The shoulder is an amazing joint. It allows for the arm to move with speed and strength and has a range of motion unlike any other joint in the body. This incredible range, however, comes at a cost; instability.
Because the shoulder is such a mobile joint, the risk of instability is increased. If you have ever injured your shoulder while lifting or throwing, then you are intimately aware of this issue. To prevent pain and injury in the shoulders, you need a strong supporting cast of muscles that can take some of the pressure off the shoulder joint itself.
Anatomy Time!
The shoulder joint, called the glenohumeral joint, is made of up of three bones; The upper arm bone, called the humerous, the shoulder blade, called the scapula, and collar bone, called the clavicle. All three of these bones come together to create a ball and socket joint. The glenohumeral joint is designed such that the bones have minimal contact, which allows for a very large range of motion. The shoulder joint is like a golf ball sitting on a tee. There is minimal contact between the golf ball and tee which allows for the golf ball to be freely rotated, but a gentle push in any direction will make the golf ball fall.
Because of its inherent instability, the shoulder joint relies on multiple muscles and ligaments to provide support while moving, especially in overhead movements. Having weak shoulder supporting muscles will increase the risk of injury, because the joint can easily be overcome by the strong, movement-oriented muscles that are attached to the shoulder. The analogy for an unstable shoulder is like shooting a cannon out of a canoe. The power of the large lifting muscles will easily out perform the smaller stabilizing muscles of the shoulder, eventually resulting in injury.
The supporting muscles we will discuss can be broken up into two groups, the rotator cuff and the posterior scapular muscles. The rotator cuff is a group of 4 muscles that attach around the top of humerous. They create a web-like structure that is responsible for keeping the humerous attached to the socket. The posterior scapular muscles are attached to the inside border of the shoulder blade and help to keep it from tilting or rotating too much when you move the shoulder. Strengthening both of these sets of muscles will help keep the “golfball” of the humerous on top of the tee.
Rotator cuff exercises:
External rotation isometric hold- Stand with one shoulder facing a wall. Bend the elbow to 90 degrees and place a towel or ball between the back of the hand and the wall. Press the back of the hand against the wall using only the shoulder muscles. Do not lean against the wall with the body to maintain pressure.
90/90 external rotation- Attach an exercise band to a support at shoulder height. Raise upper arm to shoulder height and elbow at 90 degrees so the hand is facing forward. Slowly rotate the shoulder to pull against the band until the hand is facing up. Return to starting position.
Wall slides with lift- Stand facing the wall with forearms fully in contact with the wall. Place a towel, pillow case, or foam roller between the wall and the forearms, and tie an exercise band around both arms just under the wrists. Slide both arms up the wall, keeping the shoulder blades pushed down and back. Do not let the shoulder rise up towards the ears. Slowly return to starting position.
Scapular muscle exercises:
Scap squeezes - Stand or sit with eyes facing forward. Pull both shoulder blades together toward the middle of the back. Make sure that the shoulders do not raise up towards the ears. Do not extend the neck forward while holding this position.
Wall tridents - Stand with back against a wall. Raise hands up to shoulder level with elbows bent. Push the elbows and back of wrists against the wall. Raise the hands up while maintaining the forearms and wrists in contact with the wall as much as possible. Do not let the shoulders raise up toward the ears. Return slowly to starting position.
Serrates punches - Lay flat with a weight, dumbbell, or kettlebell in one hand. Lift the hand up so it is perpendicular to the floor. Push the entire arm up quickly toward the ceiling while maintaining a straight elbow. Slowly lower the arm down to starting position.
Having strong rotator cuff and scapular muscles is one of the most important things you can do to decrease the risk of injury while at the gym. They will allow you to better utilize the large movement-oriented muscles without overpowering the joint.
Perform these exercises to get shoulder stabilizing muscles that can withstand the demands of lifting heavy in the gym. These will decrease the risk of injury and improve the overall control that you have when lifting. They may be difficult to master at first, but putting in the work before hand will help your shoulders stay healthy for longer.
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