Posts Tagged ‘Muscle Growth’

How To Preserve Shoulder Integrity While Training

Help for shoulder pain

Injuring a shoulder is the surest way to sideline a bodybuilder and put his gains on hold for weeks or months at a time. A small injury can be healed before it becomes a major problem, however. Preventing and treating simple shoulder strains isn’t all that tough. Employ common sense and follow your doctor’s orders.

If you do sustain a major shoulder strain, the first thing you need to do is stop training. End your workout session and immediately place ice upon the affected area. This will bring down swelling, but will only be effective for the first 24 hours. After that time period, heat is the key. Keep heat on the area for 20 minutes on, then 20 minutes off. Suspend all upper body lifting for several days as you assess the damage you have sustained to the area.

Even if you don’t have health insurance, it is imperative to see a doctor immediately to make sure you maintain joint integrity and haven’t torn your rotator cuff. Somewhere between 48 and 72 hours after your injury, you should visit your local convenient care facility and have it looked at. An MRI may or may not be required. The usual procedure would be Most likely, you will order to rest and observe the healing process.

If you are ordered by a doctor to cease all lifting activity, you need to listen. Of course it won’t be easy to refrain from lifting, the activity you love so much. However, your body will bounce back from a 3 to 6 week layoff in less than two weeks. Your other aches and pains will subside, and your central nervous system will be happy to enjoy a break from lifting. Lifting during this time of healing can destroy cartilage and turn a small injury into a lifelong problem. You must follow the doctor’s orders!

It is entirely possible to train around a shoulder injury. You can still hit the legs as hard as ever. They may be some discomfort with placing a barbell on your shoulders for squats, or when the hack squat pad digs into the shoulder. Abdominal training should be emphasized during this time period. The biceps can still be trained with preacher curls, and the forearms can be trained with little issue. Use this time period to bring up weak legs, work on conditioning using cardio, and give your upper body muscles and joints a well-deserved break.

Don’t be afraid to see alternative opinions. Milos Sarcev, professional bodybuilder and veteran of almost 80 IFBB shows, discovered his shoulders were deteriorating recently and was primed to enter surgery after not being able to train for 4 straight months. Just an hour before his scheduled surgery, he ran into a doctor friend who had corrected the shoulder issue with some stretching and other unique means. If your doctor is determined to slice you open (and it may or may not be related to his need to make his Escalade payment) it might be time to seek a second opinion.

Use ice to decrease pain

Healthy Shoulder Muscle Gain

Help for shoulder pain

One of the most often injured areas in lifters is the rotator cuff. This is primarily due to a high volume of pressing (bench press, incline press, overhead press, etc.) and a low volume of work for the opposing muscles of the upper back. The best fix for this is obviously to begin to balance the training of your upper body. For every set of pressing you should do a set of rowing to balance the muscles of the shoulder girdle.

This strategy not only prevents injuries, but also prevents the dreaded “caveman posture” (rounded upper back). Proper posture is not only an issue of appearance though, it also improves your performance since the joints are stabilized and in correct alignment.

Balancing pressing with rows is a great start, but if you have been training in an unbalanced manner for awhile then you may also need to do some concentrated work for the rotator cuffs. Please notice that this is to be done in addition to a balanced training program. There is nothing I hate more than seeing some guy do set after set of heavy bench presses and then do a few sets of a rotator cuff exercise with 5 pounds in an effort to prevent injury.

Always remember that proper program design is your first line of defense against injuries! If you don’t know how to properly design a training program (hint: there is more to it than just balancing rows and presses) then find someone who does. Your muscle gains will be faster and your injuries will be fewer.

With that said, let’s look at a couple of simple rotator cuff exercises you can use:

1. Prone 90/90 RotationsStart laying face down on a bench. Grab a light dumbbell or plate in each hand. Raise the dumbbells off the floor by bending your elbows to 90 degrees and having your upper arm at 90 degrees to your body. This is your starting position. From this position you are going to keep your elbows in the same position and rotate at the shoulder until the dumbbells are out to the side of your head. Then return to the starting position and repeat.

2. Side-lying 0/90 RotationsStart lying on your left side with a dumbbell or plate in your right hand. Put your elbow on your hip with a 90 degree bend in your elbow. Your forearm should be lying across your stomach. This is the start position. From this position rotate from the shoulder while keeping the elbow at your hip. Rotate as far as your flexibility will allow and then return to the starting position.

These two direct rotator cuff movements are a fantastic addition to an already sound muscle gaining program. There are many more rotator cuff exercises, but the basics will serve you well for while. Do not be surprised if you cannot use more than 2 or 3 pounds on these movements at first. If you have been neglecting your rotator cuffs and upper back for awhile then they are bound to be weak. Give it some time and you will begin to see progress.

If you stick to a well-designed training program you will prevent injuries and gain muscle mass. Always keep in mind that a great training program comes before everything else. If your workout program is poorly designed then don’t ever expect to see consistent muscle gains no matter how hard you work in the gym or what supplements you take.

Use ice to decrease pain