Bodybuilders and weightlifting athletes alike all know about the rotator cuff injury. Everyone knows someone who has torn theirs, probably bench pressing, and the thought of blowing a shoulder out always lurks in the back of the mind during a max out. Here are five tips on preventing a torn rotator cuff and missing 6-12 months of training.
First
Add Cuban presses and Cuban rotations into your shoulder day. Cuban rotations are done with a light weight and help to build muscles in the shoulder normally missed with regular shoulder training. They’ll help build up the muscles that support your shoulder joint. Cuban presses are simply a press after the Cuban rotation. I’ll be posting videos soon to explain these exercises or you can run a search for examples.
Second
Don’t use a smith machine for shoulder presses. Smith machines do not allow a natural range of movement and repeated use can lead to weak muscles around the shoulder joint. You may use a smith machine occasionally when you cannot find a spotter but it would be wiser to use dumbbells if you are concerned about safety.
Third
Don’t do pressing or pulling motions behind your head. These old behind-the-head military presses and pull ups used to be the exercises of tough guys, now trainers and athletes know the damage that they can cause. The shoulders were not meant to sustain a lot of stress at the angle behind-the-head exercises put on them. You’ll build your shoulders just as large doing the exercises in front of your head. Do proper exercises for the posterior part of your shoulders.
Fourth
Don’t try to lift more than you physically can. Use proper form. Guys in the gym are notorious for trying to impress someone by lifting more than they are capable. Consistently sacrificing form to press more than you are able is going to lead to a torn rotator cuff. No two ways about it. If you are doing this, stop. No one is watching you in the gym anyway and the people who are are shaking their heads at your terrible form. Drop the weight. Earn it like everyone else. Save your shoulders.
Fifth
Don’t think that training more is going to make you get to your goals faster. Not allowing for proper recovery is a one way street to injury town. Benching twice a week instead of once is not going to make your bench go up twice as fast. Lifting heavy too often with too little rest will lead to blown shoulders. Take your time. Rest. Remember that you not only have to rest your muscles but the tendons and ligaments in your joints as well.
Remember these five keys when you are training chest or shoulders. Save your shoulders the trouble and you’ll thank yourself when another buddy blows a shoulder and misses months of lifting. Stay healthy, keep working and have a good lift.
