team Physician — Sports Medicine Surgeon
Joshua Altman, MD	Primary Care Sports Medicine
Manuel Britto, MD	Primary Care Sports Medicine
Sarah Chrabaszcz, MD	Primary Care Sports Medicine

References

Wilk KE, Meister K, Andrews JR. Current concepts in the rehabilitation of the overhead throwing athlete. Am J Sports Med. 2002;30(1):136–51.
Reinold MM, et al. The advanced throwers ten exercise program. Phys Sportsmed. 2011;39(4):90–7.
Exercise credit: American Sports Medicine Institute (www.asmi.org).
Image credit: www.physiotec.org.
Handout created by JL Zaremski, 2015. PS163174.