If you are an athlete, you would understand the importance of fitness of the entire body. Moreover, the majority of games put intense pressure on the shoulder joint. It means that as a sportsperson, one needs to especially pay attention to this joint and train it to enhance its endurance. It is the reason that players of sports like volleyball, tennis, etc. are at a higher risk of getting some shoulder injuries. Today we will be discussing some shoulder strength training for all athletes.
Simple shoulder strength training for all athletes
- T push up for endurance
To perform this exercise, you need to take the posture of a push-up (in sideways). So place one arm on the floor in a lying posture. Then lift the other arm while keeping your feet tilted. A ‘T’ shape will be formed by your shoulder. The weight of the entire body will be shifted to the shoulder that is placed on the ground. Hold this pose for a few seconds and move back to the push-up position. Then, repeat it with the other arm. Perform 4-5 sets daily. This exercise improves the endurance of the shoulder.
- Static Rotator Cuff Contraction
Stand with spine and neck straight. Now raise one hand and bent it towards your other arm. Hold your arm with your other hand and try to press your elbow on your chest to make 90 degrees angle. Hold this position for a few seconds and repeat it with the other arm. Perform this exercise at least 10 times with each arm. This exercise is especially beneficial for rotator cuff muscles.
- External Rotation while lying sideways
Hold a normal weighted dumbbell or bottle filled with water in your left hand. Now lie down on your right side and place a soft towel (rolled) under your left elbow. Place your head on your right hand. Simply flex your left hand to 90 degrees and let the weight rest on your stomach. Please note that you should not bend your wrist in this posture or you may get an injury. While keeping your left humerus (upper arm bone), rotate your left forearm to lift the weight. This exercise can help in preventing rotator cuff injuries like tendonitis.
- Military Press
Stand straight and hold two dumbbells. Tighten your arms’ muscles and lift the arms. The placement of elbows while lifting the weights should be slightly in your front to give enough space for your rotator cuff to function. Thereafter, hold the dumbells straight up while tightening your abs to avoid arching backward. Hold the posture for a few seconds, and then move your arms hallway back to form your hands perpendicular to your scapula. This exercise works on the frontal deltoids and improves the strength of the shoulder joint.
- Scaption and shrug
Stand straight with some gap between your feet while holding a dumbbell in each hand. Now raise your arms 30 degrees without bending your elbows till they are at your shoulder level. Now, try to shrug your shoulder in an upward direction without changing the posture of your arms and feet. Hold this position for a few seconds, and then lower down your shoulder to relax your body. This exercise targets deltoids muscles, rotator cuff, Serratus anterior, and the upper traps present in the shoulder. It can be helpful to keep up the shoulder’s health and improve its strength.
If you are an athlete, you must follow the above-listed shoulder exercises. Moreover, these are easy to perform and do not require many apparatuses. For a personal consultation or treatment of sports injury, you can consult Dr. Reetadyuti Mukhopadhyay. He is an experienced sports injury doctor in Gurgaon and has helped many athletes in preventing injuries and curing existing injuries.