The shoulder joint is the most mobile joint in the body. Like all things in life there is a give and take. The extra mobility comes at the cost of stability. This is one of the major reasons shoulder injuries are so common. This is also why it is so important to keep the smaller stabilizing muscles of the shoulder healthy and strong.
Unfortunately, most trainees overlook these small muscles in their training programs. This can lead to muscle imbalances, instability and oftentimes injuries. The following program contains 5 great exercises to help keep your shoulders healthy and strong. They are also great to help rehabilitate shoulder injures or to use post rehab.
Important Note:
This article is not meant to take the place of proper care by a medical professional. If you are experiencing pain or have a shoulder injury it is important to first have your shoulder evaluated my a medical professional before beginning any treatment or training program.
The following program should be done twice per week on nonconsecutive days. E.G. Monday and Thursday. The Program can also be done on upper body days.
If you have never trained the rotator cuff muscles directly it is important to use very light weights to start. E.G.1-5 pounds. Especially if you are recovering form a shoulder injury.
There you have it. Whether you are recovering from a shoulder injury, trying to prevent injury or just improve performance strengthening the rotator cuff is the key.
Give this work out a try for 8 weeks and see how you feel?
Let me know in the comments.
Yours in helath.
Kevin
R.I.C.E. Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation has long been the go-to treatment for acute injuries such as sprains, strains, and contusions (Bruises). Some recent studies have shown that using ice on an injury may not work or can even delay the healing process. So, should you use ice to treat an acute injury? That depends on how you use it and when you use it. Applying ice for a long period of time immediately after an injury can actually delay the healing process. The following post is my two cents about using ice to treat injuries.
The theory behind using ice on injuries is to reduce swelling and numb/decrease the pain. This sounds like a good thing doesn’t it? In theory, yes, but some recent studies have shown that the body needs swelling and pain to trigger the body’s natural response to heal the injured area. (Tell that to the person who just severely sprained their ankle, or blew out a knee writhing in agony.) From my experience and experimentation of various techniques in the trenches I have found the following technique to work the best for treating acute injuries. This technique can be used up to 72 hours post-injury.
I first learned the R.I.C.E. technique explained below from one of my favorite professors of all time Doug Davis at Bergen Community College 24 years ago.
To perform this technique, you will alternate periods of icing with periods of non-icing using compression and elevation. Many people simply leave ice on for an extended period. This I have found can impede the healing process and I personally do not advise that method. Instead, perform the following.
The theory of how this works is 4-fold.
To summarize, using Ice therapy in this way with compression and elevation triggers the body’s own mechanical responses causing a pumping effect from vasoconstriction and dilation to help “pump” out inflammatory chemicals and damaged tissue and to also “pump” in nutrients, important immune and healing cells to start the repair of the injured area.
In conclusion, if you do get injured it is important to first consult the proper health care practitioner to evaluate and diagnose the injury and recommend treatment. The information mentioned above is not to take the place of proper care by a physician. However, if you do decide to incorporate the use of Ice therapy then the method mentioned above has been highly effective from my experience.
If you give it a try please let me know how it works for you.
To your health,
Kevin
201-788-2666
http://www.trinityfit-well.com