Shoulder Clinic Recap Part 2--The Exercises

In case you have forgotten them, here are the exercises that we covered in the shoulder clinic.  These exercises will not hurt you, but they are not specific to any certain injury, so they may or may not be beneficial to you.  If you have particular questions about a shoulder problem, please post to comments or email me.

Do these exercises 2-3 times a week, with at least one day in between.  Start with 2 sets of 6-8 reps each, work up to three sets of 12, then add weight and start at the lighter rep scheme again.  The weight should be challenging, but not so much that it hurts to do the exercises or that you are doing them incorrectly.

Thanks to Coach Tamara Holmes for her modeling time!

One Arm Row

Please click Read More for the rest!!!

Set yourself up on a bench with a strong, flat back.  Pull your shoulder blade into your spine, then lift the weight slowly and lower.  Make sure that when you pull your shoulder blade in, you are pulling the scapula DOWN and in.  Keep your body tight through the exercise.  If you find your shoulders coming toward your ear or your back hunching, use less weight.

DB Retractions

This one is hard to see in a picture.  Basically all you are doing is pulling the scapula into the spine and releasing.  Your arm stays straight and it might feel like you aren't doing very much.  What you are doing is creating a neurological connection between your brain and your rhomboid muscle, and also strengthening the rhomboid muscle.

Lower Trap Raise

This exercise is harder than it looks, if you are doing it correctly--use a light weight. Start in the same position as you did for the row, but bend your elbow.  The elbow stays in line with the shoulder for the entire exercise.  Lift your forearm and elbow up so they become parallel with your torso.  Do not let the wrist drop lower than the elbow (very important point!).

Mid Trap Lift

Start in the same position as you did for the one arm row, but this time have your thumb pointing up toward the ceiling.  Pull your shoulder blade into your spine and then lift your arm up to torso level slowly, then release.

Shoulder External Rotation

Start in the position shown above and rotate your hand toward the ceiling.  In the finish position, your palm will be facing forward and your hand will be about level with your face.  Make sure your elbow stays pressed into your knee and your torso does not rotate.

Subscap Lift

This one is also hard to do and hard to see in a picture.  Lie on your stomach with your arm on top of your back, palm facing away from you.  Lift your entire arm to the ceiling, but make sure that your forearm lifts with your elbow, and that your elbow does not move away from your body as you lift.  In the picture above, you can see that Tamara is able to lift her elbow, but her forearm drags a bit.  Most of you will do this, at least at the beginning, and some of you will not be able to lift your arm at all.  Do not be discouraged! After trying this exercise a few times, it should get easier.