It doesn’t matter how big your chest and biceps are, if you have narrow shoulders you will appear to be weak and puny. Someone will surely kick sand on you at the beach. For men, wide shoulders will make you look tall, broad and powerful so that you can be the one defending geeks from sand-kicking bullies. For women, well-toned shoulders will help you appear sleek and sexy. So the message is, work on those shoulders — but be careful! Over a lifetime, we all put incredible demands on these key body parts —remember there’s a reason for phrases like “she has a big load on her shoulders” and ”he shoulders his share of responsibility.” A lot of wear and tear ends up on our shoulders.
Some gym goers get too crazy strengthening major muscles groups and ignoring the small ones such as the shoulder joint muscles. The shoulder joint (rotator cuff) is a group of four small muscles comprised of the supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor and subscapularis. These muscles help stabilize the shoulder and its unique anatomy (ball and socket joint) and allow for a great range of motion.
A shoulder injury can occur when the joint is overworked or poor form is used when working out. If you have ever experienced shoulder pain while performing a bench press, this could be from a weak shoulder joint. A weak shoulder joint can lead to an injury that will prevent you from going to the gym for a couple months and may require surgery to repair the damage.
There are a few exercises that can be used to strengthen the rotator-cuff muscles. These muscles are small, so be careful not to use too much weight or overwork them by doing too many repetitions. The point is to strengthen the muscles and to prevent injury. If pain is severe, I recommend stopping the workout. Schedule a doctor examination and/or see a physical therapist.
Remember that it is very important to warm up before starting any exercise. I recommend running on the treadmill for 10-15 minutes and performing some dynamic stretching. Here are three exercises that will help you strengthen the rotator cuff muscles. Add these exercises to your shoulder workout routine and you will see improvement in your bench press — and you will be free from pain.
Cable external rotation
Using a cable machine, position the pulley at waist, and at same height as your elbow. Grab a cable handle, face the mechanism and walk a few feet away until you feel some resistance. Bend your elbow, keeping it close to your side, then slowly rotate your arm externally without raising or moving your upper arm away from your side. Do three to four sets using light weights for 10-12 reps per set.
Cable internal rotation
Keeping the pulley at the same level, face the other side. Grab the handle and walk a few feet away until you feel some resistance. With your elbow bent, slowly internally rotate your arm until you touch your stomach. Do three to four sets using a light weight for 10-12 reps per set.
Standing dumbbell external rotations
Grab a light dumbbell with each hand and stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Bend your arms 90 degrees and keep your elbows tucked to your sides. Now rotate your hands outward as far you can. Hold then return to the start position. Do three to four sets with 10-12 reps per set.
Working out with weights is one of the best ways to train the shoulder muscles. By using a variety of weightlifting exercises performed at different angles, you will give the shoulder muscles a balanced look. As a general rule, since the shoulders can be easy to injure, start out with light weights until you develop increased strength and muscle density.
These exercises will add some strength to your shoulders and they will help you to prevent futures injuries. Not all exercises are suitable for everybody, so if you are unsure, ask for professional advice from a qualified personal trainer!
Noe Espinosa is a registered personal trainer at 12th Street Gym. To learn more about Noe and more than 30 other top trainers at 12th Street, visit www.12streetgym.com.