Shoulder Strength + Mobility Routine:
Is your training simultaneously addressing both of these?
Here is an example of shoulder external rotation
Here is one possible approach I would take with individuals looking to gain strength and mobility in their shoulders, all while staying healthy.
Your shoulders can move in a variety of directions. They are also directly and indirectly affected by other parts of your body, such as the scapula, thoracic spine, and lower traps.
This routines focus is not only going to be on improving the health of the shoulder joint itself, but on bringing up those other areas that could be holding your shoulders back from their true health. If you are interested in freebies like this, every week in my newsletter I cover just that in the “exclusively here” section!
This routine is going to address:
Shoulder Flexion (raising your arm overhead)
Shoulder Extension (bringing your arm behind you)
Shoulder External Rotation (bring the arm back to throw a ball)
Shoulder Internal Rotation (arm going down as you throw the ball)
Thoracic Spine Extension (arching your upper back)
Lower Trap Strength (shrugging your shoulders)
I use a variety of bench mark numbers to track my remote clients progress in terms of strength and mobility, such as specific range of motion or weight at a given exercises in relation to a larger compound exercise (Ex: trap 3 or DB external rotation weight relative to your max chin-up or snatch)
With that said, I am not going to cover any of those in this blog, for two reasons. First everyone immediately becomes hyper-focused on achieving those standards, ignoring quality of movement. Secondly, your shoulders like 101% of people, f*cking suck and you should just be focused on consistent, quality movement and not an end goal.
Lastly, if you are already experiencing pain somewhere, ANYWHERE in your upper body with these movements, don’t be stupid and try to work through it. Speak to your doctor or some qualified to help you!
THE PROGRAM:
This routine by design should take 30-45 minutes to go through. It can be its own stand alone session or done after you perform your main training movements for the day. I would start off with doing this 2 days a week, spacing the sessions 72 hours apart. The two different C’s simply mean one session you perform the DB external rotation and on the other the trap 3 raises.
A. Windmills @5010: 5-7 reps/side x 4 sets; rest 90 seconds
B1. Ring Roll-Outs @3210: 6-8 reps x 4 sets; rest 75 seconds
B2. Barbell Roll-outs @3210: 6-8 reps x 4 sets; rest 75 seconds
C. Seated DB external rotation @4010: 8-10 reps x 3; rest as needed b/t arms
or
C. Trap 3 Raise @3011: 8-10 reps x 3; rest as needed b/t arms
Windmills
Windmills are a great way to start simultaneously working shoulder flexion, shoulder stability, external rotation as well as thoracic spine extension + rotation.
Here are the basics of how to do/coach this:
Begin with a Kettlebell Overhead (a dumbbell works if you don’t have a KB)
You want to position the foot of the same side arm overhead pointing straight forward
The non kettlebell foot should be angled at 90 degrees
Place your non KB hand on your thigh
SLOWLY lower your hand towards the floor while looking at the KB
Go as far as you can, while safely stabilizing the KB
Return to the starting position
Repeat
Ring Roll-Outs
Ring Roll-Outs are going to concentrate on active shoulder flexion and thoracic spine extension.
Here is how to perform/coach this:
Begin on your knees with the rings at roughly waist height
With locked out elbows and your ribs drawn slightly down
Push your hands into the rings, allowing your chest to come forward
Aim to get your shoulders inline with your ears
Pause for a moment
Push your hands back into the rings to return to the starting position
Repeat
Barbell Roll-Outs
The barbell roll-out is essentially the opposite of the ring roll-out, concentrating specifically on shoulder extension.
Here is how to perform/coach this:
Start sitting on the floor in front of a barbell
Place both hands, palms down, on the barbell, wrapping all five fingers around the bar.
A great place to start is with pinkies wrapped around the furthest knurl mark. As you become more comfortable, you can work your hands closer together.
From here, pull your shoulder blades down and back, with straight elbows
Slowly and under control let the barbell roll behind you as far as you comfortably can
Pause for a moment in the end range
When initiating the concentric a great cue to utilize is to push your hands into the barbell so the movement stays in the shoulders as opposed to turning it into a sit-up where the barbell is just along for the ride.
DB External Rotation
Dumbbell external rotations are a great exercise to begin strengthening the often neglected rotator cuff muscles. Which when weak can limit our overhead mobility.
Here is how to perform/coach this:
Start sitting on the floor with one foot flat so the knee is bent
Your working arms elbow is going to anchor to the top of the same side bent knee
Start with your arm pointing towards the ceiling
Pull your shoulder blade down and back and keep it their prior to beginning the rep
Slowly and under control lower the dumbbell until your forearm is parallel to the floor
Pause for a moment in the end range
When initiating the concentric contraction be sure to keep the scapula locked in, in order to really isolate the rotator cuff muscles.
Repeat
Trap 3 Raise
Trap 3 raises are used to begin strengthening the lower traps.
Here is how to perform/coach this:
Begin laying face down on a 45 degree bench
You want your nose in contact with the bench, toes in contact with the floor
Make sure your ribs are slightly pulled down, in order to create somewhat of a hollow body position which will reduce the likely hood of compensating with your lower back
Prior to beginning the rep, pull your shoulder blades (scapula) down and back
Maintaining this scapula position raise your arms with locked out elbows at a 45 degree angle, until your elbows are in line with your ears
Pause for a moment in the end range
Return to the starting position and repeat
