With what’s happening to the world, it seems like most of us forget that exercise is still important. While it’s so easy for us to just stay in bed or on the couch to watch our favorite shows all day, physical activity is still important. In some, though we are physically active we forget that there are parts of the body that also needs to be exercised properly, and one of them is your shoulder. Shoulder exercises are as important as getting those hips and back in shape at the comfort of your home.
Did you know that the shoulder is the largest joint that has the largest amount of motion than any joint in the body? And because of that, there’s a price to pay, the freedom of movement has a certain amount of instability in it. But your shoulders don’t fall apart that easily since there is surrounding shoulder musculature which provides crucial stability that the joint needs during movement.
These stabilizing muscles are actually found on and around the shoulder blades. This means that your shoulder blades play an important role in restoring and maintaining shoulder function thus exercise in this area is critical for shoulder stability. So, we came up with some exercises that would target and build your shoulder stability. However, if you are experiencing some shoulder pain, it would be best to have it checked by a physician before doing the exercises.
1. Standing Row
This is done in 2 sets of 10 counts. This strengthens the scapular muscles for improved posture and scapular positioning.
- Stand facing the anchor with a resistance band at your elbow height
- Step back until your arms are straight and the band has mild tension in it.
- Stand straight and tall, bringing your shoulders down and back, and engage your abdominal muscles
- Draw your elbows back while squeezing your shoulder blades together behind you
- Feel the muscles between your shoulder blades to activate and your chest opens up
2. Dynamic T and I Shoulder exercises and Prone Y exercise
Both of these exercises require you to lie in facing down. You can perform it in 2 sets of 10 counts.
Dynamic T and I
- While lying face down, put your arms out to the sides like the letter T.
- Lift your arms up to the sides while maintaining a T position by engaging your muscles between the shoulder blades, while drawing the belly in and maintain a neutral spine
- Then, gently lower your arms until they are down to your sides creating the letter “I”
- Carefully return to the “t” position and repeat the process. But don’t arch the lower back or lift your head.
Prone Y
This strengthens your lower trapezius and can be performed in 2 sets with 10 counts as well.
- While lying face down on a table or bench, place your hand pointed toward the ground
- Raise your arm on a 45-degree angle parallel to the ground.,
- Squeeze the lower portion of your shoulder blade toward your spine
- Pause for a moment then return to your starting position.
3. Bilateral External Rotation
This particular exercise targets to strengthen your rotator cuff muscles and is done in 2 sets of 10 counts.
- While standing straight, be sure that your shoulders are down.
- Have your elbows at a 90-degree angle and hold the resistance band in your hands
- Gently open your arms out to the sides against the resistance but don’t let your shoulders tilt forward. Keeping them down and back.
- There are so many other shoulder exercises out there that you can try, but always remember that it would still depend on your body’s ability to cope and on the evaluation that your PT will do. If you have concerns about your ability to carry out such an exercise program you should consult your general physician and Physical Therapist.
