Hello everyone, hope all is well.
Shoulder injuries run rampant in the fitness community, especially the bodybuilding and powerlifting communities.
Most shoulder problems I have seen & experienced in my training life are tendon related, where certain tendons get inflamed due to repeated faulty movement patterns. In addition, impingement issues where a tendon gets jammed between two moving bone structures like the AC joint are also common.
In my experience, most of these problems occur because the shoulder joint itself is out of its instantaneous axis of rotation. What does that mean? Well it means that the shoulder joint is mechanically out of alignment.
Due to our modern lifestyles, we are forced to sit, type, drive & text in a hunched over kyphotic position. This position leads to tightness & shortening in anterior muscles like the pecs, front delts & even lats, as well as the lengthening and weakening of the posterior muscles of the upper back. This type of muscle imbalance really prevents the shoulder joint from moving freely in its mechanically functional position.
The solution is pretty simple, but it needs a lot of persistence & commitment.
First if you want to know if you have a kyphotic thoracic spine (upperback), stand up, shake yourself loose & look at your thumbs, if they point towards each other… you need to listen to what I have to say. If they both point forward, you are in the clear.
For those with thumbs pointing towards each other, you have to stretch your tight “mirror” muscles & strengthen your upper back muscles (concept of
“stretch & strengthen” is not new).
Here is a list of exercises that strengthen your upper back: Focus on time under tension!
Chest supported rows 3x8-12
Band pullaparts 3x10-15
Band face pulls 3x10-12
Iso YWTS 2x10-30 sec each
Blackburns 2x12-15
Those exercises dont feed your ego, you dont lift “big” with them but when you are rehabbing, you should never lift big. Trust me they will take you a long way and you will be surprised at how sore you will get the first time you try them out.
Now for stretching:
Stretch your pec major & minor
Stretch your upper traps & levators
Stretch your lats
Supplementary shoulder mobility exercises include:
halos (also known as around the world)
shoulder dislocations with a dowel rod
overhead squats with a dowel rod
In the mean time, stay strong and train smart!