Shoulder safety: a stable rotator cuff is the key to building a bigger—and better-looking—upper body without injuring your shoulders

Men's Fitness, March, 2003 by Joe Wuebben

You hit the bench and incline presses with the tenacity of Charles Barkley in pursuit of buffet seconds, find some time for triceps or shoulders, and then make a beeline for the closest mirror to admire the depth and separation of your pecs and the rounded mass of your shoulders. It's your chest-and-shoulder-day ritual, a feast for your upper body but a living hell for those little guys around the corner, your rotator cuff quartet, the four meager yet ever-critical muscles that sit atop your shoulder blades. You better show them some love, the experts say, lest they ruin all the progress you've made.

"The shoulder is a relatively" unstable ball-and-socket joint, and when the rotator cuff is weak, the deltoids pull the ball out of the socket," says Gordon Nubar, M.D., a member of the board of directors of Bally Total Fitness Sports and a consultant to the Chicago Bears and Blackhawks. "A strong rotator cuff, however, keeps the ball centralized, which is what you want." The rotator cuff also degenerates with age, so it's especially important to start training it seriously. Here's how.

THE DRILL

The workout consists of four exercises, performed two or three days a week with a day's rest between each session. Rest 30 to 45 seconds between sets. When sets of 10 get too easy, increase the number of reps, not the weight; Nubar says it's okay to go up to 25 reps. After that, add weight in small doses.

In addition to two- and five-pound dumbbells, you will also need an elastic band. Don't sweat the investment--dumbbells and an oversized rubber band will cost much less than the copay for the ensuing rotator cuff surgery should you decide to blow off our advice.

Target area: Rotator cuff

Time involved: 10 minutes

Sets and reps: 12 total sets of 10 to 15 repetitions per set

Equipment needed: Pair of five-pound dumbbells; pair of two-pound dumbbells; elastic band.

Benefits: Improves strength, particularly on pressing movements in which the shoulders are the primary or secondary movers; helps prevent injury.

THE WORKOUT

EXERCISE                  SETS   REPS

Lying external rotation     3     10
External rotation           3     10
Internal rotation           3     10
Empty can                   3     10

ROTATOR CUFF STUFF

Anatomical Diagram

Your rotator cuff comprises four muscles--the supraspinatus, subscapularis, infraspinatus and teres minor. The four muscles attach at different points on the scapula (shoulder blade) and enable the shoulder to internally and externally rotate.

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PERFORMANCE TIPS

* All movements should be done slowly and deliberately.

* Keep the weight very light (two to five pounds).

* For internal and external rotation exercises, keep your elbow in tight to your body.

* Keep all movements within the plane of your body, and no higher than your shoulders.

ISOLATION PLAY

To strengthen your rotator cuff, you have to isolate it, which the typical back-training routine doesn't do. "You have to work all components," says Gordon Nubar, M.D., a member of the board of directors for Bally Total Fitness Sports and a consultant to the Chicago Bears and Blackhawks. "If you don't, there won't be equality across the joint."

Contrary to everything you've been told about going heavy to build strength, when working the rotator cuff you should go light, very light--two to five pounds max. Nubar warns that using too much weight can actually tear the cuff.

THE EXERCISES

1. LYING EXTERNAL ROTATION (infraspinatus, teres minor) Lie on your side with a dumbbell in your top hand. Start with your elbow at your hip and angled at 90 degrees (1a). Keeping your elbow pinned to your hip, slowly raise the dumbbell as far up as you can, but not past the plane of your body (1b). Hold for a count, then lower to the starting position. After completing a full set, repeat with the opposite arm.

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2. EXTERNAL ROTATION (infraspinatus, teres minor) Attach an elastic band to a stable object and stand beside it with your inactive shoulder facing the anchor point (2a). Using the same arm action as you do with the dumbbell, pull your hand out and back until you feel your rotator cuff contract (2b). Hold for a count and return to the starting position. After completing a full set, repeat with the opposite arm.

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3. INTERNAL ROTATION (subscapularis) Attach an elastic band to a stable object and stand beside it. Hold the band in the hand nearest the anchor point. Start with your elbow at your hip, at 90 degrees, with your forearm angled away from your body (3a). Without moving your elbow, pull your hand across your body until it makes contact with your torso (3b). Hold for a count and return to the starting position. After completing a full set, repeat with the opposite arm.

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4. EMPTY CAN (supraspinatus) Stand holding dumbbells at your sides, elbows straight and thumbs pointing down (4a). Raise your arms at 30-degree angles in front of your body (not straight out to the side) without lifting your arms above shoulder height (4b). Hold this position for two seconds, then return to the starting position and repeat.