This week I am sharing 5 exercises that can be great for improving shoulder health and durability.
#1) Bottoms-Up Kettlebell Screwdrivers
This exercise helps improve shoulder and scapular controlled mobility, grip strength, and to some extent, lumbo-pelvic stability.
Coaching Tips:
- Lie on your back on the floor. Your head, torso and hips should be in a stacked position.
- Grab a kettlebell in a bottoms-up position. The knee that is on this side of your body should be bent, and the knee that is on the opposite side of your body as the hand that is holding the kettlebell should be fully extended.
- Press the kettlebell towards the ceiling.
- Slowly rotate your torso and hips, and bring the knee that is bent across your body, and place it, your lower leg, and foot, on the ground.
- Now pretend you are punching the kettlebell up to the ceiling.
- In the starting position, your palm should be in a neutral position. While looking at the kettlebell the entire time, rotate your wrist, forearm and elbow so your palm is facing away from you. Pause for a count, then perform the reverse movements and rotate the kettlebell so your palm is facing you.
- For the duration of the set, use your adductors and really press your inner thigh (of the bent leg) into the ground.
- Perform this sequence 3-5 times, and then perform the reverse movements and return your body and kettlebell to the starting position.
- For the duration of the exercise, do not allow your lower back to hyperextend, ribcage to flare, or torso, spine or hips to rotate.
- Make sure the kettlebell remains directly above your shoulder, and that your wrist remains in a neutral position.
- In terms of breathing, do what works and feels best for you.
#2) TRX Serratus Slides
This exercise strengthens the serratus, helps improve shoulder and scapular controlled mobility, and lumbo-pelvic stability.
Coaching Tips:
- Get into a tall kneeling stance. Set your body so it is in a straight line from the top of your head to knees, tuck your chin, and keep your neck in neutral alignment.
- Place the straps of the TRX around your forearms, and bend your elbows to about 90 degrees. Your forearms should be parallel in width, on an angle, and pointing up towards the ceiling.
- Before each rep, take a deep breath in (360 degrees of air around your spine), brace your core (360 degree brace around your spine), tuck your ribs towards your hips, and squeeze your glutes.
- Before you perform the “slides” and extend your arms, lightly and deliberately press your body away from the straps of the TRX, and protract your shoulder blades. Think about spreading your shoulder blades apart and moving them away from your spine, and around your ribcage.
- Now, extend your arms and slide them towards the ceiling. During this component of the exercise, your shoulder blades should upwardly rotate, and protract. Do not keep your shoulder blades pinned.
- While you want to avoid excessively shrugging your shoulders, a slight shrug is ok, particularly if you are looking to strengthen the upper traps. But do not overdo the shrug.
- Once you have hit your end range (a range where you are able to maintain proper form), return to the starting position. As you are doing so, your shoulder blades should perform the reverse movements as they did when you were extending your arms.
- For the duration of the exercise, do not allow your lower back to hyperextend, excessively round, or flex laterally, ribcage to flare, torso, spine, or hips to rotate, hips to collapse/pike, or weight to shift from knee to knee.
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#3) Body Saws
This exercise strengthens the serratus, helps improve shoulder and scapular controlled mobility, and lumbo-pelvic stability. You may use slider pads, towels, etc.
Coaching Tips:
- Place each foot on a slider pad.
- Get into a plank position from your forearms and feet. Set your body so it is in a straight line from the top/back of your head to heels, tuck your chin, and keep your neck in neutral alignment.
- Adopt your preferred foot width. You may place your feet so they are together, shoulder width apart, or somewhere in between.
- In the starting position, your shoulders should be directly above your elbows.
- Before each rep, take a deep breath in (360 degrees of air around your spine), brace your core (360 degree brace around your spine), tuck your ribs towards your hips (close the space in your midsection), and squeeze your glutes.
- Use the muscles in your shoulders and around your shoulder blades, and press your body backwards. When you are doing so, upwardly rotate and protract your shoulder blades.
- Once you hit your end range (a range where you are able to maintain proper form), perform the reverse movements and pull your body forward, and return your body to the starting position. When you are doing so, downwardly rotate and retract your shoulder blades.
- Do not keep your shoulder blades pinned. They are meant to move.
- For the duration of the exercise, aside from your upper body, the rest of your body should remain in a fixed position.
- For the duration of the exercise, your head, torso, and hips should remain in a stacked position. Do not allow your lower back to hyperextend, ribcage to flare, torso, spine or hips to rotate, weight to shift from foot to foot, or hips to pike or collapse.
- In terms of breathing, do what works feels best for you.
#4) Scapula Protractions With Roller From Knees
This exercise helps improve shoulder and scapular controlled mobility, lumbo-pelvic stability, and wrist controlled mobility.
Coaching Tips:
- Get on all fours. Your head, torso and hips should be in a stacked position. Tuck your chin, and keep your neck in neutral alignment.
- Place one hand so it is on top of a foam roller.
- Your shoulders, elbows and wrists should be in a stacked position.
- Your weight should be evenly distributed throughout your full hand and fingers, not just at the base of your hand/wrist. Pretend you are trying to spread your full hand and fingers to the roller.
- In the starting/top position, press your body away from the roller and protract your shoulder blade. Think about moving your shoulder blade away from your spine, and around your ribcage.
- Now without bending your elbow or reaching down with the non/working arm, retract your shoulder blade and lower your body towards the floor, and touch your hand on the non-working side to the floor. Think about lightly moving your shoulder blade in towards your spine. Do not just drop down.
- Once you reach the bottom position, press your body away from the roller, protract your shoulder blade, and return to the top position.
- You may either lightly touch your fingertips on the non-working side to the floor and use minimal assistance, or you may touch your full hand to the floor and use more assistance.
- Aside from the shoulder and shoulder blade on the side of your body that is in contact with the roller, the rest of your body should remain in a relatively fixed position for the duration of the exercise.
- For the duration of the exercise, do not allow your shoulders to shrug towards your ears, round, or collapse.
#5) Tall Kneeling Roller Wall Slides + Band Resistance
This exercise strengthens the serratus, and helps improve shoulder and scapular controlled mobility.
Coaching Tips:
- Get into a tall kneeling position, and so your body is relatively close to a wall. Your head, torso, and hips should be in a stacked position.
- While keeping your forearms in an ”11 o’clock” position, lightly press your wrists out against the band. Maintain this forearm position for the duration of the exercise, and do not allow the band to lose resistance.
- At the beginning of each rep, press your body away from the roller. When you do you should feel your shoulder blades protract (move away from your spine). Think about spreading your shoulder blades apart, and moving them around your ribcage.
- Now slide the roller up the wall, and to a range where you are able to maintain proper form.
- Do not move the roller up the wall by hyperextending your lower back and flaring your ribcage, or excessively shrugging your shoulders (a slight amount of shrugging is ok). Your torso and hips should remain square to the wall.
- Do not keep your shoulder blades pinned. They are meant to move and should protract and upwardly rotate as you extend your arms and slide the roller up the wall.
- Once you hit your end range (a range where you are able to maintain proper form), perform the reverse movements and return the roller to the starting position.
- In terms of breathing, do what works and feels best for you.
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