Shoulder Injuries and Weight Lifting

Article by Alex Miller

Shoulder Injuries and Weight Lifting – Health – Fitness

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Of all the places on your body to be injured, shoulder injuries in weight lifting will render your upper body strength next to useless. If your shoulder is badly hurt, you will have a challenging time pulling or pushing anything heavy.According to a particular study with elite powerlifters, the most commonly injured areas when lifting iron are the shoulders, lower back and knees. The study also found that if you are older than 40 then you chance of an upper body injury was a lot greater than if you were younger. All in all, however, powerlifting as a sport has an injury rate “low compared to other sports.” Olympic weight lifters tend to get more back and knee injuries whereas powerlifters tend to get more shoulder injuries

Anatomy of the Shoulder

The shoulder is a rather complex structure because it is capable of so much mobility. It is comprised of three bones: The humerus (upper arm bone), the scapula, (shoulder blade), and the clavicle (collar bone). The articulations of these three bones make up three main shoulder joints. There are about a dozen major muscles (such as deltoids) that collaborate in shoulder movement as well with minor muscles and tendons (fibrous tissue connecting muscles to bones).

The Shoulder’s Rotator Cuff and Bursae

The main shoulder joint is called the glenohumeral joint which is a ball and socket structure where the shoulder blade attaches to the upper arm bone. A rotator cuff covers this ball and socket joint to keep it tight and in place with a group of 4 muscles and their associated tendons. The four rotator cuff muscles are called the supraspinatus, the infraspniatus, the teres minor, and the subscapularis; each one serving different functions to move the upper arm bone (humerus) in different directions within the socket (glenoid fossa).

At the top of the shoulder is a bone called the acromion which is actually an extension of the shoulder blade (scapula). It hooks from around the back to the top. Between the acromion and the rotator cuff is a synovial fluid filled sac called a bursa that cushions and buffers the acromion from the rotator cuff’s movements. There are eight such bursae located at different points about the shoulder girdle.

Shoulder Injuries and Causes

The rotator cuff is the most common source of shoulder pain. This includes any problem underneath the acromion bone. A health care professional specializing in sports injuries may be the best one to diagnose the exact cause. They will check the different movements that give you shoulder pain and test your range of motion. Whenever you raise your arm, the space between the acromion and the rotator cuff becomes smaller. This may cause the acromion to push or impinge against the bursa which can swell and become inflamed. This commonly happens with athletes who use repetitive overhead movements such as baseball pitchers, volleyball players, swimmers and the like. It can also occur in the workplace with painters, plumbers, electricians or anyone using repetitive movements overhead. When it comes to a sport such as powerlifting, one study shows there is no correlation between shoulder injuries and any specific exercise.

If the rotator cuff itself is injured then it may be a tear. There are two types of tears: Chronic and Acute. A chronic tear occurs over time because of overuse and usually after a tendon has been rubbing against a bone for awhile. An acute tear is the result of a sudden movement. The shoulder is one of those areas of the body where this is little blood circulation. If an injured tendon sustains microscopic tears and does not get an adequate supply of blood to heal, this could lead to tendon degeneration. This condition, however, is usually related more to age and overuse than it is a result of a trauma or sports injury.

The shoulder is the most unstable joint in the body. Many times the cause of a shoulder injury is because there is too much play in the ball and socket joint. One of the main functions of the shoulder is to provide stability to movements using the arm. If your shoulder is unstable, you will definitely develop problems. Be sure you are diagnosed correctly before you start doing a lot of laterals with dumbbells. Your health care professional will probably give you a few exercises to do for your rotator cuff.

Treatment for Shoulder Injuries

To get a better look at the possible damage within your shoulder, your doctor may suggest arthroscopic surgery. This is a minor invasive surgery where a small incision is made in your shoulder and then they look around inside with a very small camera. Your doctor can see whatever damage there is and help you make a decision about what options are available.

If you suffer an acute trauma to your shoulder perform the first aid procedure known as R.I.C.E. and see a health care professional immediately.

• Rest – Stop using the afflicted part.

• Ice – 10 minutes on, 10 minutes off for an hour (or whatever feels comfortable).

• Compress – Wrap a compression bandage around the injury. This may keep down the swelling.

• Elevate – Keep the injured part propped up and elevated above the level of your heart. This may help keep down the swelling.

Recovery and Continuation after Shoulder Injuries

Recovery usually always begins with plenty of rest. When continuing with your weight training program, follow some key do’s and don’ts such as warming up with as many sets as it takes in order to get blood circulation going. The shoulder should feel good before you start a working set. Start off with lighter weight before you are capable of handling anything heavy. Do shoulder stretches after a workout. Know the difference between shoulder soreness discomfort and the pain of an injury. If you have any doubts about a shoulder injury then go see a doctor.

About the Author

If you liked this article, you may also by interested in the Weight Training and a Back Injury. Check out http://weighttrainingforever.com/ for more weight training information.

