| dy"> | | | | they deserve, you can eliminate rotator cuff pain and |
| Before I begin in discussing the benefits of rotator | | | | increase your shoulder longevity. |
| cuffs exercises we need to clear up some confusion | | | | Size: In addition to all the indirect ways that direct |
| abut the rotator cuff. | | | | rotator cuff training can lead to size, let's not forget the |
| Rotator Cuff 101 | | | | four muscles of rotator cuff themselves are capable |
| The rotator cuff is not a single muscle; they are a | | | | of hypertrophy! |
| group of muscle. The muscles of the rotator cuff are | | | | So as you train these group of muscles you'll not only |
| easily remembered by the acronym SITS: | | | | look better, but you'll function better as well. |
| supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor, and | | | | Posture: Several factors can lead to tight internal |
| subscapularis. All of these muscles originate on | | | | rotators. Many people who utilize these muscles |
| different portions of the scapula and insert on the | | | | extensively without attention to the external rotators |
| humeral head where they converge at the | | | | can experience a marked shortening effect of the |
| glenohumeral joint capsule to form a tendinous cuff | | | | internal rotators due to tightness. You can see many |
| around the joint. In plan English, these groups of | | | | of these individuals simply observing the display of |
| muscles help stabilize the shoulders and contribute to | | | | rounded shoulders for evidence of this trend. |
| its movement. | | | | This shortening effect is also noticeable in individuals |
| Most of you have probably never heard of these | | | | who spend considerable amounts of time hunched |
| muscles before, so it's likely you're wondering why you | | | | over a desk or simply exemplifying poor posture. A |
| should bother training them. | | | | combination of internal rotator stretching and external |
| Why You Should Train the Rotator Cuffs | | | | rotator strengthening has proven successful in |
| Strength: Let's put it this way: if you have the | | | | decreasing the anterior inclination of the thoracic spine. |
| stabilizers of a Girl Scout, do you think you're going to | | | | Improved Range of Motion: Quite simply, exercises |
| be able to handle heavy loads or even medium size | | | | performed through complete ranges of motion yield |
| loads? | | | | greater improvements in strength and flexibility. |
| It's not uncommon to see an individual break through a | | | | If your internal rotators are tight, your ROM is |
| bench, row, pull-up, or Olympic lift sticking point just by | | | | decreased and you're potential for rotator cuff injuries |
| incorporating direct external rotator training. | | | | are increased. |
| Safety: The rotator cuff is of paramount importance in | | | | Confidence: Some might debate me on the |
| injury prevention. Strengthening the rotator cuff and the | | | | psychological carryover of a physiological change, but |
| resulting improvements in stability can significantly | | | | I'm a firm believer that you'll have a lot more |
| decreases the occurrences of nagging rotator cuff | | | | confidence when you are standing tall and straight and |
| injuries | | | | you can move your shoulders through a full ROM |
| By giving the muscles of your rotator cuff the attention | | | | pain-free. |