How to Train and Strengthen the Rotator Cuff

Hi everyone, hope you are all going well. Here at Granite Fitness, for December, we are trying out a new thing – a series. This is where we get a bunch of articles from one of our partners and publish them over the course of a month. Obviously we can’t guarantee that you will like every article, but hey, let’s give it a shot, because some of them will resonate with you. FYI that also means the introductions will be the same in the series.

This series is by our partners at Born Tough and Elite Sports – manufacturers of sportswear. They sent me a rasher guard a few years ago and I can vouch that it is excellent!

Enjoy today’s article!

“How to Train and Strengthen the Rotator Cuff? If you are a trainer or you are into some kind of support you must have heard of rotator cuff injury. If we look at it under the lens of anatomy, you will see that the rotator cuff is not just one muscle. Instead, it is a group of muscles that includes the tendons to join these muscles with the shoulder blade. This helps you to keep your bone inside the socket. If there is an injury you will feel a very dull but constant pain in your shoulder. This eventually gets worse and your arm will be in a very bad posture.

These injuries are very common but if you are young you can easily recover. On the contrary, if you are old, this will get painful and it will take a longer time to recover. This injury is common in people who have repeated movement especially if they have to move their shoulder at the same place with full force. Since the injury is pretty common, it is better to strengthen it with exercise first so you can reduce the chance of injury.

With the help of this article, you will be able to know in detail about the rotator cuff exercise that will strengthen your shoulder. Although it cannot remove the chance of injury it can still bring it back to the minimum. These exercises are simple but intense so if you are a beginner try to seek help from someone so you do not end up making it intense for yourself.

Simple Exercises to Help You Strengthen Your Rotator Cuff

Most people think that strength-based exercises are all about weight training and you will need to invest in machines. However, this is not true especially because these exercises do not require any machines or equipment. You will need a wall and resistance band. You can easily alter it with any vertical yet steady support or a simply stretchable band or cloth.

Wrist Slide

For this exercise, you will need a resistance band that you will hand to wrap on your wrists. You have to push on the inner side of the band with both wrists and try to push it outside. Now feel like the police have handcuffed you and you cannot escape. Now stand still and keep both your wrists on the wall in front of you. Start to slide your wrists up and then move it down. You need to repeat this 4 to 5 times.

Ball Rotation

For this exercise, you will need a tennis ball. Make sure it is not handed otherwise you will feel the tightness and pain in your palms. Take the tennis ball and put it on the wall right in front of you. Now grab the ball with one hand and spread your fingers. Do not cup the ball otherwise, you will not be able to move it. Your aim will be to squeeze it between your palm and the wall. Now start with your face towards the wall and simply start moving your face away from the wall toward the opposite side.

Superman Stretch

For this exercise, you need to lay down on the floor. You do not need any equipment, all you need is a mat or some stable place to lay down. You need to start with your arms apart and then try to lift like you are able to take flight. The main focus will be on letting your belly touch the ground while your shoulders are a little above the ground. This way the main focus will be on both arms. Once you are done with this pose, bring it back to normal and start again. The best thing about this exercise is that you will not repeat it separately for both sides because you are using both arms at the same time.

Vertical and Horizontal Spread

For this, you need to lay on your back. This exercise is pretty easy because it helps in stretching your shoulder and you will feel relaxed as well. Start with spreading both your arms and then taking it right in front of you. Make sure both arms should be parallel to each other. Bring them back to the original position and then repeat the same pose.

Bottom Line

To sum it all up, just like the rest of your body your shoulders also need exercise. People usually focus on the arm and core because muscular arms and tight core enhance beauty. However, people with manual tasks suffer from these issues a lot. This is especially common in painters, carpenters, and electricians. Even if you have a writing job but have a bad sitting posture you might have this injury or at least pain. Most people complain that with exercise they have seen the pain getting worse, this is mainly because they do not focus on the posture. A simple way of ensuring that you are not messing up the posture is to take suggestions from the professional.”

Thanks once again to our contributing partner today. Don’t forget to check out their website.

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