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Alex Miller

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Weight lifting hooks are intended to be used for heavy lifting exercises, such as deadlifts, shrugs and cable rows. For more information, visit www.harbingerfitness.com
Video Rating: 5 / 5

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The Use of Shoulder Stretching Exercise

Article by Lovegolfclub

The Use of Shoulder Stretching Exercise – Sports – Golf

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It’s a truth that strong arms and shoulders can help improve your golf swing. Golf stretching exercises for shoulder can help you to achieve a more consistent swing. The main restriction for golfers at the top of their swing is their shoulders. Primarily the rotator cuff of the back shoulders the right shoulder for a right-handed golfer. Golf stretching exercises specific for your shoulders will get you to the top of your swing consistently and with little effort.

Overhead Golf Stretching Exercises is a very helpful exercise to your backswing. Since the top of the backswing is above your head, it is critical to implement golf stretching exercises that are above your head. There are many simple stretches you can do with your hands clasped or by grabbing a golf club with your arms extended and take it overhead. Doing stretches like this consistently will make a dramatic improvement on your ability to get to the top of your backswing consistently. This position will make it much easier for you to come down in a mechanically correct position virtually every time.

The rotator cuff muscles are the most common to get injured with golfers. Rotator cuff exercises can be done easily at home, and they use little or no weight or resistance and only take about ten minutes at a time. The requirement to get to the top of your backswing takes a high level of rotator cuff felicity and if you don’t have it, the rotator cuff gets overused and injured. External rotation of the back shoulder is a must. With any restriction in this area, it is impossible to get to the top of your swing without tension. You will see an improvement in your game almost straight away.

Along with rotator cuff is backswing stretches. Golf shoulder stretch exercises for this phase of your swing should focus on the back of the lead shoulder and upper back muscles as well. Tightness in this area will create a higher level of tension early on in the backswing. Stand up and try to make a backswing and notice how early the tension creeps in with the back of your lead shoulder. I’ll bet you feel it early on, way before you get to a 90 degree shoulder turn.

The follow through is rarely worked on. Many people pay too much attention to the golf backswing instead of follow through, you can also loot at your follow through in the mirror, or make a follow through at any point in the day. Stretching this area is focusing on the back of the non lead shoulder specific to the follow through. Do this and I promise you, you will hit the ball further since you will be swing all the way through the ball.

Golf stretching exercises for shoulders will make a difference. The shoulder exercise will strengthen the front of your shoulder. You can use two dumbbells or a barbell. Hold your arms in front of you straight with your palms facing down. Either have a dumbbell in each hand or hold a barbell with both, shoulder-width apart. Raise your arms straight in front of you to shoulder height, no higher. Bring your arms down straight to your legs to finish the exercise. There are two important things to know about a successful shoulder exercise program. One is to make sure that you rest the muscles properly in order that they can heal beforehand, the other is that you build up the exercises gradually, being careful to avoid any exercise that causes you pain. In shoulders, pain invariably means that you are causing more damage. The information in this article will help you a lot on your golf swing.

About the Author

Lovegolf helps the golfers improve the game by giving them some great golf tips. Check out www.newbrandgolf.com for a full service resort which will allow you to enjoy all kinds of golf clubs at home. And you can also get more detail information about the cheap and high quality Taylormade R11 Bag   TaylorMade R11 Hybrid

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Go To www.OptimumFlexibility.com For More FREE Shoulder Stretches Shoulder Stretches – 3 Easy Shoulder Stretches You Can Do Now 1 – Rear Deltoid Back Stretch 2 – Shoulder/Tricep Stretch 3 – Chest/Anterior Deltoid (Shoulder) Stretch This simple and quick shoulder stretching routine is perfect for keeping the rotator cuff in good shape by enhancing full and natural range of motion. By keeping the superficial, and deep layer, muscles of the shoulder girdle and surrounding muscle groups loose and limber – you decrease risk of injury, common aches and pains – And you improve overall posture. Performance in all sports and simple daily activities are enhanced as well. The results speak for themselves. You be the judge ;-))

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Top 5 Shoulder Exercise For Maximum Strength

Article by Francois L. Botha

Building up strength in the shoulder region is an important part of any work-out, and when done correctly can protect the shoulder area from injuries which weak shoulders may sustain, either during training or in everyday life.

Make sure that you perform these correctly, using the correct form and utilizing the full range if motion for the muscles involved. This will help avoid injury and also ensure you get the maximum benefit from the work-out.

Always be sure of your physical fitness before embarking on any new regime, including this series of exercises.

Be sure to warm up the shoulders first with shoulder rolls, arm rotations and stretches before starting.

The first 4 exercises target the Anterior Deltoid muscles, while the 5th targets the Deltoid and Lateral muscles.

1. Military Press

It may be considered a bit old fashioned, but this standard exercise still offers exceptional upper torso strength. It can also be done from a seated position.

