SHOULDER STRENGTHENING
Shoulder strengthening exercises are an important part of keeping your shoulders and rotator cuff healthy. Do these prophylactically - that means you'll do them even if you feel your shoulder is fine, so that you can make your shoulders strong and reduce the risk of an injury.
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WHEN SHOULD I START?
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These exercises will help you both before an injury, and as you recover from one. My philosophy is that prevention is always better than the cure, so you should do these exercises regularly, and hopefully prevent a shoulder issue.
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HOW OFTEN SHOULD
I DO IT?
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Do these exercises 2 to 3 times a week.
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After a shoulder injury, you need to give it some time to recover before trying to do strengthening exercises. Wait 1 to 2 weeks, then try doing some very gentle strengthening exercises with a light weight, and see how you feel. If doing these exercises with a light weight triggers a flare of your shoulder pain, stop and wait another week or 2 before trying again.
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A caveat to this would be that if you've had a shoulder fracture (broken bone), dislocation or surgery, you absolutely do NOT want to move your shoulder or carry any loads until your doctor advises you that it's safe to do so. Starting movements too early for cases like these will worsen your injury, or worsen the outcome of your operation since you may disrupt the healing process.
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WHAT DO I NEED?
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A light weight - buying a small pair of dumbbells would be helpful since the ergonomic grip is a very comfortable. Alternatively, you can just hold a can of beans or a small bottle of water, since the light weight will provide some very light resistance. I really do recommend investing in a light pair of dumbbells though, the grip is a lot more comfortable, and you have the option of buying a heavier pair as you get stronger over time.
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You should get some resistance training bands as well. You can do without them, but I find it a lot more comfortable to do shoulder rotation exercises with bands instead of dumbbells.
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WHAT SHOULD I DO?
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We'll run through a few basic movements. Do 15 to 20 repetitions of each movement, rest about a minute, then repeat it for a total of 3 rounds per exercise. Complete each exercise before moving to the next one.
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I've tried to describe the exercise technique here, but the explanations may be a bit difficult to comprehend if you haven't done these movements before, so it would be a good idea to watch these short videos to understand the movements better. You can also ask anyone who does physiotherapy or gym exercises about these movements too.
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SIDE RAISE
Stand up straight with your arms by your side. Grip your dumbbells tightly, then slowly raise them up to your sides. Do this slowly, hold it at the top position (when your dumbbells are at shoulder level) for a second, then lower the dumbbells down to your side slowly. Repeat for 15 to 20 repetitions, for a total of 3 rounds.
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Remember to pick a light weight - if you use a heavy weight and can't do the exercise properly, you'll strain your shoulder.
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FRONT RAISE
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As with the above exercise, start by standing with your arms by your side, gripping your dumbbells lightly. Pick a light weight. Raise the dumbbells up directly in front, keeping your arms right in front of you, and nearly straight. Again, hold the dumbbells at the top position (at shoulder height) for a second, then lower them back down slowly. Repeat for 15 to 20 repetitions, for a total of 3 rounds.
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LYING EXTERNAL ROTATION
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Lie on your side, with your elbow tucked into your side, and grip a light dumbbell tightly. Slowly rotate your arm upwards as far as you can go, while keeping your elbow close to your body. Lower back down gently. Repeat for 15 to 20 repetitions on each side, for a total of 3 rounds.
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BAND EXTERNAL ROTATIONS
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Fix your resistance band to a vertical post or support, and stand away from this post, with your elbow tucked into your side. Rotate your arm outwards while gripping the resistance band, and rotate outwards as far as you can go. Remember to keep your elbow tucked into your side and in contact with your torso during this exercise. Slowly let your arm rotate back to the starting position. Repeat for 15 to 20 repetitions on each arm, for a total of 3 rounds.
BAND INTERNAL ROTATIONS
Follow the same set-up and position as exercise (4), but instead of rotating your arm outwards (away from your body), this time you'll stand with your arm perpendicular to your body, and turn your arm inwards (moving it towards your body). Slowly let your arm rotate back to the starting position. Repeat for 15 to 20 repetitions on each arm, for a total of 3 rounds.
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BE SAFE
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Always always ALWAYS be gentle when doing these exercises. Remember that you can injure yourself if you do exercises wrongly. Perform these stretches with slow, controlled movements. Stop if anything hurts, and don't over-exert yourself.
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WRAP IT UP!
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These exercises are simple to do, and don't take up a whole lot of time. Try to do them 2 to 3 times in the week. They help reduce your risk of injury. Think of it as adding armour to 'bulletproof' your shoulders.