Strong & Healthy Shoulders
Strengthening the muscles that support your shoulder will help keep your shoulder joint stable. Keeping these muscles strong can relieve shoulder pain and prevent further injury. Working with swimmers these past few years has made me hone my shoulder strengthening routine.
It’s important to categorize shoulder strengthening into 2 parts; Thoracic Spine (T-Spine) Mobility & Rotator Cuff Strengthening. T-Spine consists of the upper back, from the bottom of the neck to the bottom of the rib cage. This area of the back needs to be able to move freely unrestricted; extend, flex, rotate side to side and bend each way. This allows the shoulder blades to move freely and in turn the arm move freely also!
Part 2 is the strengthening of the muscles around the arm in different positions and planes (too many to list here!). By strengthening the muscles in and around the shoulder, it can resist different forces acted upon it but also produce force and power (important for daily life but also if you’re an athlete!).
Here are a few movements you can do if you want to upgrade your shoulder strength routine.
2) Single Arm External Rotation Isometric Hold
Please consult with your doctor/physiotherapist /athletic therapist to ensure these are right for you!