Baseball rotator cuff exercises are designed to strengthen your shoulder muscles as well as stabilize your shoulder joint. These exercises help baseball pitchers -- as well as other position players -- keep their rotator cuffs strong in order to avoid injury. Rotator cuff exercises range from external rotations to lateral raises.
Full Can Raise
This rotator cuff exercise strengthens your rotator cuff as well as your upper back muscles. Place two light dumbbells in each hand. With your back straight and knees slightly bent, squeeze your shoulder blades back and bring the weights up to shoulder height with your thumbs pointed up towards the sky. Hold this position for several seconds with your arms extended before returning to your original position. Repeat this motion until fatigued.
Frequency
Perform this baseball rotator cuff exercise several times a week during the off-season and one to two times a week during the season. According to former Chicago Cubs pitcher Steven Ellis, strength and conditioning training should be performed both during the off-season and during the regular season. While the repetitive stress caused by pitching is often the main source of rotator cuff injuries in players, balancing in-season rotator cuff exercises with pitching is essential to keeping the ball of your upper arm centered in your shoulder socket. Failing to keep this area strong can lead to tendinitis and rotator cuff tears.
Variations
This Full Can Raise rotator cuff exercise can also be transitioned into an anterior raise, a lateral raise and a post delt. To perform an anterior raise, instead of bringing the weights up to your sides, lift both of your arms out in front of you and extend at shoulder height. Hold for several seconds and repeat. To perform a lateral raise, bring the weights out to your sides, but keep your thumbs down instead of pointed at the sky. Hold this position and repeat. A post delt variation is the same as a lateral raise, except you bend your lower torso at the waist until your upper body is parallel with the ground. Perform a lateral raise in this position.
Benefits
These baseball rotator cuff exercises strengthen your shoulder muscle and increase its stability during pitching. According to MayoClinic.com, repetitive stress with an overhead motion is a common cause of rotator cuff injuries. Strengthening your shoulder and improving its stability helps your arm sustain the stress that pitching places on it. Rotator cuff exercises also help improve your endurance throughout the season, allowing you to pitch more complete games.
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