How to Use The Rotex

Q: How do I set the tension?

A:  Facing The Rotex - Clinical Model (TA) from the front, you will see the tensioning knob located on the left side of the base. It is a round, black knob.  To set the tension, look for the tension settings on the machine's base, just to the right of the knob.  The tension settings are graduated from 0 - 10, all representing increasing tension.  To increase tension, look for the small triangular tick in the tensioning window.  Simply turn the knob to increase or decrease tension.  On The Rotex - P or S, the tensioning knob is a silver colored knob located on the front of the machine.  All the directions for the The Rotex apply to both The Rotex - P and S, except the tensioning ranges from 0 -8 on the P and S models. 

Q: When should I increase tension?

A: Everyone using The Rotex should begin at a tension of zero and spend at least ONE MONTH on that setting.  That amount of time will give the nervous system time to learn how to use muscles it has never employed against resistance in rotation.  After that initial month, increase tension at no more than one increment per week, while assuring these strict protocols of use are followed:

- The entire low back must stay perfectly flat on the backplate of the The Rotex (or wall for the P or S) thoughout the ENTIRE exercise.

- The hip and shoulder must be turned only with the muscles that rotate the hip or shoulder.  The muscles of the leg and foot should not be used to turn the hip.  The muscles of the arm and forearm must not be used to rotate the shoulder.  

- The body is not allowed to twist to the side to rotate the device for either the hip or shoulder. 

Unless the user is able to follow the above instructions to the tee, increasing tension will be counter productive.  As a user's guide, it has taken some very powerful, elite athletes more than six months to reach the maximum tension of 10 on The Rotex, and 8 on P or S models.

REMEMBER, THE GOAL IS TO PERFORM ALL EXERCISES ON THE ROTEX PERFECTLY, NOT TO REACH MAXIMUM TENSION OR MAXIMUM ROTATION AT THE EXPENSE OF PERFECT FORM. 

Q: How much should I increase tension?

A: Please see the above question and answer.  As a rule of thumb, after the initial one month of training the body how to strengthen muscles that it has never used against resistance in rotation, increase no more than one increment per week.  

Q: How many times should I use The Rotex per day?

A: As a rule of thumb, we recommend The Rotex be used before and after strenuous activity/exercise or sport/competition.  Proper use provides superior warm-up to any other method prior to any activity and helps to decompensate the body afterward.  

While we recommend using The Rotex twice a day, a champion professional golfer uses it three times a day - once before practice or play, once after practice or play, and once just prior to bedtime.  We have even heard of people who are recovering from pain or injury using it up to five times a day.  As yet, we have not established a limit of uses per day, but please be advised there is always a point of diminishing returns when training muscles.  

Q: How many times a week should I use The Rotex?

A: If the user is using The Rotex for pain relief and extra range of motion, it is recommended he/she use it at least twice a day, every day.  If he/she is using it specifically only for power/performance enhancement, it may be used effectively three times a week - however, it is still recommended that The Rotex be used before and after any exercise or activity, for all users. 

Q: Can I overuse The Rotex?

A: Any muscle can be over trained.  When strengthening muscles, they need to be fatigued, have adequate time to recover, then time to build.  We recommend using The Rotex at a very low tension when using it every day. As highlighted above, there is always a point of diminishing returns when training muscles. 

Q: What is most important......the amount of tension, the amount of degrees I can turn the rotating plate, or my pelvic position while I am turning the rotating plate?

A: The most important part of the exercise is the pelvic position when doing the internal hip rotation.  It is the anchor to the movement of the muscles which rotate the hip.  Without that anchor, very little exercise is accomplished, and it is impossible to exercise the correct muscles we are striving to target when the pelvis is in a less than optimal position. 

The second most important in your question is the amount of degrees you turn your HIP.  Notice we said HIP and not foot or leg.  The more you learn to turn only with the muscles which rotate your hip, the stronger those muscles become and the better the structure becomes.  A good way to learn the proper movement is to stand away from The Rotex on a flat floor.  Rotate one hip inward, making sure the pelvis does not twist.  Make sure the foot stays stationary on the floor.  This is the same way the exercise should feel on The Rotex, the hip moves the leg and foot has not action at all.  

We have found the least important factor in using The Rotex correctly is the tensioning.  While increasing tension over time is important to building strong muscle, releasing muscle tension, correcting structure and enhancing performance, a person will feel a very similar affect exercising on zero tension as on a tension of six, for example.