Post by Boris on Mar 12, 2006 8:37:49 GMT -5
I decided to start putting together some things about maintaining healthy shoulders. This topic is of particular interest to me because I used to be a competitive swimmer with reoccuring shoulder issues. Since quitting swimming, my shoulder problems have, for the most part, disappeared, but they can act up on occasion.
Knowing the specific muscles involved in the movements of the shoulder joint is not essential to maintaining healthy shoulders, but having an basic understanding of them can be helpful in diagnosing and treating weaknesses and injury prevention.
The four muscles of the rotator cuff (and their function) are as follows:
*the supraspinatus - inward rotation, arm extension, arm hyperextension, and arm adduction
*the infraspinatus - outward rotation, horizontal abduction, arm adduction, arm abduction
*the teres minor - outward rotation, arm extension, arm hyperextension, arm adduction, arm horizontal abduction
*the subscapularis - arm abduction
The other muscles of the shoulder are the posterior delt, the anterior delt, the side deltoid, the caracobrachialis, the pectoralis major, the latissimus dorsi, and the teres major. Other muscles of the shoulder girdle are the trapezius, the rhomboids, the levator scapulae, and the serratus anterior. Synergist arm muscles include the triceps brachii, and the biceps brachii.
There are a number of on-line tutorials that go over the muscles of the shoulder, their origins and insertions, and their functions. Here is one that is easy to read and use:
www.getbodysmart.com/ap/muscularsystem/shouldermuscles/menu/menu.html
Perhaps more important than understanding the muscles of the shoulder is understanding the movements[/i] of the shoulder joint and girdle and then setting out to strengthen them.
arm abduction - raising the arm up and away from the body as in a lateral raise.
arm adduction - pulling the arm down to the body as in the eccentric phase of a lateral raise.
arm horizontal abduction - pulling the arms out away from the body as in a bent-over lateral raise.
arm horizontal adduction - pulling the arms in front of the body as in dumbell flyes.
arm flexion - raising the arms in front of the body as in a front raise.
arm extension - pulling the arms down to the sides of the body as in a straight arm pull down.
arm hyperextension - pulling the arms back behind the body as in the final portion of a swimming stroke before the overwater recovery.
arm inward rotation - rotation of the arm in towards the body as in an internal rotation exercise.
arm outward rotation - rotation of the arm away from the body as in external rotation exercise.
scapula adduction - scapula pulling together towards the center of the body as in a prone shrug.
scapula abduction - scapula pulling apart as in a lat spread.
scapula outward rotation - scapula rotating out and upwards as in an overhead shrug.
scapula inward rotation - scapula rotating down and inward as when doing a pulldown.
scapula elevation - scapula rising upward as in a traditional shrug.
scapula depression - scapula lowering as in a reverse shrug (hard to see in pic).
Now that the arm and shoulder movements have been clarified, let's go over some exercises that you might wish to add to your training regimen to injury-proof your shoulders.
Before beginning, it should be noted that if you have existing shoulder issues, you need to approach things differently than if you are trying to bullet-proof healthy shoulders against injury. There are many good primers on the subject of shoulder rehabilitation on the net - here are two from elitefts.com:
Shoulder Rehab 101 by Michael Hope
elitefts.com/documents/shoulder_rehab.htm
Shouder Rehabilitation by Dr. David T. Ryan
elitefts.com/documents/shoulder-rehab.htm
Also note that I haven't listed a lot of traditional exercises that should NOT be neglected. Exercises like barbell rows, one-arm dumbell rows, chin-ups, pull-ups, pull-downs, military press, dumbell press, bench press, side laterals, and front raises should be included in a routine that strives to strengthen the shoulder girdle.
As you begin with these new exercises start LIGHT -many people will be training muscle groups that rarely get direct full range of motion work. Some trainees will get enough of a workout using no weight at all.
Most of these exercises can be done w. a pulley and cable apparatus or with bands. Bands can be preferable, especially for movements where you are stronger towards the completion of the range of motion.
This is an exercise that seems to have fallen out of favor in gyms in recent years. It is an exercise that can be deceptively easy to pile the weight onto, but if you maintain a full range of motion be careful about doing too much. Pullovers hit a wide range of muscles throughout the shoulder girdle.
The bent over front raise is another exercise that you rarely see performed in gyms, but is a wonderful exercise for muscles involved in outward rotation and arm flexion. The targeted range of motion differs from a traditional front raise and would be more comparable to a less ballistic snatch-type of movement.
Flyes are traditionally thought of as a pec builder, however they are tremendous developer of functional flexibility.
Arm hyperextension is a range of motion that most trainees never develop. The teres minor and subscapularis (two of the four rotator cuff muscles) are involved in this movement, as well as the posterior delts, lats, and synergists that control the movement of the scapulae.
Bent Over Laterals are one of the best exercises to target the muscles that assist horizontal arm adduction, arm outward rotation, and scapula inward rotation.
External rotator exercises can be done a variety of ways. Below are two ways, but there are many more. Other more common ways of performing the exercise include lying on the floor or standing using stretch cords/bands for resistance.
As with external rotator exercises, internal rotator exercises can easily be performed lying on the ground or standing using straight weight or stretch cords/bands.
Shrugs of all kinds are indispensible in an exercise arsenal dedicated to strengthening the shoulder girdle. For everything you've ever wanted to know about shrugs, I strongly urge you to pick up a copy of Paul Kelso's book on the subject, aptly titled "Kelso's Shrug Book".
