The shoulder is the most mobile joint in the human body. This is due to the little bone support that the joint has, which gives it, in addition to its great mobility, also a higher vulnerability.
In addition, poor posture education, hours in front of the computer and sedentary life contribute to our shoulders suffering from aches and pains on a regular basis. To maintain a healthy posture it is necessary to work on the mobility and toning of the shoulder muscles.
It is important not to focus only on the deltas and traps. There are a large number of muscles involved in the rotator cuff, which although they are not as visible or attractive to train, they are vital for the health of the joint.
Here is a selection of exercises that you can carry out to improve the mobility of your shoulders:
1. Barbell shoulder dislocation
This is a very simple and basic stretching exercise that you can do in a few minutes with little equipment.
Grab a barbell. It serves a wooden, metallic bar or even the typical broom bar. Place your hands in a grip slightly wider than your own shoulders, and lift it up to your chest. From there, raise your hands bringing the bar up over your head, then toward your back. Lower yourself as low as you can and return to the starting position.
Repeat this movement for a couple of minutes, and then rest. If you think you need to make more incidence in the mobility of your shoulders, you can close the grip.
2. Wall extensions
Another very simple stretching exercise, available to almost everyone.
Support your back against the wall, staying fully upright, and raise your arms close to the wall and with your elbows bent at 90 degrees, palms facing forward. From this position, extend both arms raising your hands, until they are fully stretched on both sides of your head.
From there, return to the starting position. In this stretch, it is important to focus on maintaining an upright, straight position and smooth, pain-free movement. If your shoulders don’t allow you to fully extend your arms, don’t worry and raise your arms only as far as you can.
3. Back elbow stretch
For this stretch, you will need an elastic or resistance band.
Put your arm through one end of the band, so that it goes around your elbow, and secure the other end to a trellis or grip. Then, stand with your back to the wall with your arm extended upwards, and bring your hand back until you grab the band itself. From here, lean forward while keeping both your abs and glutes in tension.
Maintain that tension for one to two minutes, making sure your spine is straight, and then come back. Rest 30 seconds and repeat the exercise. You can do 3 complete repetitions, which will be enough to activate the shoulder muscles.
4. Internal rotations
We move on to a strengthening exercise with resistance or weight, of greater intensity. Using a weighted machine pulley or an elastic resistance band, stand up straight with your feet shoulder-width apart.
The arm to be worked should be kept close to your side, with the elbow fixed against the ribs. From there, grab the pulley or tape and make a rotational movement in which you bring your hand from your side, at 90º, to the front.
Make sure you don’t separate your elbow from your side, and that the only thing moving is your forearm and hand. Do 10-15 reps, with little weight or resistance.
