Do you use rotator cuff exercises to strengthen your rotator cuffs, Have you ever thought about how much we use our shoulders? Without them, we couldn’t throw a ball, scratch our back, swing our arms, or even raise our arms up and down. Our shoulders get a pretty good workout day in and day out. But all of this use also makes our shoulders susceptible to injury-and that susceptibility increases even more with stress and age. The primary set of muscles in the shoulder-the rotator cuff-is where most shoulder injuries occur. By performing exercises specifically selected to strengthen these rotator cuff muscles, you can help reduce your chances of shoulder injuries.
Like any other muscle, the development of the rotator cuff muscle requires stretching, toning, and training. This will help make it more resistant to injury, strain, and the effects of advancing age. A stronger rotator cuff is less likely to get injured.
Follow the directions carefully to ensure proper execution of each exercise and prevent any exercising injuries.
Here are some rotator cuff exercises which can be done to strengthen and tone this muscle.
Warm up
Any time you plan to exercise, you need to warm up and stretch out. Failure to do this can result in sprains or injury. To warm up the rotator cuff, simple exercises like arm circles are ideal. Do 20 reps of each of the following movements per set, and do three sets altogether.
* With your arms at your side, lift them slowly. * Bring your arms up over your head. * Lower your arms behind your back slowly. Then return to the original position. * Repeat for 20 reps per set.
Alternately, you can simply make imaginary vertical circles with your arms. Begin with your arms at your side and take it slow and easy. Warm up exercises help improve blood circulation, particularly to the muscles, and prepare them for additional exercise.
Rotations Of The Shoulder Cuff
Make sure that your arms are at the shoulder level and parallel to the floor. Then make a right angle with the elbow by bending the forearm. In this position, you need to rotate your arms. Then come back to the starting point. Weights can also be added for additional resistance. You can start with lighter weights and then add more as your strength increases. This exercise can be performed for three sets of twelve reps each.
Lateral raises
Using small weights in each hand, raise your arms up straight out from your sides until they are parallel to the surface you are standing on. Then lower your arms slowly. Complete 20 reps to make a set and do three sets.
There are also additional exercises that will work well to strengthen shoulder muscles like the rotator cuff group of muscles. These are a good beginning workout. When you finish, don’t forget to cool those muscles down. Simply repeat the exercises you did for the warm up.
Start slow and build up your endurance with these exercises. Don’t race through them or it defeats the purpose and actually increases your chance of injuring the muscles instead of building them up. Use a steady, calm pace to maintain muscle control and build strength.
Tom Nicholson spends his time helping sufferers of carpal tunnel syndrome. Please click to learn more regarding some rotator cuff exercises.