The shoulder is the most complex joint in the human body. It’s also got the greatest range of movement. Those two elements means that if you don’t train with care an attention, you can cause some damage to your shoulder joint and suffer an injury.
When the topic has been investigated, the size of the problem as been revealed. A review of research published in 2010 by Kolber et al concluded that…
‘The results of the review indicated that up to 36% of documented resistance training related injuries and disorders occur at the shoulder complex. Trends that increased the likelihood of injury were identified and inclusive of intrinsic risk factors such as joint and muscle imbalances…’
This shows that nearly 40% of gym injuries involve the shoulder joint. More to the point, they’re the result of muscle imbalances. The good news is that these are absolutely correctable, as long as you train your shoulders effectively, and make sure your programming is balanced.
In this article we’ll run through exercise to help build healthier, stronger and injury free shoulders.
Healthier shoulders - where to start?
We know that all things being equal, stronger muscles and connective tissues are more resistant to injury than weaker tissues. The same goes for the shoulder joint.
In a 2014 study by H Østerås et al, they researched the effects of strength training on preventing shoulder injuries. The study involved two groups - one who strength trained and one who didn’t. They then looked at pain scores, injury frequency etc.
Their investigation concluded that…
‘…in the exercise group, the prevalence of players with shoulder pain decreased from 34 to 11%, while the control (non-strength training) group increased the prevalence from 23 to 36%. The exercise group increased the shoulder-muscle strength significantly, compared to the control group.’
So we know that strength training helps to improve the condition of the shoulders. It’s important to note that this is only the case if the shoulder training is done properly, and targets the right muscles. If you get it wrong, it will only make the problem worse.
Enter, prehab…
Prehab, or ‘prehabilitation’ are exercises that help to prevent problems before they become bigger, leading to injuries.
Shoulder prehab should be done 2-3 times per week, because life conspires against shoulder health. Poor posture, desk work, driving, eating position, TV, poor exercise selection etc… all of them are responsible for helping to degrade shoulder condition.
Muscle tightness across the chest, a lack of flexibility in the thoracic spine and lack of strength in the upper back and back of the shoulders are some of the root causes of the issues.
The exercises we’ll share in this list are designed to help combat these.
Healthier shoulders in 10 minutes per week - the exercises
Here’s a selection of movements you can do in order to build stronger, healthier shoulders. Collectively, I suggest you do these 3 times per week, before you start doing your heavier strength training.
YWT’s…
These are a physio’s favourite! They require no (or very light) weights, and slow, deliberate movement. When they’re properly executed they train all of the muscles responsible for healthy and stable shoulders.
After 2 weeks of doing these without weights, progress to doing them with light dumbbells, adding weight when appropriate.
Deficit push ups…
The deficit push ups are a great way to stretch the chest and front of the shoulders. The greater the deficit, the better and deeper the stretch. These are much tougher than normal push ups, so don’t be surprised if you find you can’t do as many.
Start with a small deficit, then add to it as you get stronger and more flexible.
Passive hangs…
The passive hang is a great stretch for the lats and shoulders. Simply hanging from a bar, relaxing through your upper back allows the thoracic spine to open up, tight muscles to stretch out and the whole upper body to relax into the pose.
It’s not an easy hang, depending on your body weight. Aim for a collective 1 minute of hanging.
Add these into your workouts 3 times per week and you’ll really help your shoulder health. Combine them reducing the amount of overhead and horizontal pressing you do. For every set of a pressing exercise you do, perform 3-5 sets of a pulling exercise.
That will help you correct your shoulder imbalances as well.
Transform your health with AdMac Fitness!
We help people using tried and tested fitness approaches. Our expert team of personal trainers, based in both Bow and South Woodford can help you get a grip of your health and fitness. With our guidance you can see your health and fitness reach new levels!
For more information on who we are, what we do and how we can help you achieve your health and fitness goals, contact us on… 07921465108 or email us at admacfitness@gmail.com. We look forward to hearing from you!
Our locations are…
AdMac Fitness Bow: Arch 457 Robeson St, London E3 4JA
AdMac Fitness South Woodford: Unit 4 Marlborough Business Centre, 96 George Lane, South Woodford, London, E18 1AD.