Movements of the arm involving rotation such as throwing a ball, swimming, reaching above your head or putting on a jacket involve the rotator cuff muscles in the shoulder. Four muscles -- the infraspinatus, supraspinatus, teres minor and subscapularis -- make up the rotator cuff, according to nationalhandspecialists.com. Together, these muscles hold the joint in place. Overuse, imbalance or overstretching any of these muscles contributes to pain and injury. Exercises specific to the rotator cuff help keep this area healthy.
External Rotation
Use a resistance band, dumbbells or a cable machine to perform external rotation of the shoulder. The movement starts with the elbow at your side and bent at a 90-degree angle. Rotate the arm by moving the hand and forearm away from the body. With the tube or cable machine, start from a standing position. For the dumbbells, lie on your side with the exercising arm on top.
Internal Rotation
Internal rotation involves moving the forearm toward the body. Using the resistance band, dumbbells or cable machine, keep the elbow close to the body and bend the elbow at a 90-degree angle. Move the hand and forearm toward the stomach. Return to the starting position. Repeat on the other side. Use a standing position with the tube and a side lying position with the dumbbells. Lie with the exercising arm on the floor.
Abduction
Shoulder abduction involves moving the arm out to the side, away from the body. From a standing position, use a resistance band or dumbbell. Hold the arm straight with a soft bend in the elbow. Lift your arm out to the side as high as possible, up to shoulder height. To work the entire muscle, vary your hand position. You can hold the hand in a position with the palms facing the hips, thumbs up or thumbs down.
Adduction
With shoulder adduction, bring the arm toward the body, opposite of abduction. Start with the exercising arm facing a wall or cable machine. Raise the arm to shoulder height with the elbow straight. Pull the arm down toward the hip. Other exercises working the shoulder through adduction include pull-ups, lat pulldown, seated row and chin-ups.
Member Comments