Strengthening of the shoulder muscles

The shoulder musculature combines two main abilities in the function of the upper limb, moderate strength and extreme mobility. The shoulder is the most mobile joint in the body and is designed to allow us to place our hands anywhere we want in front of our visual field so that we can perform often complex actions. The socket of the shoulder is small and the ball of the upper arm bone is very large in comparison, making it the job of the shoulder muscles to place control and safely manage the placement of the two parts of the shoulder joint. shoulder. The shoulder itself lies between the scapula and the humerus, but two other joints make up the shoulder complex, the acromioclavicular joint and the scapulothoracic joint.

The four joints of the shoulder complex mean that there are several muscle groups that support the shoulder and must be taken into account when thinking about strengthening them. They are the scapulothoracic muscles that originate mainly from the spine and ribs and attach to the shoulder blade, the rotator cuff muscles that originate from the shoulder blade and attach to the upper arm bone, the deltoid muscle from the shoulder blade to the arm bone and the muscles of the upper arm that have part of their origin in the region of the shoulder joint.

Strengthening the scapulothoracic muscles can be accomplished by rowing and pushing with the arms, making the movements slow and steady to allow the muscles to work as hard as they can over the greatest possible range. The rotator cuff muscles work in general shoulder movements, but can be isolated by internally and externally rotating the shoulder with the arm out to the side. Strengthening the supraspinatus is done by doing dumbbell lateral raises, but this can be an aggravating movement leading to impingement injuries or supraspinatus tendinitis.

The deltoid muscle functions to raise the arm against gravity or with a weight, and typical exercises are shoulder presses with a barbell or dumbbell, exercises best controlled in a seated position, as standing can involve movement. excessive body. The upper trapezius muscle, the large masses on either side of the neck, can be trained by rowing upright or with a shrug motion holding a barbell. Shoulder training must be balanced so that the strength and mobility of all muscle groups are in proportion, so the training must be carefully planned and periodically changed.