For years, I’d perform shoulder workouts involving a lot of overhead presses.  As the weight increased, I was filled with a sense of accomplishment.  More than that, I convinced myself that I was not just getting stronger, but I was also developing an immunity to shoulder injury.  Strong shoulders prevent injury, right?

Not necessarily.  Strength is great but the shoulder joint is far from simple.  This post is about two movements that deal with an aspect of the upper body that has been entirely too easy for me to forget and ignore.

Try this:  stand up and raise your arms in the air.  This simple movement is how most of us who have shoulders use them.  Nothing complicated here.  So, it makes sense that when we’re in the gym we should exercise the same way that we move.  The fault in this thinking is that it ignores how our muscles work when we’re not moving (e.g. – sitting on a couch that sinks in or sitting at a desk in front of a computer). 

What’s worse is that when many people go to the gym, they tend to work what they see.  Chest, quads, arms, and (sometimes) abs.  I thought it was just me, but after years of hanging out in gyms it’s become crystal clear.  Most folks spend more time on the muscles in front of their body than they do on the muscles on the back of their body.

When you go to the gym start noticing how often you see people squatting and leg pressing vs hamstring curling and deadlifting.  Benching vs. rowing.  Glute bridging vs ab crunching.  It makes sense.  We deal with what’s in front of us.  And what’s in front of us is what we see in the mirror.

So, you’re sitting hunched over at a computer all day.  Then you hit the gym and work your chest and abs with a little bit of back and almost no glute work.  Finally, you head home to spend the rest of the evening sinking into a couch.  Often, for hours. 

Arm raises are great.  But they won’t correct for years of front-focused fitness.  For proper balance, you really need to work on all those muscles that have grown week from lack of attention (e.g. – glutes, hip flexors, rhomboids, and lower traps).

From my experience as a physical therapy patient, I will share two types of exercises that would benefit you and probably everyone you know.  For me, these can get surprisingly exhausting…and that’s the point.  They get exhausting because those muscles were (sometimes still are) smaller and weaker as a result of being ignored so often.  Check these out on youtube:

     1)  Muscle movements that promote thoracic stability from a prone position

     2)  Muscle movements that promote thoracic stability from a standing position

The larger muscles of the back provide more stability to the shoulders.  They also help to keep the chest open and prevent the shoulders from rolling forward.  As a result, this aids in relieving stress on the joints of the shoulders, chest, and spine.

Follow your healthcare provider’s advice and do your due diligence.

If nothing else, I’m thankful to write this article as a reminder to myself.

Be well, hydrate, and happy wall-angels.