Shoulder 'Dislocates' Stretch/Video

Training Powerlifting
1

I was reading a thread yesterday where this was brought up and someone asked for pics or a video – can’t think of the thread for the life of me now, so I post this here:

I’ve got shoulder range-of-motion issues (among others). This seems a well thought-out video w/good advice. Does it seem spot-on to you all, or are there any points with which you’d take issue? Also, I wonder

a) is this something pretty much everyone should do regularly (barring, say, recovering from a muscle tear) or are there situations in which one should avoid the exercise?

b) “shoulder blades pulled back and down”… I assume the whole way 'round (i.e. don’t let your shoulders hunch up toward your ears at any point)

and c) comments 14-16 on the page deal w/difficulty in maintaining a full grip all the way 'round – is this important, or is it okay to go w/a thumb/index grip when past overhead?

With my current ROM, I might get the broomstick to barely past overhead with a wide grip… I’ve got tight shoulders, fairly tight pecs (though not quite as bad as they used to be), and very tight wrists (can only go about 10 degrees past straight w/o using other hand to push). Been that way long as I can remember. I’d like to start performing the Olympic lifts, but know that with my current joint/mobility issues that’d be a joke (explosive exercise w/compromised form = bad idea). I really want to improve these areas, though, so I can progress into them.

Starting to get beyond the original scope of my post, so, for now, will just leave it to the shoulder dislocates.

EDIT: Despite the name, there’s no actual dislocation going on, is there?

Thanks.
-F

2

I like disloactions for warm up and do them post workout on occasion. I have never made any kind of improvement on ROM with these. I still use the same grip.

My shoulders were/are about as jacked up as shoulders can get and I don’t see any harm in doing these. I think they are a great warm-up and light exercise for reps. I do these and halos quite often to keep my shoulders feeling good.

3

Best time to do these is after a thorough warmup and make sure you actively roll the shoulders forward when going over the head and roll them backwards when returning to the starting position.

As with anything, do this progressively. Go in on the dowel gradually, this should not be painful!!!

4

[quote]… I assume the whole way 'round (i.e. don’t let your shoulders hunch up toward your ears at any point)
[/quote]

I don’t see how that’s even possible. I have Cressey’s “Inside Out” and he never mentions trying to keep your scapulae down all the time.

5

[quote]dhickey wrote:
I like disloactions for warm up and do them post workout on occasion. I have never made any kind of improvement on ROM with these. I still use the same grip.

My shoulders were/are about as jacked up as shoulders can get and I don’t see any harm in doing these. I think they are a great warm-up and light exercise for reps. I do these and halos quite often to keep my shoulders feeling good.[/quote]

“I’ve got a fevah, and the only cure is more broomstick stretch.”

6

A baseball player showed me them several years ago. I like them and have used them ever since.

7

i did a set of 50 today. traps were so jacked dude

8

[quote]PRCalDude wrote:
… I assume the whole way 'round (i.e. don’t let your shoulders hunch up toward your ears at any point)

I don’t see how that’s even possible. I have Cressey’s “Inside Out” and he never mentions trying to keep your scapulae down all the time. [/quote]

Well, it [trying to keep the scapulae down] sure makes it harder. I’ve been trying these, 10 or 20 at a time, in chunks throughout the day – been doing them so far w/a rolled-up towel. Probably easier than a broomstick to start as wrist angle can change easily. Been keeping elbows locked, tension on the towel and trying, insofar as possible, to keep my shoulderblades tucked back and down (as I would when benching or at the top of a pullup) the whole time.

Tried these looking into a mirror, watching for shoulder hunch – right (more injured) shoulder wants to hunch up a little worse than the left one does. If I keep my shoulders zealously down, I can get the towel about five degrees back of straight overhead (i.e. to where a plumb dropped from it would just graze the back of my head). I feel a stretch in my biceps, the tendon that feels like it runs from the inside of your arm into your armpit (apologies for unscientific description), pecs a little bit – also get a pump (surprised me) in my front and (to a lesser extent) side delts and feel like I got a real workout in… well, whatever muscles are keeping the scapulae sucked back and down (rhomboids? what else?).

Funny that Livefromthe781 mentions that his “traps were so jacked,” as I feel I’m fighting my traps – which are trying to hunch my shoulders up – when I do these. (I feel something similar when I do wall-slides [per Mike Boyle’s Essential 8 Mobility drills] and try to keep my scaps down – another mobility exercise I suck at, btw – not much ROM if I keep my scaps down like I’m supposed to.)

If I let my shoulders come up as they will I can (albeit it w/ a wide grip) get the towel all the way 'round and touch my lower-back/bum – this isn’t as hard, but is accompanied by a pop in each shoulder.

I wonder if I could get Cressey to comment on the performance of the exercise on his DVD (which I don’t have, though I bought his book) – whether scaps are supposed to be kept down or not?

Thanks, everyone, for your answers/thoughts so far.

Btw, is this what you mean by a “halo”?