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Anyone who’s spent any significant time in the weight room knows how vulnerable the shoulders are to injury. This isn’t to downplay other areas of the body prone to injury like the lower back or knees. Let’s be clear: those deserve some shade thrown their way too. Rather, it’s just to point out that, for lack of a better term, trying to train around or even fix a pissed off shoulder sucks donkey balls. It can be tricky and there are a lot of factors to consider: Exercise selection, exercise technique, posture, access to appropriate scapular motion (upward vs. downward rotation), soft tissue considerations, and breathing patterns to name a few. Taking all of the above into consideration is a good thing, and I encourage coaches and trainers to peel back the onion as much as their expertise and experience allows in order to get at the crux of the issue. I do find, though, that sometimes, not always, we get a little too cute or rabbitholey with our approach to shoulder health.
And yes, while I am being a tad facetious here, I don’t feel I’m coming entirely out of left field. I’ve heard some doozies from past and current clients about what was the impetus behind their shoulder woes. Moreover, most commonly, as a result, many clients and trainers alike tend to fall under the same trap…. ….OverCorrectiveExerciseitis This falls under two camps:Camp 1: Trainer gives or person is handed a laundry list of “corrective exercises” that take 327 days to complete. Camp 2: Trainer prescribes or person is told to perform redundant, borderline stupid exercises. [embedded content] Stop OverCorrectiveExerciseitisAll of this isn’t to say we should avoid “corrective” exercise altogether. There’s a time and place for just about everything, and sometimes people do need a little bit more TLC to improve motor control, activation, and/or positioning. However, Dr. Quinn Henoch brought up a valid point when I listened to him speak a few months ago with respects to corrective exercise. Maybe the real fix for most trainees is adjusting their training volume. Maybe they’re simply doing too much of one thing or too little of another? Which brings me back to shoulder ouchies. Generally speaking, when someone’s shoulder hurts I find most need less bench pressing and more posterior cuff and upper back strength in addition to a healthy dose of scapular stability. Instead of boring them to tears with warm-up drills they’re likely not going to do on their own anyways, I prefer to include the bulk of the “correctivy” stuff IN THEIR ACTUAL PROGRAM. That way they just think it’s business as usual and I come across as a straight up boss for helping them cure their shoulder woes. On Bench Pressing:There’s lots more to say here, but I’ll save that for another time. In the interim the Tweet below sums things up succinctly:
On “Correctivey” StuffHere are two drills I like to use as fillers to be done after sets of squats, deadlifts, maybe even bench presses. It’s a foolproof way to add more volume to something they’re probably not doing enough of anyways. Band Reverse Flye Walkout[embedded content] This is a drill I picked up from Jim “Smitty” Smith of Diesel Strength. As you walk back you need to resist the pull of the band, which torches the rhomboids, muscles of posterior cuff, and scap stabilizers. Be careful you don’t “shrug” throughout, you want to keep shoulder blades depressed and together. 118% more effective if you yell “this….is….Sparta” as you perform your set. Racked ISO Shoulder HoldsThis is another drill I stole, this time from Dr. Ryan DeBell, that I’ve been incorporating more into my programs to help offset any shoulder shenanigans. [embedded content] Pepper these two drills into your workouts more sporadically and I’m almost certain your shoulders will start feeling better. Do it. DO IT. Did what you just read make your day? Ruin it? Either way, you should share it with your friends and/or comment below.via Blog – Tony Gentilcore http://tonygentilcore.com/2018/04/2-drills-easy-access-shoulder-health/
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AuthorI have 5+ years experience working as a medical transcriptionist. When I am not working, I enjoy sports like playing basketball or judo. I love making friends and connections. Archives
April 2023
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