Shoulder and Rotator Cuff Exercises

Many athletes have questions about how to correctly exercise your Rotator Cuffs.  Should you use heavy or light weights.  In this workout we will be discussing shoulder exercises for every muscle in your shoulder.  Be careful to know your limits when it comes to working out on your Rotator Cuffs.  There are very few Rotator Cuff exercises that you should do. Your arms are not meant to move, or lift in certain ways.

Helpful items for this workout

• Take your time to get a proper warm up:

Biceps Curls Shoulder Press:

• 10 Reps Each Side: Using dumbbells, complete a single arm biceps curl and continue up into a rotating shoulder press.
• At the top of the curl, your palm will be facing your body. As you press weight over your head, rotate your arm so the your palm faces forward.
• Complete 10 reps on each side, alternating arms each rep.

Biceps Curl Shoulder Press

Rear Deltoids and Oblique Exercises:

• 10 Reps Each Side: Using a resistance band, hook it up high enough so that you can get a good workout on your rear deltoids.
• Keeping your arm straight, pull the band across your body and out to your side as far as comfortable. Adjust your stature and form if you are not feeling a burning sensation on your rear deltoids, or the backsides of your shoulders.
• 10 Reps Each Side: To work on your obliques and triceps, grab both handles of the resistance band and (keeping your arms straight) pull down across your body to your opposite hip. crunch and hold your mid-section tight on each rep.
• Complete 10 repetitions on each side.  See image.

Rear Deltoids and Oblique Exercises

Abs Crunch Resistance Bands Pull down:

• 10 -20 Reps: Grab the resistance band with both hands starting at a high position in front of your body.  Keep your arms straight as you crunch your abs and pull the handles down to your thighs and let back up slowly.
• Depending on how your resistance band is set up, you may wish to get on one knee for more resistance.
• Note: Bring both handles down to one side for more of an oblique exercise.

Ab Crunch Resistance Band Pull Downs

Rotator Cuff Exercises:

• 10 Reps Each Side: Using light dumbbells, hold one at a 90 degree angle as if you will be doing a single arm shoulder press. Lower the weight slowly, keeping your elbow lifted directly out to your side. Stop when your forearm is parallel with the floor and then rotate the weight back up to starting position.
• See image below and video for better instructions.
• 10 Reps Each Side: Holding light weight in one hand, down by your side. Slowly swing weight back behind your body keeping your arm straight.  Lift as high as comfortably can and then lower back down.
• See image and video.

Rotator Cuff Exercises

Upright Rows:

• 10-20 Reps: There are many ways to do upright rows. You can use a resistance band, dumbbell, barbell or even milk-jugs to perform this exercise.
• Hold the weight with both hands in front of your body, arms straight. Raise the weight up to your chin as you flare out your elbows to above ear level. Slowly lower the weight to the starting position. Focus on good form and pinch your traps together at the top of your lift.

Squat Shoulder Press and Side Bends:

• 10 Reps Each Side: Side Bends are an effective oblique exercise.  It is important to know your fitness goals when doing these because you can easily build a bigger waist line with this exercise. Use heavy weights if you want to build muscle on your sides.
• Most people want to trim their waist and not build big muscles.  If that is you, make sure to use light weights for this workout.
• Hold a dumbbell in one arm and place your opposite hand on your waist.  Slightly bend your waist to the side of the dumbbell, lowering the weight to just above knee level. Raise back up as you bend your waist to the opposite side.  You should feel both obliques working.
• 10 Reps Squat Shoulder Press: Stand with both feet on the resistance band as you hold each handle at ear level.
• Squat as low as comfortable and then as you stand up, press both hands high into the air above your head.  Lower as you lower your body. You are performing a weighted squat and shoulder press in the same exercise.

Squat-Shoulder Press and Side Bends

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One Response to “Shoulder and Rotator Cuff Exercises”

1. PAm says:

   October 25, 2010 at 2:18 pm

   Great post full of useful information. Thanks for the continued tips!

   Reply