Shoulder exercises
 | Many of us have encountered shoulder pain of some kind during our
career. Whether it be on the ice playing hockey or in the gym, we've all
felt that pain. These three exercises are ones that I use on a weekly
basis to keep my shoulders strong and healthy. Using these exercises two
times a week, I went from having incredible pain in my left shoulder to
feeling almost no pain in the span of 18 months.
Shoulder exercises Band Traction This is a great exercise for warming up your rotator cuffs before a workout or game. All you need is a small band and about five to ten minutes of time. I really like this exercise because you can do it almost anywhere like a few minutes before practice or before playing hockey. Tie the band in a slip know around your elbow. Raise your arms above your head and stretch the band over your upper back. Raise the arm where the band is attached to you elbow outward so that it forms a 90 degree angle with your body (your lower arm will point straight out and your lower arm will point upwards at 90 degrees). Hold the other side of the band in place with your free hand. Move the arm to which the band is attached from a perpendicular position to a parallel position and back to complete one rep. Perform 2-3 sets of 12 reps for each arm. H-Rolls H-Rolls are a great way to strengthen your weak shoulders. Many people over develop our front delts while training, which causes a muscular imbalance around your shoulders. This exercise targets your rotators and your rear delts.Use light weights when doing H-Rolls. To perform this exercise, lie down on an incline bench that is set at a 30 degree angle to the floor. Your chest should be touching the bench (the opposite of how you usually lie on a bench). Swing the dumbbells from the bottom position to a position where your arms are parallel with the floor. Try to pause the dumbbells for a split second at the top. Perform 3-5 sets of 10-15 reps at the beginning or end of your workout. Reverse Pec Deck This exercise is a great way to bring up your lagging rear delt muscles. Sit on the Pec Deck with your chest facing the seat (this is the opposite way that you would normally sit on a Pec Deck. Grab the two handles (one in each hand) and swing the handles outward in a fluid motion. You should feel the top of your shoulder blades being worked. Keep the weight light and use the same rep scheme as you would use when performing H-Rolls. So, the next time that you're about to workout or play hockey and your shoulders are hurting. Give these exercises a try and you'll feel much better. Shoulder exercises |
