Repetitive and prolonged use of the joint (mainly for sports or work activity) tends to generate wear, irritation and inflammation in the muscles and tendons that make up the rotator cuff, resulting in constant pain that can increase as the days go by.
Learning how to strengthen your rotator cuff can help you maintain optimal limb health even when you’re exposed to intense work, but also help you avoid a more severe injury, such as tendon tears or ruptures.
Shoulder strengthening exercises
There is no magic formula to give strength and endurance to the rotator cuff, therefore, it is essential that the person who feels muscle decompensation or frequent tension in the limb make sure to take the necessary time to exercise it, in this way, they will be able to get more power and considerably reduce the level of impact when moving the arm.
Before starting with the exercises, you should first choose a light weight or dumbbell with which you feel comfortable. The important thing is the technique and consistency, not the weight! If you choose a very robust weight and with it you exert a bad movement, instead of benefiting what it can cause is a more serious injury, not to mention that it will make the whole activity much more strenuous and tedious.
Without further ado, we’ll teach you how to strengthen your rotator cuff with 3 basic exercises:
Exercise N° 1
- Lie on a bench with a prone position.
- Keep one of your arms hanging down while holding the dumbbell in your hand.
- Slowly begin to bend your elbow up at a 90° angle (without exceeding shoulder level), then slowly drop your arm downwards repeating the routine over and over again.
- Perform 20 reps on each shoulder.
This exercise is primarily felt in the forearm, however, it stealthily influences to the benefit of the shoulder joint.
Exercise N°2
- On the same bench, lie on your side with one of your arms fully extended and gently place your head on it.
- Place the free arm in push-up mode at a 90° angle, while at the same time holding the dumbbell and resting the forearm on the body.
- Execute slow movements from top to bottom and vice versa in this same position, taking care never to exceed the level of the shoulders.
- Perform 15 repetitions on each of the arms.
Exercise N°3
- To perform this exercise you will need a firm chair.
- Stand with your legs hip-width apart and bend your back until you have one arm on the back of the chair.
- Drop the arm that holds the dumbbell and begin to rotate it in a circular clockwise direction and then the other way around. Similarly, it can do so in a north-south direction, without exerting force (This should be very similar to the movements of a pendulum).
- Do this for about 3 minutes on each arm.
- With this exercise you will experience a stretching and relaxing feeling in your shoulder that will soothe any mild discomfort.
