4 Exercises To Prevent Shoulder Injuries
How to improve stability in a joint that’s made to move
Why is the shoulder so susceptible to injury?
Stability vs. mobility
A golf ball on the tee — that is what the shoulder’s bony contact looks like. That analogy is the size difference between the ball of the upper arm bone (the golf ball) and the bony socket it sits in (the tee).
What’s the benefit of having such little bony contact between the arm and the trunk? You can move your shoulder in more directions than any other joint in your body. But, like most things, this is a double-edged sword.
Almost all problems with the shoulder can link back to this constant tug of war between shoulder mobility vs. stability. It is not possible for us to make ligaments tighter, but we can strengthen the muscles that stabilize the shoulder. The two muscle groups to focus on are the rotator cuff and the muscles of the scapula (shoulder blade).
What is the rotator cuff?
The rotator cuff comprises four different muscles: the supraspinatus, infraspinatus, subscapularis, and teres minor. These muscles act collectively to help stabilize the shoulder and keep the golf ball on the tee (ball in the socket). They are also crucial for rotation of the arm.
They pull the opposite direction of the deltoid (the muscle you feel when you touch your shoulder) to create a perfect spin of the ball and socket raising the arm. Think of a golf swing. We have muscles to help bring the club back and swing it forward. In order for this to happen though, we must have a stable grip in our hands or else the club will slip out and not perform the desired motion. Similarly, our rotator cuff provides that stability so that the other muscles can move the arm around.
What is the scapula?
The scapula is the shoulder blade bone. It is crucial for moving the shoulder and provides 33% of the motion in the arm. It helps to provide a stable platform for the shoulder to push or pull from. As we raise our arm upwards, the scapula rotates upward as well to allow more space for the ball of the humerus.
The scapula is the foundation from which power comes from. If the scapula is not stable, it is like trying to jump from a water raft — the foundation moves when attempting to jump and power is lost, resulting in a small jump. If the scapula is stable, it is similar to jumping on a hard surface where there is no power loss resulting in a higher jump. This is critical when exercising or performing sport’s activities such as throwing.
Exercises to improve shoulder stability
Exercise 1: External rotation with scapular retraction
- 3x/week, 3 x 15–20 reps
- Helps strengthen the rotator cuff
- Focus on keeping elbows tucked at the side the whole time and pinching the shoulder blades together.
- Endurance is more important than strength for this exercise.
Exercise 2: External rotation at 90 degrees
- 3x/week, 3 x 15–20 reps
- Helps to strengthen the rotator cuff in an overhead position.
- Great before shoulder press, bench press, or throwing.
- Try to only rotate forearm and keep upper arm stable.
Exercise 3: Prone T’s on ball
- 3x/week, 3 x 10–15 reps
- Great scapula exercise focusing on the middle and lower traps
- Keep the shoulders down when performing — no shrugging
- Start without weight first. Most people cannot tolerate more than 5 lb without compensating.
Exercise 4: Serratus Wall Slides
- 3x/week, 3 x 10–15 reps
- The most difficult exercise when done correctly.
- Drive elbows into the wall as if doing a plank.
- Great warm-up before pressing exercises
Since the form for the last exercise is a little more technical here is a link to a YouTube video explaining it:
Key Takeaways
- The shoulder is prone to injury due to being the most mobile joint in our body.
- In the gym, we often focus on the deltoids but forget to strengthen the rotator cuff and scapular stabilizers leading to stability problems in the shoulder.
- Perform the 4 exercises above to help improve shoulder stability so you can perform overhead movements injury-free.
You just read another post from In Fitness And In Health: a health and fitness community dedicated to sharing knowledge, lessons, and suggestions to living happier, healthier lives.
If you’d like to join our newsletter and receive more stories like this one, tap here.
