Rotator Cuff Exercises - Before You Jump In
Let's consider some of the important considerations and cautions you should be aware of before you jump into a program of rotator cuff exercises.
Many of the principles below are true for any exercise program but they are especially important when exercising the rotator cuff due to the nature of the exercises and the vulnerabilities of the shoulder joint.
Another factor that makes the following especially important is because of the likelihood that a person who incorporates rotator cuff exercises into their routine is probably either suffering from an injury or involved in activities that they feel may make them susceptible to rotator cuff injury and so they've decided to take preventative measures by strengthening the muscles of the rotator cuff.
So, the first thing you must consider, and this definitely applies to any exercise endeavour, is this: what is the result you are seeking? Are you trying to increase strength, power, flexibility or recover from an injury? There is likely to be an overlap in terms of the results you want - in fact there should be in order for a healthy balance but still there will be a primary objective.
It is this primary objective that should determine your exercise prescription.
If you neglect to take this objective into account and just plunge in to a routine designed for someone else with some other objective then you will at best waste time doing a less than optimal routine for the results you seek and at worst you may do yourself an injury or further aggravate an existing injury.
The most effective routine is one tailored to your specific needs.
Next, once you've got a program of exercises, the important thing to remember is to start out gradually.
Again, this holds true for whenever you begin a new exercises program but it is especially important with rotator cuff exercises.
This is because the muscles of the rotator cuff are quite small relative the larger muscle groups.
If you jump in and do too much too soon you risk injury.
The relatively small muscles of the rotator cuff can be prone to overuse injury especially if your everyday routine already demands certain repetitive arm movements.
And even if you exercise regularly - unless you're already performing exercises that isolate the muscles of your rotator cuff - it is sensible to introduce the new exercises gradually.
Most of the exercises will be targeting muscles that you haven't directly targeted before and it will take your body time to adapt.
Not doing too much too soon doesn't just mean not doing too many sets and repetitions.
It also means starting out with very light weights.
This point is critical for rotator cuff exercises due to the leverages involved with the movements and the vulnerabilities of the shoulder joint at the extremes of various movements.
Even if you're quite strong you should first do the movements with an extremely light weight and increase gradually.
If you already have an injury even the lightest dumbbell may be too heavy.
Don't push your body too soon - keep the end result in mind and know that taking it slow will get you there without risking the setbacks and injury that may occur if you push too hard.
Once all of the above has been considered you should have your program of exercises, know how much you're going to do and have some very light weights at hand and you're ready to start doing the exercises.
The final thing you need to do before you start exercising is to warm up.
Warming up prepares the muscles for the stress of exercise by increasing blood flow and muscle temperature.
Warming up properly reduces the chance of injury while exercising.
Because you're doing specific rotator cuff exercises those same muscles and the other muscles surrounding the shoulder joint should be warmed up thoroughly before you begin.
There are a number of specific warm up exercises you can do for the rotator cuff but at the very least you should do an extremely light set (or even one without any weight at all) of the exercise before you start with the usual 'working' weight or resistance.
All of the above factors are important and should be considered when devising your program of rotator cuff exercises.
Getting these things right can mean the difference between achieving your objective or injury.
Many of the principles below are true for any exercise program but they are especially important when exercising the rotator cuff due to the nature of the exercises and the vulnerabilities of the shoulder joint.
Another factor that makes the following especially important is because of the likelihood that a person who incorporates rotator cuff exercises into their routine is probably either suffering from an injury or involved in activities that they feel may make them susceptible to rotator cuff injury and so they've decided to take preventative measures by strengthening the muscles of the rotator cuff.
So, the first thing you must consider, and this definitely applies to any exercise endeavour, is this: what is the result you are seeking? Are you trying to increase strength, power, flexibility or recover from an injury? There is likely to be an overlap in terms of the results you want - in fact there should be in order for a healthy balance but still there will be a primary objective.
It is this primary objective that should determine your exercise prescription.
If you neglect to take this objective into account and just plunge in to a routine designed for someone else with some other objective then you will at best waste time doing a less than optimal routine for the results you seek and at worst you may do yourself an injury or further aggravate an existing injury.
The most effective routine is one tailored to your specific needs.
Next, once you've got a program of exercises, the important thing to remember is to start out gradually.
Again, this holds true for whenever you begin a new exercises program but it is especially important with rotator cuff exercises.
This is because the muscles of the rotator cuff are quite small relative the larger muscle groups.
If you jump in and do too much too soon you risk injury.
The relatively small muscles of the rotator cuff can be prone to overuse injury especially if your everyday routine already demands certain repetitive arm movements.
And even if you exercise regularly - unless you're already performing exercises that isolate the muscles of your rotator cuff - it is sensible to introduce the new exercises gradually.
Most of the exercises will be targeting muscles that you haven't directly targeted before and it will take your body time to adapt.
Not doing too much too soon doesn't just mean not doing too many sets and repetitions.
It also means starting out with very light weights.
This point is critical for rotator cuff exercises due to the leverages involved with the movements and the vulnerabilities of the shoulder joint at the extremes of various movements.
Even if you're quite strong you should first do the movements with an extremely light weight and increase gradually.
If you already have an injury even the lightest dumbbell may be too heavy.
Don't push your body too soon - keep the end result in mind and know that taking it slow will get you there without risking the setbacks and injury that may occur if you push too hard.
Once all of the above has been considered you should have your program of exercises, know how much you're going to do and have some very light weights at hand and you're ready to start doing the exercises.
The final thing you need to do before you start exercising is to warm up.
Warming up prepares the muscles for the stress of exercise by increasing blood flow and muscle temperature.
Warming up properly reduces the chance of injury while exercising.
Because you're doing specific rotator cuff exercises those same muscles and the other muscles surrounding the shoulder joint should be warmed up thoroughly before you begin.
There are a number of specific warm up exercises you can do for the rotator cuff but at the very least you should do an extremely light set (or even one without any weight at all) of the exercise before you start with the usual 'working' weight or resistance.
All of the above factors are important and should be considered when devising your program of rotator cuff exercises.
Getting these things right can mean the difference between achieving your objective or injury.
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