Avoiding Rotator Cuff injury

[den316]

This seems to be a hot topic in sports injury, and I just want to avoid myself from any injuries later on. Lately, I've been having a mild sharp pain in my right shoulder after I do about 8 or 9 reps of the military press, but it doesn't affect me at all during my day to day activities. I'd hate to remove military press from my full body routine since it seems like a rewarding compound exercise.

Should I include a few rotator cuff exercises in my routine, or are there any exercises that include the rotator cuff in the workout. I currently use the military press and arnold press in my shoulder workouts.

[NateDawg]

Yes.

Personally, I need to re-incorporate them into my workout. Currently, I only do a few sets as warm-ups prior to my chest workout. It would probably be best to do them at the end of the workout so that the rotator cuff is not fatigued during the workout. If the rotator cuff is fatigued early in the workout, you risk injuring your shoulder later in the workout.

I usually grab a pair of 12lbs (or lighter) dumbells.
2 sets of 10 of each movement below:
Large circles forward (similar to swimming "freestyle" aka "austrailian crawl".

Large circles backward.

Arms bent 90º at the elbow, elbows points straight out to the sides so that the upper arms are parallel to the floor and a straight line is formed from one elbow through each shoulder joint and across to the other elbow. Start with the hands pointing forward, rotate downward so that the hands point toward the floor. Then rotate upward so that the hands point toward the ceiling (or sky for the Venice Beach folk). Finish off the rep by returning to the level position.
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Again, I only do those as a warm up. . . to get an actual workout a few more sets or reps can be incorporated. You can also do the last movement with a barbell.

You probably also have seen people to a "baseball throw" movement using the cables. . . that's also worth a try.

I had pain similar to what you described about 6 years ago. For about 3 months, I did what I described above with more reps, at the end of my workouts 3x/week. The pain went away. Afterwards, I made the mistake of dropping it from my regimen (outside of the warm-ups) and the pain has returned.

This time, I hope to get them back in and keep them in. It is definitely a good idea to add rotator cuff movements into your routine as a preventive measure.

[Italianangel]

YES!! Always condition stabilizers, for shoulders and chest that is the rotator, rhomboids, traps and seratus.

[Maveaider]

Originally Posted by den316

Lately, I've been having a mild sharp pain in my right shoulder after I do about 8 or 9 reps of the military press....

Remember this: your body is a better indicator than any magazine article or personal trainer. If your body gets sore, then be careful about pushing it too hard. Keep in mind that you could be causing long-term damage before any pain starts to kick in, which is gives you more reason to worry about having a sore shoulder.

There's another thread about the behind-the-neck military press which you should read if you haven't done so already.

Here is a link to the thread.

Mave

[bouncer]

A few things I've done for my shoulder pain with success are:

Moved away from behing the necks to using dumbells for seated presses.

Stay away from the traditional upright row. Say it with me...."Baaaaaaaad."

Realize that a good shoulder warm-up (they get an awfull lot of the work load in every upper body routine) is tremendously important.

Back off and do 100's for a month. These increase blood flow, which helps healing and injury prevention. They are also tough as hell to do.

Also there is a movement I will describe. Think of hanging your bent arm out the window of your car. Your forearm is horizontal. Then while leaving your upper arm in the same position (sticking straight out) rotate from your shoulder and bring your hand up to say "Hi." Start this movement with a very light dumbell. 3 sets of 10. It's great for stabilizing the shoulder girdle.

Good Luck.

[den316]

Sorry I'm pretty new to lifting, what are 100's? Also, are normal front military presses unsafe to do as well, or can I keep using that in my routine?

My current workout consists of full body workouts on monday and thursdays, both consist of shoulder work, and an abdominal workout on tuesday and fridays. Is it alright to put my rotator cuff exercises on the same day as my abdominal workouts, or would that lead to overtraining?

[bouncer]

100's are 100 rep sets. The way this is done, you pick a weight that is much lighter than normal for an exercise. To start with you probably won't be able to get all the reps without a rest or two, or three. However, you stay with it until you get 100 reps, taking 30 second breaks. One set of these per bodypart each workout is enough, and you can concentrate on just one bodypart with these. Make sure you control the weight as if you have a big lift going. Eventually, you will get to where you can make one continuous set without stopping.

I would include the 100's on days you do the normal shoulder work and do either militaries or seated dumbell presses. The specific rotator cuff exercise I suggested, you can do on ab day and shoulder days. Remember, this is a light weight exercise too.

If the front presses don't hurt, go for it. I would do them seated though.