Posts Tagged ‘Shoulder Joints’

What Could Be The Cause Of Shoulder Pain When Running?

I have begun running for exercise and I get pains in my shoulder joints. I have noticed this while doing other cardio activity. What could this be caused from?

Improve Your Shoulder Shrugs to Build Real Muscles

Help for shoulder pain

Any form of exercise delivers best results when done correctly. The correct execution of these body movements is essential in actually working out the group of muscles on which the said exercise is designed to improve. So when you are under a muscle building program, maintaining proper posture enables you to correctly execute the exercise that comes with its routines. This is particularly true in doing shoulder shrugs.
Among other muscle building exercises, shoulder shrugs are best in strengthening and building the muscle mass right at the area of the shoulder joints. Since the shoulder joints are made up of a variety of bones, ligaments and tendons, it is where weight lifting injuries normally occur. Since lifting exercises moves the joints or the shoulder area at angles that may be beyond the range of its motion, strengthening the joints will serve best in enhancing the structure of shoulder movements by building up stronger and more flexible shoulder muscles. Dumbbells and barbells are usually used in doing shoulder shrugs. They are used in movements that flex and contract the trapezius muscles, hastening shoulder blade movements and minimizing neck strain. To properly do shoulder shrug exercises, it is advised that you lean a little slightly forward when doing such exercise. This way, it will be difficult to cheat on the exertion of the exercise.
Aside from having many joints and bones, one of the main reasons why the shoulder area is prone to injuries while doing some workouts is because of poor exercise technique. This means that many people, especially beginners, tend to cheat on exercises by slightly bending the posture, resulting to injuries on badly strained muscle groups. Since the pressure is put elsewhere, shoulder muscles will fail to develop and could possibly weaken. In a way, cheating on shoulder exercises like shoulder shrugs actually does more harm and no good.
You probably have heard your fitness instructor to maintain proper form and posture when doing exercises, particularly on shoulder shrugs. You will be only punishing yourself. For instance, it is a common rule to avoid rotating the shoulders forwards and backwards. By the time that you get out of the gym, you will surely find it hard to turn your head or neck from side to side.
The key to getting the optimum benefits of shoulder shrug exercises is maintaining proper posture and form. Don’t cheat for it will only strain the body or result to serious muscle injuries. Correct execution of exercises, although uncomfortable, optimizes the rate at which the muscle recovers and builds more muscles. Just remember that as you properly do your shoulder shrugs, you actually train the shoulder muscles to recover by building stronger muscles. And that is actually the importance of this exercise.
How can you even develop well-toned or beefy arms with a poor shoulder muscle tone? Your shoulder area is very important for it is what actually caps those well-developed arms and frames your hard-earned expansive chest. You can never have a dominating figure without strong shoulders. So don’t go cheating on those shoulder shrugs.

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The 10 Best Shoulder Building Exercises for Beginning Bodybuilders

Help for shoulder pain

For most guys, the biceps are the undisputed king of muscle! But what good is a king without a crown? If you want GUNS that get respect at the beach and on the street, you’ve got to crown them with cannon ball deltoid development! For big, muscular shoulders that’ll produce personal pride and physical power, keep reading because I’ve got the 10 best beginning exercises for you right here.

1. Seated Front Military Press

Your shoulders consist mainly of 2 muscle groups, the trapezius and the deltoids. The trapezius or “traps” are the two large triangular shaped muscles that run across each shoulder from the back of your neck. Your deltoids or “delts” are the thick, triangular shaped muscles that cover your shoulder joints at the top of each arm. The deltoids consist of 3 sections known as the anterior, medial and posterior heads. For balanced deltoid development, you must train each section equally.

The front military press is a great starter exercise for building the anterior or front section of your delts. You can perform this exercise from a standing or seated position. For beginners, I recommend the seated position, preferably in a chair that has low back support to prevent arching or hyperextension of your spine. With proper technique, this basic military press will add thickness and power to the front of your shoulders. As you advance in your training, you should eventually graduate from this exercise to the dumbbell shoulder press.

