Rotator Cuff Stretches
How to do the best rotator cuff stretches to decrease shoulder pain, fast! Simple at-home mobility stretching exercises to improve flexibility and increase your bench press!
Your shoulder is the most moveable joint in the body and without proper Rotator Cuff Strength and Mobility, you will likely feel pain almost every time you work your shoulders; such as during the Bench Press and Military Press.
To fix your shoulder pain forever simply learn how to move properly and keep your rotator cuff healthy with these exercises. Working on your shoulder mobility is also essential if you enjoy sports like golf or basketball.
How To Strengthen Your Rotator Cuff Muscles!
Shoulder Flexion Stretch
Purpose:
- Improve Shoulder and Elbow Flexion
Focus:
- Shoulder Flexion (Latimus Dorsi, Triceps Brachii)
- While standing erect, grasp a stable structure or band anchored at shoulder height or higher.
- Turn away and fully extend your arm holding the object with no tension on it.
- Begin to walk away while allowing your shoulder and elbow to flex.
- Move away while maintaining a vertical torso until your shoulder is fully flexed.
- Maintain this tension and move into different positions, finding tight areas.
- To increase the stretch, move farther away, lean forward, rotate inward or extend your elbow.
Shoulder Girdle Extension Stretch
Purpose:
- Improve Shoulder Integrity
- Improve Shoulder Extension and External Rotation
Focus:
- Shoulder Extension (Pectoralis Major, Anterior Deltoid, Coracobrachialis)
- Externally rotate your arms so that your shoulders are pulled back together and your palms face forward.
- Extend both arms behind you, grabbing a stable object to stretch on; this could be a bar, handles on a rope or even a countertop.
- While standing upright and keeping your shoulders pulled back, step forward until you feel a stretch in your shoulder.
- Make sure that your shoulders are pulled back into the socket and do not roll forward as you stretch.
- Breathe deep and relax into the stretch as you try to extend your arms further while standing upright.
Triple Bully Rotator Cuff Stretch
Purpose:
- Improve Shoulder Extension
- Improve Shoulder Internal Rotation
- Improve Shoulder Integrity
Focus:
- Shoulder Internal Rotation (Infraspinatus, Teres Minor)
- Shoulder Extension (Anterior Deltoid)
- To start the Triple Bully Rotator Cuff Stretch, place your hand in the middle of your lower back with your palm facing away.
- Keep your shoulder pulled back throughout the stretch.
- In this position, grab a stable object or wrap a band around your wrist.
- Step away from your hand until you feel a stretch in your shoulder.
- From here you can rotate away, step farther from your hand, drop your hips lower or raise the band attachment to increase the stretch.
- Move around in this stretched position to find the most effective position for your needs.
- Be sure to keep your shoulder pulled back so that it does not rotate forward in the socket and improve bad positioning.
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