SafeGuard Your Shoulders

Shoulder injuries from training are a common occurrence and can really slow your progress. It is important that you train all aspects of your shoulders to help minimise your chances of  injury and to  improve your performance.

Three areas to focus on are Power, Control and Stability. Make sure your program covers all of these areas equally to help train safer and longer. 

For Power, focus on your push, press and pull movements. Chances are you’re already doing these exercises so be sure to progress them responsibly. 

An example of an exercise for global shoulder strength would be a farmer’s carry as shown below:

Hold a dumbbell or kettlebell by your side. Set your shoulder in a neutral position by drawing your shoulder blades back and down. While maintaining this position squeeze the weight and walk forward for a set distance. While walking ensure the core is engaged and the shoulders are stable.  

For Control, keep your concentration on the complete movement of the shoulder joint and the shoulder blade. 

Lateral Raise and Shoulder blade focused exercises are important here. For example you could try the prone T/Y/M.

Laying on your stomach with your forehead resting on a towel. Position your arms in either the T, Y or M position.

Engage the middle back by pulling your shoulder blades down and against your rib cage prior to each rep. After engaging your mid back, keep your arms straight and lift your hands or weight off the floor. Start this exercise without weight and progress in small increments as needed. 

For Stability, start simple but continue to challenge yourself. Stability exercises require lighter resistance but more challenging movements to teach you to keep your shoulder stabilised throughout exercises.

The plank pull through can be used to train shoulder stability. 

Position yourself in a high plank position ensuring you are engaged throughout the shoulder. Have a kettlebell or weight next to your chest.

Reach with the opposite hand and pull the weight to the other side of your body, repeat going the other way. While pulling ensure your shoulder is stable and not letting your torso or hips dip. 

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All information in this article is written by a Health Practitioner at Tensegrity Clinics