A "bench press shrug" is a great substitute for this exercise and resistance is more easily added)
Coming Soon: Part II - Warm-Up and Stretching
Knowing the specific muscles involved in the movements of the shoulder joint is not essential to maintaining healthy shoulders, but having an basic understanding of them can be helpful in diagnosing and treating weaknesses and injury prevention.
The four muscles of the rotator cuff (and their function) are as follows:
*the supraspinatus - inward rotation, arm extension, arm hyperextension, and arm adduction
*the infraspinatus - outward rotation, horizontal abduction, arm adduction, arm abduction
*the teres minor - outward rotation, arm extension, arm hyperextension, arm adduction, arm horizontal abduction
*the subscapularis - arm abduction
The other muscles of the shoulder are the posterior delt, the anterior delt, the side deltoid, the caracobrachialis, the pectoralis major, the latissimus dorsi, and the teres major. Other muscles of the shoulder girdle are the trapezius, the rhomboids, the levator scapulae, and the serratus anterior. Synergist arm muscles include the triceps brachii, and the biceps brachii.
There are a number of on-line tutorials that go over the muscles of the shoulder, their origins and insertions, and their functions. Here is one that is easy to read and use:
www.getbodysmart.com/ap/muscularsystem/shouldermuscles/menu/menu.html
Perhaps more important than understanding the muscles of the shoulder is understanding the movements[/i] of the shoulder joint and girdle and then setting out to strengthen them.
arm abduction - raising the arm up and away from the body as in a lateral raise.
arm adduction - pulling the arm down to the body as in the eccentric phase of a lateral raise.
arm horizontal abduction - pulling the arms out away from the body as in a bent-over lateral raise.
arm horizontal adduction - pulling the arms in front of the body as in dumbell flyes.
arm flexion - raising the arms in front of the body as in a front raise.
arm extension - pulling the arms down to the sides of the body as in a straight arm pull down.
arm hyperextension - pulling the arms back behind the body as in the final portion of a swimming stroke before the overwater recovery.
arm inward rotation - rotation of the arm in towards the body as in an internal rotation exercise.
arm outward rotation - rotation of the arm away from the body as in external rotation exercise.
scapula adduction - scapula pulling together towards the center of the body as in a prone shrug.
scapula abduction - scapula pulling apart as in a lat spread.
scapula outward rotation - scapula rotating out and upwards as in an overhead shrug.
scapula inward rotation - scapula rotating down and inward as when doing a pulldown.
scapula elevation - scapula rising upward as in a traditional shrug.
scapula depression - scapula lowering as in a reverse shrug (hard to see in pic).
Now that the arm and shoulder movements have been clarified, let's go over some exercises that you might wish to add to your training regimen to injury-proof your shoulders.
Before beginning, it should be noted that if you have existing shoulder issues, you need to approach things differently than if you are trying to bullet-proof healthy shoulders against injury. There are many good primers on the subject of shoulder rehabilitation on the net - here are two from elitefts.com:
Shoulder Rehab 101 by Michael Hope
elitefts.com/documents/shoulder_rehab.htm
Shouder Rehabilitation by Dr. David T. Ryan
elitefts.com/documents/shoulder-rehab.htm
Also note that I haven't listed a lot of traditional exercises that should NOT be neglected. Exercises like barbell rows, one-arm dumbell rows, chin-ups, pull-ups, pull-downs, military press, dumbell press, bench press, side laterals, and front raises should be included in a routine that strives to strengthen the shoulder girdle.
As you begin with these new exercises start LIGHT -many people will be training muscle groups that rarely get direct full range of motion work. Some trainees will get enough of a workout using no weight at all.
Most of these exercises can be done w. a pulley and cable apparatus or with bands. Bands can be preferable, especially for movements where you are stronger towards the completion of the range of motion.
Pullovers
This is an exercise that seems to have fallen out of favor in gyms in recent years. It is an exercise that can be deceptively easy to pile the weight onto, but if you maintain a full range of motion be careful about doing too much. Pullovers hit a wide range of muscles throughout the shoulder girdle.
Bent Over Front Raise
The bent over front raise is another exercise that you rarely see performed in gyms, but is a wonderful exercise for muscles involved in outward rotation and arm flexion. The targeted range of motion differs from a traditional front raise and would be more comparable to a less ballistic snatch-type of movement.
Flyes
Flyes are traditionally thought of as a pec builder, however they are tremendous developer of functional flexibility.
"Pull-Throughs"
Arm hyperextension is a range of motion that most trainees never develop. The teres minor and subscapularis (two of the four rotator cuff muscles) are involved in this movement, as well as the posterior delts, lats, and synergists that control the movement of the scapulae.
Bent Over Laterals
Bent Over Laterals are one of the best exercises to target the muscles that assist horizontal arm adduction, arm outward rotation, and scapula inward rotation.
External Rotator Exercises
External rotator exercises can be done a variety of ways. Below are two ways, but there are many more. Other more common ways of performing the exercise include lying on the floor or standing using stretch cords/bands for resistance.
Internal Rotator
As with external rotator exercises, internal rotator exercises can easily be performed lying on the ground or standing using straight weight or stretch cords/bands.
Shrugs
Shrugs of all kinds are indispensible in an exercise arsenal dedicated to strengthening the shoulder girdle. For everything you've ever wanted to know about shrugs, I strongly urge you to pick up a copy of Paul Kelso's book on the subject, aptly titled "Kelso's Shrug Book".
Chest Supported Shrug (aka "Kelso Shrugs")
Push-Up Shrug
A "bench press shrug" is a great substitute for this exercise and resistance is more easily added)
Dip Shrug
Pulldown Shrug
Overhead Shrug
Coming Soon: Part II - Warm-Up and Stretching