2. Barbell Front Raises

This exercise is great for building shape and endurance in your anterior delts. Since barbell front raises put tremendous resistance on the front of your shoulders, you should not attempt to do this exercise with heavy weight. Moderate poundage with strict technique (i.e., no bouncing or jerking the weight with your body) is sufficient to add strength and shape to your anterior delts. For variety, you can also do this exercise with a straight bar attachment to a low cable apparatus.

Whether you use a barbell or low cable machine, you must stand with your arms straight as you raise the bar forward from the front of your thighs to a position parallel to the floor at about shoulder height. To put secondary resistance on your rear delts and traps, raise the bar slightly above shoulder height. It won’t take long to feel the burn from this exercise, but the payoff in deltoid development is well worth it.

3. Seated Reverse Dumbbell Press

The reverse dumbbell press, aka the “Arnold Press” is another terrific shoulder builder for your anterior delts. When done properly, this exercise also puts concentrated resistance on the upper portion of your traps. You can do the reverse dumbbell press with both arms pressing the weights simultaneously or by alternating each arm. In either event, I suggest that you do this exercise in a seated position with good back support to avoid injury.

To do this exercise, hold 2 dumbbells at shoulder height with your palms facing you. Keep your back straight and don’t bounce or jerk your body as you slowly press the dumbbells overhead. As you press the weight upward, rotate your wrists so that your hands face forward at the top of each lift. Return the dumbbells to the starting position as you lower them after each rep. If you’ve never done this exercise before, start with weight that you can easily balance and control and progress to heavier poundage when you’ve mastered your training technique. Take my word, the results will be awesome!

4. Dumbbell Front Raises

Like barbell front raises, the dumbbell version of this exercise puts extreme resistance on the front of your shoulders. In addition to building the anterior deltoids, front dumbbell raises put secondary but significant stress on the medial deltoid head. The mechanics of this exercise are basically the same as with barbell front raises. You must stand with your arms straight as you raise the dumbbells forward from the front of your thighs to a position parallel to the floor at about shoulder height. Again, due to the extreme level of training resistance that front raises produce, you should not attempt to do this exercise with heavy weight. Moderate poundage with strict form will give you great results.

5. Behind-The-Neck-Military Press

The “behind-the-neck” or rear military press is a solid mass builder for the medial deltoid or middle shoulder area. Like the front military press, you can perform this exercise from a standing or seated position. Again, I recommend that you do your military presses in a chair with lower back support to avoid arching or hyperextension of your spine. The seated position also helps to stabilize your torso so you won’t jerk the weight upward and cheat on technique. As with all overhead lifting, go slow, master your training technique and the rear military press will add mass, power and symmetry to the middle portion of your shoulders.

6. Dumbbell Lateral Raises

Nothing beats dumbbell lateral raises for targeting the medial head of your delts. And this is another shoulder exercise that provides great results without using excessively heavy weight. With your arms at your sides, grasp a dumbbell in each hand. Slowly raise your arms outward and upward until the dumbbells reach shoulder height in a position that parallels the floor. Return to the starting position. To work the medial delts from every possible angle, vary your workouts by doing some sets with your hands at your sides, some sets with your hands slightly in front of your thighs, and some sets with your hands behind your hips. This exercise is great for adding the shoulder girth necessary to beef up your V taper.

7. Single Arm Cable Lateral Raises

This exercise is a good substitute for dumbbell lateral raises for variety or when dumbbells may not be available to you. Except for the fact that you alternately train each shoulder, the mechanics of this exercise are basically the same as with the dumbbell version. With your arm at your side, simply grasp a low cable handle and slowly raise your arm outward and upward until the handle reaches shoulder height in a position that parallels the floor. Return to the starting position. For maximum effectiveness, you should vary your workouts by starting some sets with your hand at your side, some sets with your hand in front of your thighs, and some sets with your hand behind your hips.

