Hey! Welcome to NFTV
today we're going to talk about how to keep our shoulders healthy, strong and away from injury
Disclaimer: If you're already have shoulder problems or pain, GO visit your Physiotherapist
let them give your a proper diagnosis and treatment.
without further ado let's begin!
Shoulder pain is usually cased by muscle imbalances
these muscle imbalances occur because of positions we adopt throughout the day
for instance, most of us spend long hours in front of a computer and using our phones
involuntarily our shoulders and head move forward
and when using our phones we look down which puts stress on the neck
all of these positions DO NOT allow the shoulder joint to move and stabilize properly
eventually the small structures inside the shoulder will be compromised which may lead to pain and injury
''Muscle Imbalances''
The shoulder is the joint with the widest range of motion whence the most complex
In most cases we find a group of muscles that are tight and overactive
Lats, Pecs, Anterior Delts and Upper Traps
on the other hand we find a group of muscle that are weak and underactive
rhomboids, mid & low traps, the rotator cuf and the serratus anterior
So, what we need to do is stretch the tight muscles and strengthen the weak ones
1st. Stretches for Tight and Overactive Muscles
this stretch is for the upper traps
hold a broom stick by the ends, take your shoulders back and away from your ears
now lean your head to one side and hold for 30s
repeat on the other side.
with the same broom stick we're going to stretch the subscapularis which is one of the four muscle of the rotator cuff
hold the broom stick behind you like your holding a jacket
with the other hand grab the other end, pull gently
hold for 30s
the subscapularis tends to be tight because is the only muscle in the rotator cuff which is responsible for internal rotation of the arm
Now the Pecs. place one hand on your head and the elbow against the frame of a door
keeping the shoulder in place lean forward, hold for 30s on each side.
this last stretch is for the lats.
hand and knees on the floor, move one hand forward and lean down
to make the stretch more effective move your pelvis forward
the lats go from the shoulders and attach to the hips
hold for 30s each side
2nd. Strengthening and Activation of weak muscles
stand against a wall. Head, upper back and hips in contact with the wall at all times
put your arms on the wall and slide them upwards using all the range of motion and keeping the three points of contact
return to the starting position in a control manner
this exercise is excellent to improve the range of motion, stability and flexibility of the joint
when we do the exercise slowly we are teaching our body the correct pattern, so that our muscles activate when they have to
if you don't have the mobility to do all the range of motion. Slice your arms to the point you can still maintain all three points of contact with the wall
practice everyday 2 or even 3 times until you improve your range of motion.
The function of the rotator cuff muscles is not only rotation of the arm
they also help combat the force of the big muscle surrounding the joint, the pecs and lats
so the shoulder joint is in a safe position
when the rotator cuff is weak and underactive this will likely cause that the humerus will travel in all directions
and eventually the tendons and ligaments inside the capsule will be compromised
for this reason is a good idea to train the rotator cuff with functional exercises.
Scaptions. This exercise uses the entire joint in the most functional plane of motion
Here we are working on the supraspinatus which is one of the muscles of the rotator cuff
the inactivity and weakness of this muscle is responsible for many shoulder injuries
Stand straight with good posture, elevate your arms at 45 degrees of your body with your thumbs pointed to the sky
raise your arms until they are overhead
return to the starting position in a control manner
focus on keeping good posture by squeezing your glutes and abs
If you want to add more resistance lean forward keeping a neutral spine and perform the same movement.
FacePulls. Here we work on external rotation, retraction and depression of the scapula
with elastic bad or in a cable station, adjust the axle at eye level
hols the ends of the rope with your thumbs up
keeping your shoulder blades down(depressed) pull the rope toward your face until the scapula is retracted
hold for a brief second
a mental cue is to imagine your are doing the double bicep pose. Return to the starting position and repeat
another exercise to keep our shoulders healthy is Push ups with full range of motion
allowing the scapula to protract fully on the top of the movement
this will ensure that we a re working on the serratus anterior which is a vital muscle for shoulder stabilization and upward rotation of the scapula
To strengthen the rhomboids and low & mid traps we are going to do any type of row
slow and control, focus on retracting a depressing the scapula with each repetition
doing the movement in a slow and control manner we develop those neuromuscular patterns to ensure the muscles fire up when they have to in the correct way
The isolation exercises for the rotator cuff like external and internal rotation with bands or cables
are good to familiarize with the mechanics of the rotator cuff
However, these are not very functional, for this reason is always good to complement them with the exercises we talked about earlier
when performing exercises overhead is very important to be aware of the position of our hips and lower back
if we have an anterior pelvic tilt and an excessive arch in the lower back
this won't allow the proper biomechanics of the arm to reach the position over head
that's why it is crucial to work on mobility and flexibility before doing this movements overhead
many shoulders injuries we see in GYMs nowadays happen when people perform the bench press with poor technique
specially when there's no awareness of the position of the scapula when performing the exercise
when we do any variation of a bench press our scapulae need to be depressed and retracted at all times
this puts the shoulder joint in a stable and safe position during the exercise
OK! that's the video, I hope you find this Info useful and most important that you start implementing it to prevent injuries
If you liked the video give it a LIKE and share it with all your gym buddies
subscribe to the channel if you haven't and check the other videos
you'll find more useful info about nutrition, training and recipes.
Thanks for watching and I see you in the next Natural Fitness TV.
No comments:
Post a Comment