| Back in 1991, I injured my left shoulder while doing lat | | | | stress your shoulders receive, along with killing your |
| pulldowns behind my head. During my set, I suddenly | | | | posture. The solution is simple - sit perfectly upright and |
| realized that my left arm was out at a slight angle, | | | | pull the bar straight down to your collar bone. |
| while my other arm was still pulling straight down. | | | | You work the same muscles that way. Then you can |
| A year and a half later, after some ups and downs | | | | change the muscles affected by altering your grip and |
| with that shoulder, I found myself in an orthopedic | | | | you can also lean back at a slight angle and pull down |
| surgeons' office, where he told me what I already | | | | to your chest. You get all the benefits at a much lower |
| knew - that I probably had a partially dislocated | | | | risk of injury. If you are over 35, like I am, you need to |
| shoulder and a partial tear in my rotator cuff. He said I | | | | weigh the risk versus the rewards. You can still work |
| could have surgery or quit lifting weights. No physical | | | | out intensely, but be a little smarter. |
| therapy or corrective exercises were offered. I was a | | | | And by the way, the average age of the twenty |
| little disappointed. | | | | patients in the study - 28. I was a little younger than this |
| I later discovered that poor posture contributed to my | | | | when I injured my shoulder. Also, at least a third of the |
| problems by placing them in an inefficient position. Did | | | | guys I've talked to in various gyms, who have lifted |
| pulldowns behind my head contribute to this injury? | | | | fairly intensely for several years, have some degree |
| Most definitely. However, it wasn't the sole problem. | | | | of problems with one or both shoulders. Sounds like a |
| After that point, I started doing some reading on | | | | need for some prevention. |
| shoulder problems and came across some interesting | | | | An exercise that could also potentially cause harm is |
| information. One study done in 1993 by a group of | | | | the barbell upright row with a very narrow grip, so that |
| medical doctors, looked at 20 patients with shoulder | | | | the hands are almost touching. This places the |
| pain and instability who lifted weights. It was | | | | shoulder into extreme internal rotation so that at the |
| determined that certain exercises put the shoulder in | | | | top of the movement, where the elbows are above |
| what they termed "the at-risk position." | | | | the chin, you run the risk of impingeing the shoulder, |
| This position occurs when the upper arm is 90 | | | | irritating some of the tendons as they rub against other |
| degrees away from the torso with the elbow also | | | | shoulder structures. This information comes from the |
| bent at 90 degrees and behind the head, such as in | | | | book "The 7 Minute Rotator Cuff Solution." |
| the lat pulldown done behind the head. Other exercises | | | | If you want to do this exercise, I would modify it by |
| in this category included the military press behind the | | | | moving your hands farther apart so they are about |
| head and chest flyes on a machine that places the | | | | shoulder width. When doing pec flyes with either |
| bent elbows in a 90 degree position with the palms | | | | dumbbells or on a machine, just make sure not to go |
| facing forward. | | | | too far with your stretch. Don't let your hands go |
| Ten of these patients studied had to have surgery and | | | | farther than your body. If using a machine, use one that |
| the other ten were able to complete conservative | | | | puts your hands at the same level as your shoulder, |
| exercises for the shoulder. Eight of those who didn't | | | | that you grip with your hands. |
| require surgery went back to lifting weights and by | | | | Another exercise that did further damage to my |
| avoiding this at-risk position, had no more problems. | | | | shoulder was the power squat. In this exercise you set |
| One of these patients, however, avoided the advice to | | | | the bar farther down your back than you do with the |
| skip these exercises and the pain came back. After | | | | bodybuilding squat. This is done for better leverage, to |
| rest and modifying the exercises, he was able to lift | | | | lift heavier weights. In my case, my lack of flexibility |
| without pain. | | | | and poor posture put a great deal of pressure on my |
| In the last 15 years or so I have worked in and worked | | | | unstable shoulder. So if you are doing this lift, make |
| out in many different facilities in many different cities. In | | | | sure you have proper stability in your shoulders first. |
| probably 90% of the time I saw people doing the | | | | In closing, I would recommend doing plenty of work to |
| behind the head pulldown, they finished this exercise | | | | strengthen the muscles surrounding the scapula and to |
| bent forward, usually by doing a crunch to help finish | | | | make sure that you balance out the amount of pushing |
| the exercise. | | | | and pulling you do. For every press, do an equal |
| Now its bad enough for your shoulders by doing them | | | | amount of rows and pulls. And make sure to watch |
| sitting straight upright. But the crunch just adds to the | | | | your posture while lifting. |