8. Seated Two-Armed Dumbbell Rows

Unless you focus on training your rear delts, it’s easy to forget about them and end up with unbalanced shoulder development. This happened to me years ago when I was still more or less in my infancy when it came to serious bodybuilding. At the time I was living and training in Montreal at “Winston’s Gym,” a bodybuilding powerhouse then owned by Canadian bodybuilding great, Winston Roberts. So one day I asked Winston what I should do to build mass into my rear delts.

Without hesitation he told me to sit on the edge of a flat bench, grab a dumbbell in each hand, lean forward to about 45 degrees and pull the dumbbells toward my torso as though to touch my elbows behind my back. Wow, did this work! My rear delts responded almost immediately to this new workout, and the “Seated Two-Armed Dumbbell Row” was born! To make sure that you fully develop each section of your deltoids, you’ve got to include this rear delt builder in your shoulder workouts.

9. Bent-Over Lateral Raises

This exercise also isolates the posterior deltoid area for full, symmetrical shoulder development. Stand with your feet about shoulder width apart and your knees slightly bent. Bend forward at the waist but keep your back straight and your head facing forward. Grasp a dumbbell in each hand with your elbows bent slightly and raise your arms outward and upward until the weight reaches shoulder height. Return to the starting position. For variety or if dumbbells aren’t available, you can also do this exercise with a low cable machine.

10. Upright Rows

Finally, one of my all time favorite shoulder shapers, the upright row builds the entire deltoid area and I love the secondary biceps pump I get whenever I do this exercise. Just grab a barbell with an overhand and slightly wider than shoulder width grip. If you’re using a cambered or EZ Curl Bar, use the wide grip hand position. Raise your arms and pull the bar upward until it nearly touches your chin. To put more resistance on your traps, try pulling your elbows up a little beyond shoulder height as you complete each rep. Return to the starting position. I’m continually amazed at how seldom I see anyone doing this exercise. But you’ve got to do upright rows if you’re serious about building big, muscular shoulders.

Well, that’s it – my Top 10 list of shoulder-building exercises for beginning bodybuilders. Try them, have fun with them, and make sure that you use safe amounts of weight and proper training technique with every exercise.

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Using Underground Strength Techniques

Help for shoulder pain

Have you ever wondered how people get their shoulders so contoured and shapely? Well wonder no more.
This article will explain the anatomy and physiology of the shoulder and teach you how to properly condition the shoulder so you can have BOMBPROOF shoulders.
Most people believe that a pushup is merely assuming a prone position and lowering their body to the floor by whatever means possible and then forcing oneself back up at whatever effort is neccessary to complete the movement.
These commonly held beliefs also apply to shoulder development.
By reading this article you will understand why typical should exercises like DB side raise, DB overhead press, DB front raises are somewhat effective, but highly inefficient. Watch the video to get an idea of out of the box shoulder exercises.
In order for one to condition the shoulder complex with efficiency all six of these muscle groups need to be targeted:
1 – Trapezius
2 – Deltoid
3 – Infraspinatus
4 – Supraspinatus
5 – Teres Minor
6 – Subscapularis
How we target muscles will determine the nature of the adaptive response that occurs within the muscle.
Bigger does not mean better, faster or even stronger.
Developmental success is relative to what our muscular needs may be. We must train to meet our environmental demands.
Let’s briefly look at anatomy and physiology of the shoulder complex in terms of muscle location and action:
1) Trapezius: Most superficial muscle of the shoulder. Provides support to head and neck. This is where we hold all of our tension.
The trapezius muscle elevates the scapula, draws head back, adducts scapula, and braces shoulder
2) Deltoids: Thick powerful muscle that caps the shoulder joints that abducts, flexes and extends the humerus. The principle action of the deltoid is abduction of the arm at the shoulder joint.
This is what you can expect when you walk into most health clubs as ” Proper Training Technique.”
Overhead Dumbell press
Dumbbell side raise
Dumbbell rear deltoid fly
Dumbbell front raises
The truth is, these exercises, although somewhat effective, are highly inefficient.
3) Rotator Cuff: 4 of the 9 shoulder muscles and their tendons that act to stabilize the shoulder. The rotator cuff allows the shoulder to function through wide ranges of motion.
Effective shoulder workouts will train the rotator cuff by resisted stabilization of the axial skeleton and resisted humeral movement in all skeletal planes. Repetitive shoulder exercises such as dumbbell military presses can cause supraspinatus injury.
Proper stretching can help minimize possible injury.
Now that we have a foundational understanding of the shoulder complex, let’s move our intention toward training it properly. The human body was designed to move in 3 planes of motion. These planes make up movement.
The skeleton can operate in a sagittal plane, frontal plane or a transverse plane.
An effective training program must address all the planes of movement to be efficient.
The most effective movement will occur when origin and insertion move closer together, brace or to act on the attached bones.
The type of contraction will determine whether the action is one of stability, acceleration or deceleration.
Stability occurs when a group of muscles contract isometrically to hold the skeleton in a certain position.
Acceleration happens when a group of muscles contract to produce a concentric force thus acting on the skeletal system to produce movement.
Deceleration happens when a group of muscles contract eccentrically to slow down a skeletal system in motion.
There are so many check points that go into effective shoulder conditioning. In summary, remember to train the shoulder in all skeletal planes and use all forms of muscle contraction.
Think Outside The Box on every level!

