Baseball Rotator Cuff Exercises

The rotator cuff is a group of four muscles that surround the shoulder and help stabilize the head of the humerus in the shoulder socket. These muscles are particularly important in throwing sports, such as javelin, cricket and baseball, where controlled, yet violent whipping motions of the arm occur. According to a study by Jobe in the journal Sports Medicine, rotator cuff injuries are a leading source of baseball injuries, especially among young players. However, with proper mechanics, conditioning and shoulder-specific exercises, you can significantly reduce the risk of rotator cuff problems---and tears specifically.

Arm Circles

A helpful thing about shoulder exercises, and rotator cuff exercises specifically, is that you need to use little additional weight to achieve the desired results. In fact, according to Steven Ellis---a former pitcher in the Chicago Cubs organization and author of four books on pitching---you should never use more than 5 pounds when exercising your rotator cuff muscles. These muscles, collectively known as the "SITS" muscles (supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor and subscapularis) all benefit from exercises that enhance muscular endurance, not bulk. The first exercise, arm circles, exemplifies this idea, and is a constructive way not only to improve muscular endurance in your rotator cuff muscles, but also to ensure that your shoulder range of motion---something that's critical to the function and health of a baseball player's shoulder---remains smooth and intact.
To perform this exercise properly, according to Pete Egoscue---an anatomical physiologist and author of "Pain Free"---you must stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, toes pointing directly ahead. Fully extend your arms and curl your fingers into a "golfer's" grip (i.e. with knuckles curled, thumbs extended). Raise your arms out to the side until they reach the height of your shoulder. With palms facing down and shoulder blades squeezed together, rotate your arms forward at a medium speed in a 6-inch diameter circle. After 50 circles, turn your palms up and circle in the reverse direction for another 50 repetitions.

Elbow Curls

The shoulder joint has many possible ranges of motion, although in our day-to-day lives we don't necessarily make use of the full extent of our shoulders' endowments. For optimal shoulder health, and of particular importance for baseball players' career longevity, it's important to explore, in a controlled way, all possible ranges of motion. This exercise, elbow curls, also comes from Egoscue's book, "Pain Free," and helps remind your shoulder that one of its primary functions is to serve as a hinge joint. Stand with your back against a wall and place your feet shoulder-width apart, toes pointing forward. With hands in the golfers grip, raise your arms and place your middle knuckles on the temples in front of your ears, thumbs pointing down. Now bring your elbows back so that they're in line with your shoulder. This is the starting position. Slowly and evenly swing your elbows together until they meet in front of your chest, and then return them to the starting position. Perform 25 elbow curls.

Tubing Exercise

Tubing exercises are a low-impact method of strengthening and protecting your rotator cuff muscles, and baseball players can use them to help prevent shoulder injuries. Secure one end of a strip of elastic tubing to a stationary object and take any existing slack out of the tubing. With one of your hands grasping the free end of the tubing, your fist pointing straight ahead, bend your elbow 90 degrees and keep it locked against the side of your body. Slowly, and with focus and control---and with your elbow still locked against the side of your body---rotate your forearm and hand away from your body so that the tubing is stretched and your rotator cuff muscles worked. Perform 25 repetitions, then switch sides. Be sure to consult with your physician or physical therapist to determine the specific stiffness of tubing that you'll require for this exercise.