* Brace the abdominal region throughout the movement.* Stand erect with feet shoulder width apart.* Grasp the bar overhand, with arms slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.* Do not allow your wrists to pull backwards – keep them rigid.* Breathe in and extend your arms straight up, slightly to the middle of the top of your head.* Extend the neck marginally, allowing the bar to move past the face.* Fully extend your arms at the top of the movement.* The bar should be straight over your head.* Pause briefly, maintain control, then lower it back down.* Repeat.

2. Dumbbell Shoulder Press

This can be done seated or standing. Both the shoulder muscles and the triceps get a workout here.

* Grab a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing forward.* Lift both dumbbells simultaneously to chin level.* Isolating shoulder muscles, lift both dumbbells overhead until they almost touch* Lower both back to chin level.* Repeat.

3. Lateral Raises

This can be done one arm at a time, and also using cables.

* Stand with feet shoulder distance apart, knees slightly bent.* Grasp a dumbbell in each hand and let your arms hang down, palms facing.* Keeping elbows slightly bent, lift the arms sideways to shoulder height, so that you are in a ‘T’ stance.* Lower arms.* Repeat.

4. Front Dumbbell Raises

This can be done with both arms simultaneously and using a barbell or cables is also appropriate.

* Stand with feet shoulder distance apart, knees slightly bent.* Grasp a dumbbell in each hand and let your arms hang down, palms facing the front of your thighs.* Keeping elbows slightly bent, lift one arm straight out in front of you to shoulder height.* Lower to starting position.* Repeat with your other arm.* Repeat, alternating arms.

5. Upright Row

This works the shoulders and biceps.

* Stand with feet shoulder distance apart, knees slightly bent.* Grasp the bar with shoulder width, or slightly narrower, overhand grip.* Pull the bar up to the neck with elbows leading.* Allow wrists to flex as bar rises.* Lower.* Repeat.

Always conclude any exercise session with some stretching to cool down the muscles.

The Best Shoulder Exercises For Mass And Size

Article by Jared DiCarmine

So what are the best shoulder exercises for mass? Oh man, to be honest there are a ton of them and it really depends on your body and your characteristics. It also depends on what parts of your shoulders is lacking muscle mass. For example a lot of people have over developed front deltoids, but lack lateral deltoid mass and rear deltoid mass. The reason for this is because we tend to focus on a lot of the pressing movements without focusing as much attention on the lateral deltoids and rear deltoids. When equally developed, you will have a look that no one would want to mess with and an awesome set of broad shoulders. Now when it comes to which exercises you should perform, I feel there are some staples that you should always try and keep into your routine.For example one of the best pure shoulder exercises for mass is the push press. The push press is just like the military press except you get to use your legs a little bit in the initial portion of the lift. This allows you to lift more weight overhead. When you do this exercise, it’s best to do them as fast and explosively as possible. The pressing muscles of the upper body respond best to high volume, high intensity, and heavy weighted workouts so the push press would be a perfect choice if you want to develop some mass. Another great exercise that does not get touched upon a lot that would give you a nice set of shoulders is rack dead lifts. Rack dead lifts are traditionally seen as an upper back exercise, but they are brutally effective in hitting your traps, thickening up your neck, and add mass to your rear deltoids and entire upper body region since a lot of these major muscles have to isometrically contract to keep everything in place. Rack dead lifts are the same as regular dead lifts except you pull the weight from a set of pins so the weight is off the ground. It shortens your range of motion, allowing you to traditionally lift heavier weights. By pulling and pressing heavier weights over time, you will no doubt build an impressive physique and a large pile of mass on your upper body. Now that we have taken care of the heavy mass builders, let’s start focusing on the smaller muscle groups such as the lateral head of your deltoids and the rear head. Now the next exercise that I’m going to recommend is something that you definitely have seen before, but possibly never attempted this way of executing it before. So the next exercise that I would recommend is one arm lateral raises. The big difference is that you are going to be using a much heavier weight than normal and a little body English. A lot of people only use light weights for this exercise, which I don’t understand why because it’s a muscle just like any other. I remember hearing a big time top pro bodybuilder specifically using only these in his workouts to really bring up his delts and even out his shoulders. He said they worked perfectly. So this what you’re going to do is pick up a heavier than normal dumbbell that you would usually use for this exercise, hold it by your side then dip with the legs slightly and raise the dumbbell all the way up to shoulder level. Try and pause for a brief second to get a maximum contraction and slowly lower the weight back down emphasizing the negative portion of the rep. The last exercise that I would recommend to really develop your rear deltoids is face pulls. So what I want you to do is set up the rope attachment inside of the pulley system and raise it to around eye level. From there, take an overhand grip with your palms facing down and your hands all the way at the end of the rope by the knot. Slowly step back until the weight plates are off the sack and pull the rope towards your chin splitting it at the end of the contraction where you feel it the most in your upper back and rear deltoids. Slowly return all the way down and repeat the sequence. All in all I hope you enjoyed these 4 shoulder exercises for mass. It might be a little different than what you might have been assuming but they definitely work and they’ll pack on the mass in a short amount of time. Just make sure to press heavy and fast with a lot of volume. Don’t always go to failure and make sure to really hit the targeted muscle.

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