We spend a fair amount of time in class working to keep your shoulders healthy and mobile. Shoulders are by far one of the most commonly injured body parts. The legs can take a beating, but the shoulders are delicate and contain a complex web of muscles, tendons and ligaments that need to work together. We will hit these throughout class, but we highly recommend spending a little time before and after class on a few of these exercises.
The Scapula
Any movement that strengthens your serratus anteriors, which will help stabilize your shoulders. This includes scapular push ups (arms remain straight as you squeeze your shoulder blades together then push them apart). According to international journal of sport and physical therapy, “Weakness of the scapulothoracic muscles potentially leads to abnormal positioning of the scapula, disturbances in scapulohumeral rhythm, and generalized shoulder complex dysfunction.” A fancy way of saying your shoulder gets screwed up if you do not work on developing strong scapula function.
You can strengthen and mobilize the scap in many different ways. Lets nail down a few easy ones for you to focus on.
Scap Push Ups
Banded Pull Aparts
Wall Slides
Abduction and Adduction
These two fancy words work wonders when put into action with a thera-band or crossover symmetry bands. You want to glue your elbow to your rib-cage, pull your shoulder back and down, and move your wrist towards and away from your body.
Love for the Pecs and Lats
The pecs and lats can be overlooked when it comes to shoulder health and mobility. We can stretch out our pecs with a foam roller or the infamous keg drill. A video is attached and will help different athletes in different ways. The keg drill is passive and great to work on position and relax into. Foam rolling takes time and must be done consistently, but can make a huge difference. In the end I am a fan of passive stretches that are held for 1-2 minutes.
Keg Drill
The work is not done here, you must use the resources above, not just read about them. Put a plan into action and do it. The work above should take no longer than 10-15 minutes and can be plugged into your routine before or after a workout two to three days a week. If your shoulders are tight this is for you. If your shoulders are healthy this will help to prevent injury. Looks like it is a plan for everyone!
Check out another other great article designed to make you better:
How to Improve Your Front Rack Position in 10 Minutes or Less Per Day