SHOULDER
EXTERNAL ROTATION - DUMBBELL
CORRECT FORM
1)
Lie on your side holding a dumbbell in your hand. Your elbow should
be bent to 90 degrees and your forearm perpendicular to your body
as shown. Place a towel roll or pillow between your body and upper
arm to bring the upper arm about 4 inches away from the body.
2) Begin by
turning in a rotational fashion at the shoulder joint. Be sure
to maintain the elbow at a 90 degree angle. It is a very common
error to let the elbow extend.
3) Continue
rotating the shoulder externally until it is at its end-range. You
should feel the tension and burning in the back of the shoulder
where the posterior rotator cuff resides. Do not let the upper arm
slip backward at the top of the movement.
4) Return to
the starting position slowly and under control.
5) Inhale as
you return, exhale as you lift the dumbbell.
MUSCLES
USED
SAFETY
CONSIDERATIONS/PRECAUTIONS
The
primary purpose of the dumbbell shoulder external rotation exercise
is to train an area of the body that is naturally very weak and often
neglected - the posterior rotator cuff. Having said that, working
this area in the wrong manner can definitely work against you.
There are two
primary ways people perform this exercise incorrectly:
1)
They do not create enough space between the upper arm and the body.
When the arm is against the body, you decrease the circulation
to the superior, posterior rotator cuff tendon (the supraspinatus
muscle). You are doing this while you are exercising it and increasing
its need for blood. By pulling the arm away from the body, you will
open up this area and increase the circulation. This is very important
2) The other way many people perform this incorrectly is by placing
this exercise anywhere but at the end of a workout. The purpose
of these muscles is to stabilize the shoulder while you perform
larger movements with the arm. These are small muscles and the last
thing you need is to have them fatigued when you are performing
heavy exercises. Do these and other rotator cuff exercises at
the end of your workout.
If you have any
existing shoulder problems, this is not an exercise you should start
on your own. Generally, this exercise will further exacerbate a shoulder
tendonitis. Consult with a physician or physical therapist to determine
whether this exercise is right for you.
EFFECTIVENESS
Performing external
rotation exercises for the shoulder with a cable isolates the posterior
rotator cuff, but does not necessarily train it the way it is used
necessarily. The rotator cuff is a reactionary group of muscles. In
other words, it reacts to other movements by helping to stabilize
the shoulder in a force couple. To that end, this exercise is really
only a small part of an overall rotator cuff/shoulder program.
IMPORTANT
WITH TRAINING FOR
Football,
Basketball, Baseball, Hockey, Track and Field, Throwing sports, Tennis/all
racquet sports, Boxing, Wrestling, Martial arts. |
