Dangerous Shoulder Exercises
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Many people have suffered from shoulder aches and pains after an extreme work-out. The thing is that many of these people think that it is normal if you start aching after exercising. The thing is these people can not tell the difference between aches and pains and flexing muscles. If you experience sharp pains in the front of a certain shoulder and/or pains in the upper arms when you perform overhead activities, you are probably suffering from inflammation in the rotator cuff. This often happens to people that perform exercises on a regular basis. This can easily be prevented by just modifying a few of the dangerous shoulder exercises.
A well-known exercise in homes and in gyms is the Bench Press. It is popular for building the chest area, along with the triceps and the anterior deltoid. People have been taught to lower the bar until just touches the chest. Performing this technique exposes the shoulder capsule to the amount of load you are holding. The rotator cuff’s soft tissue is being compressed between the acromion and the humerus. Repeating this overtime inflames the rotator cuff.
A person that has loose joints or has a history of dislocation or subluxation also runs the risk of shoulder cartilage injury and rotator cuff damage. You also stand the chance of rupturing the pectoralis tendon with the full press of the heavy loads. The safest way to perform the exercise is to lower the bar until the bicep area runs parallel to the floor, or a 90 degree bend in your elbow. This way the shoulder joint will not move to a vulnerable and unsafe position. This also applies to push-ups.
Another good exercise to strengthen the back is the Lat Pull Downs exercise. If this is done incorrectly, like the Bench Press, after pulling the bar down behind your head it can position the humerus in a way that it can cause the rotator cuff to pinch. However, this does depend on a number of factors - for instance, the person’s arthritis and the shape of the person’s acromion. Keep in mind that holding the bar in front of the head rather than behind it still accomplishes the exercise to the muscle targeted. Performing the exercise in front of the head eliminates the risk of shoulder injury. It is important that you do not sway and the body has to be in a reclined position. Pull the bar toward your sternum. It is recommended not to perform the Lat Pull Downs behind the neck, because it does place an incredible amount of pressure on one’s cervical spine.
The Military Press exercise is performed with the bar behind the head and neck. This puts the shoulder in a very vulnerable position. This technique can inflame the rotator cuff. This is similar to the neck pull downs. Your neck is exposed to stress that can be very unnecessary. The best way to perform this exercise is in front of the head. You must be aware not to arch the lower back area and it is advisable to use back support to prevent this.
The problem many have while performing the Dips/Upright Row is that on every occasion when performing the exercise they allow the shoulder to past the 90 degree mark, and they think they are doing it properly because it was the way they were taught from the physical trainer or the exercise magazine. It is important to perform this exercise with the upper arm parallel to the floor. Always stop at 90 degrees and this will make sure the rotator cuff and the shoulder capsule are protected.