After my two articles on correcting posture in general (see here: part 1 and part 2), I wanted to focus specifically on the concerns encountered on the shoulders.
Indeed, the shoulders are the joints that pose the most problems for athletes!
In this article, I will therefore go further by giving you a daily post-training warm-up and stretching program, in order to optimize the health of your shoulders, eliminate pain and correct the postural problems that are there. related.
There are three essential points to remember in order to achieve this, which we will see in three parts (warm-up, training and stretching):
- increase the stability of your shoulders
- increase the mobility of the latissimus dorsi
- increase the opening of the rib cage
The first 2 warm-up exercises aim to increase the mobility of the back muscles and the opening of the rib cage:
- do 15 reps on each side
- do 15 reps on each side
Then you will perform a circuit of 3 exercises which aim to increase the stability of the shoulders, at the rate of 2 to 4 sets in all:
“The Rusin Shoulder Warm-Up”
- Over & Backs x 8-12 reps
- Pull-Aparts x 10-15 reps
- Face Pull-Aparts x 10-15 reps
Do the three exercises without resting time, and take 30 to 45 seconds of rest between each set.
Do all of these exercises before each of your workouts (just as good for strength training as a cardio workout). You can also incorporate these exercises into a stretching program, if you separate weight training and stretching. Nothing prevents you from spending ten minutes to do them during your days off.
When it comes to improving the health of your shoulders, you tend to focus on different pulling exercises. This is a mistake because in truth, the vertical pulling exercises which solicit the latissimus muscles (pull-ups, high pulley pulling wide grip) only accentuate the imbalance in the same way as the pushing exercises like the bench press or military press .
In this regard, John Rusin recommends 3: 1 and 2: 1 ratios. Which means: 3x more pulls than pushes, and 2x more horizontal pulls than vertical ones.
You should focus on exercises that strengthen the anterior deltoids, middle and lower trapezius, rhomboids and the rotator cuff:
– Rowings of all kinds (eg: rowing low pulley neutral or supine grip, dumbbells on inclined bench)
– Face Pull (elastic, high upright pulley, low seated pulley)
– Rear d ‘shoulders (on the pulley opposite, lying on an inclined bench)
– Cuban press (on the bar, low pulley, elastic)
If we respect the ratios as explained earlier, this could for example give (to distribute during your training week):
- 4 push exercises (bench press, military press, side raises and incline press)
- 4 vertical pull-ups (wide pull-ups, high pulley pull-up, supination pull-ups and straight-arm pulldown)
- 8 horizontal pulling exercises (neutral cable rowing, supination cable rowing, bar rowing, face pull, back shoulders opposite, bird on inclined bench, unilateral rowing and vertical pull with neutral grip).
Finally, at the end of each workout or in your stretching program, perform these stretches, for 30 to 60 seconds each:
Pullover on incline bench (opening of the rib cage and stretching of the back muscles):
Deltoid stretches behind the back:
Chest stretches:
You will start to feel results very quickly on your pain and on your posture by following this program!