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Sudden shoulder pain Causes

Help for shoulder pain

Working for long hours suddenly you shoulder snap, pain starts to grow in your shoulder. Every now and then you feel a sudden shoulder pain. Not only does it bother you but you’re not able to work your best because of the pain. There are several reasons why we have such sudden inflammation after long hours of work. For one, shoulder joints is the most mobile part of the body and too much use can lead to tear or injury, any swelling, inflammation around the joints can cause pain when we try to move our arm behind the back, or straight out in front.Another cause is old age. If we notice as people get’s older they tend to get joint pains everywhere, and it tends to grow more frequently as time pass by. Rapid age growth initiates bone deterioration, gradually narrowing of the joints and loss of protective cartilage which makes it hard for us to move with ease in return causes the person to feel pain it narrow the.Arthritis is one of the common causes of shoulder pain, it is the loss or damage of joints cartilage which is also associated with age degeneration which makes you suffer and less motion as result.Also, a sudden blow or fall can lead to shoulder joints to dislocate, since it is the body’s most mobile joint it is also the one that get dislocated frequently. Shoulder dislocation most frequently happen in younger athletic individual. The pain can be severe. An injury can also cause the shoulder bone to crack, that cause isn’t a surprise – you had a bad fall. Pain follows, and you may be able to see your shoulder bones dislocated.Frozen shoulder a condition in which creates stiffness and pain in the shoulder joints, which limits your ability to move your shoulders normally. And of course, sports injuries also contributes to sudden shoulder pain one minute you were jumping, and the next you doubled over, your shoulder feels like on fire. Now you can’t sleep normal and you have problems with simple activities like drawing. Synovitis contributes also to sudden shoulder pain, this is a very technical causes. The synovial membrane secretes a clear fluid called synovial fluid that lubricates joint surfaces and provides the cartilage with nutrients. Sometimes this capsule becomes inflamed. The result is the painful condition called Synovitis. One of the common problems that a person can have due to shoulder pain is Tendinitis and Bursitis. Tendinitis is the swelling of tendons. A person who encounters this sickness feels soreness with its biceps and shoulder tendons. While Bursitis is an irritation in the shoulder which concerns the shoulder bursae, a sac that protects the bones of the shoulder that results to shoulder inflammation. Finally, one of the most common causes of sudden shoulder pain is the result of a torn rotator cuff. The rotator cuff is made of four muscles. Their tendons form a “cuff” of tissue over the upper end of the arm bone — the rounded “ball” at the top of the ball and socket joint. The space between the rotator cuff and the shoulder blade is cushioned and lubricated by bursae. The rotator cuff helps you move your arm in a circular fashion like swimming, putting on a jacket and throwing ball.Moreover, you don’t need to live with the pain of shoulder problems. Much can be done to reduce your pain, return your shoulder mobility and get you back to the activities you love. We don’t need to lose hope.

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