DRYLAND - Shoulder Exercises 4-5-6

Last week, we presented 3 simple exercises to help prevent shoulder injury. Here are 3 more, just in time for the start of the fall season.

Why Do It:

Proper stroke mechanics are only one part of preventing shoulder injury. The other part involves strengthening certain muscles in your back -- especially the muscles that stabilize your shoulder joint. These three exercises may not look like much, but if done with focus and on a regular basis they can help strengthen the right muscles and can help prevent a shoulder injury. If it's too late for prevention, and you're in shoulder rehab, ask you doctor if these exercises could be part of your recovery routine.

What's nice about these is that you don't need any equipment and you can do them anywhere, in less than 5 minutes. For teams, they make a good warmup exercise before practice.

How to Do It:
Exercise #4
1.  Start with feet shoulder-width apart. Hold your arms in front of your chest, with wrists, forearms, and elbows aligned and touching.

2.  While keeping the elbows bent and your shoulders low and stable, open your arms as wide as possible and hold this open position for a second or two. Squeeze/contract the muscles between your shoulder blades as you hold this position.

3.  In a slow, controlled movement, bring the hands and arms back to their original position. Repeat 10 to 15 times.

Exercise #5
1.  Start with feet shoulder-width apart. Form a "goalpost" with your arms, with your elbows at about shoulder height.

2.  While keeping the shoulders low and stable, rotate your hands down as far as possible and hold this position for a second or two.

3.  Again, keeping the shoulders low and stable, return the hands to the "goalpost" position. Repeat 10 to 15 times.

Exercise #6
1.  Start with feet shoulder-width apart. Clasp you hands behind your back, with fingers interlaced.

2.  While keeping the shoulders low and stable, squeeze /contract the muscles between your shoulder blades and lift your clasped hands. Hold this position for a second or two, then return to the starting position. Repeat 10 to 15 times.

How to Do It Really Well (the Fine Points):
1.  Try not to hunch your shoulders -- keep them stable and DOWN.

2.  Make all your movements slowly and with control. Hold the finish position for a least one second to fully contract the muscles.

3.  Combine these 3 exercises with Shoulder Exercises 1-2-3 for a quick warmup routine before every practice.

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