Rotator Cuff Exercises
When people think of injuries due to sports or exercise they immediately think of areas such as the calf muscle, hamstring, back or bicep, not too many people think of injuries which can effect areas such as the rotator cuff. It’s for this reason rotator cuff exercises are commonly missed at the gym or when working out.
What a lot of people don’t realise is that when you sustain a rotator cuff injury it can limit your movement of your shoulder and how much weight you can lift. In severe cases, surgery is needed. It’s with this in mind that you should try to dedicate a few hours each week to stretching and performing rotator cuff exercises. Don’t feel bad though if you find yourself feeling guilty for not performing rotator cuff exercises, it’s simply a case of gym not having machines which provide sufficient machines which target the rotator cuff and supporting muscles.
Fortunately you can target these muscles directly through various exercises such as lat pull downs, incline and flat bench press and also directly through both weights and the medicine ball which we’ll look at further down the page. Lack of rotator cuff exercises for people who are bodybuilding cannot only lead to injury but can give your shoulders an abnormal shape instead of the rounded defined look which body builders strive for.
Areas Rotator Cuff Exercises Target:
The rotator cuff is made up of a group of muscles which help the shoulder to extend and move freely, these muscle consist of
- Supraspinatus muscle – Adbucts the arm.
- Infraspinatus muscle – Externally rotates the arm.
- Teres minor muscle – Externally rotates the arm.
- Subscapularis muscle – internally rotates the humerus.
By performing specific rotator cuff exercises you help to strengthen these muscles and ligaments in the shoulder and reduce the risk of muscle tear. Rotator cuff exercises are great for strengthening the ligaments that connect your arms to the body. No matter how big your arms may be, it’s futile to stay healthy without your rotator cuffs having the kind of strength that can support them.
The problem is that sometimes people don’t actually realize when they need rotator cuff exercises. The only symptom that you might possibly have is a prolonging pain in the area. This might occur when you carry something heavy or you do sudden strenuous movements which directly affect the rotator cuff. If you do find you have prolonged pain in the rotator cuff area then it’s advised that you should seek medical advice. Your doctor or physio will be able to examine the area and provide several rotator cuff exercises to help reduce the pain and strengthen the area. Whatever you do, if you do have prolonged pain in the rotator cuff area and find simple movements such as lifting your arm above your hear or even putting on shirts/T-shirts, DON’T IGNORE IT, there is a high probability that you have a serious rotator cuff injury which could require more than just various rotator cuff exercises.
Rotator Cuff Exercises:
Rotator cuff exercises range from easy to complex. But for all the work that you do, it will eventually pay off. As experts have said, people undermine the value of the shoulders for good muscle form. A good pair or round shoulders make for a nice look as well as healthy tendons. Below are 4 different exercises you can perform at the gym or home if you have the equipment which are designed to help strengthen the muscles and ligaments in the rotator cuff area.
1. Stand side on to a cable machine with your arm close to your side making an L shape so your hand is out in front of you. Take the cable and slowly pull your hand towards your stomach, then slowly return back to the starting position. It’s a good idea to start off with a light weight when performing this rotator cuff exercise. Try 3 sets of 15. If you feel this is too much then reduce the amount of reps or sets.
2. Keeping the same position you’re going to grab the cable from the opposite side, so your starting position will be from your stomach and you’re going to pull the weight across till you make an L shape with your hand out front then return slowly back to your starting position. Once again repeat rotator cuff exercises at 3×15 or less if you find it’s causing discomfort.
If you don’t have access to a cable machine you can perform this exercise by standing in front of an open door, standing in the same position and pushing against the door frame. First with the palm of your hand pushing against the door frame, and then repeated with the back of the hand pushing against the door frame till you feel the rotator cuff muscle working.
3. Rotator cuff exercises which alternate shoulder raises are a great but with a difference. Instead of performing normal shoulder raises with your arms at your side. You’re going to raise on arm up so it’s lateral side movement in line with your shoulder and the other at the same time in front of you. Raise your arms slowly then lower them slowly alternating each rep for the opposite shoulder. So if you raised your right arm to your side and the left in front of you, when you perform the next rep your left arm will raise to your side and the right in front of you. Once again, 3×15 at a light weight to start off with. With this rotator cuff exercise never swing your arms or it defeats the purpose.
If you don’t have access to dumbells, then slightly heavy books or even similar weight pots and pans can work just as well.
4. Take a medicine ball and put it against the wall at shoulder height. Stand slightly further way from the ball so you have to lean into it to place one hand on it. Slowly start to make circles moving your entire shoulder, not your arm and also up and down movements. Repeat with the other arm. You can do this till you fell tired. As you get stronger you can increase the distance you stand away from the ball.
If you don’t have a medicine ball, then any medium to large size ball will work just as well. Just be careful as the reduced size means it’s easier to slip off the ball while performing rotator cuff exercises.