Shoulder Care is King

By Carla DiGirolamo, MD, CFL1

This week, our workout will be about taking care of our shoulders. Joint care work is just as important as the soul-crusher workouts. So let’s take a breather and honor our shoulders!

The shoulder joint is one of the most complex joints in the human body and is the gateway to upper body performance. Movement and power originate in the core of the body and are translated to the upper extremities through the gateway of the shoulders.

At mid-life, women experience a degree of destabilization of this joint because of hormone-driven changes in the character of the tendons and ligaments (they become more stiff and lax) and a decline in muscle mass. Because the tendons, ligaments, and muscles of the deltoid complex and rotator cuff provide the bulk of the stability to the shoulder joint, the impact of changing hormones on these structures leaves us vulnerable to shoulder destabilization and injury.

Today’s workout can be used as a warm-up for any upper-body strength day or as a mobility sequence to include in your active recovery day.

** For those of you with shoulder injuries: Your goal during warm-up and mobility training is PAIN-FREE MOVEMENT. If a movement is causing pain, modify it by limiting the range of motion to what you can perform free of pain, or modify the load or tension during the movement until you can perform the movement without pain. 

Training Sequence

1. Start by warming up the deltoids and rotator cuff: 2 rounds (using 2x 5 lb  or 2.5 lb plates/dumbbells, or other handy, weighted objects)

•  10 Y raises
•  10 T raises
•  10 Cuban Press
•  Rest 1-2 minutes between rounds
  
  
  2. Shoulder stabilizers and scapular complex

•  2 rounds of 10 scapular push-ups
•  Rest 1 minute between rounds

3. Static stretching

3 rounds

•  20 seconds (or 3 yoga breaths) Right side “Thread the Needle Stretch”
•  20 seconds (or 3 yoga breaths) Left side “Thread the Needle Stretch
•  1 minute (or 10 yoga breaths) Child's pose with arms extended forward and working to flatten the chest to the floor

Other recommended resources for shoulder health:

• Crossover Symmetry - Shoulder mobility and strengthening system 
•  Kelly Starrett’s “Banded Bully Series”
• Banded Bully 1
• Banded Bully 2
• Banded Bully 3