Rotator Cuff Repair
After years of bench pressing and military pressing with a barbell, my rotator cuffs were shot. Not torn, thankfully, but badly worn and painful. Every time I trained chest or delts my shoulders hurt like you would not believe. I had to have my training partner at the time bury his fist into my deltoid just to relieve the burning pain.
Obviously something was wrong.
In this article I’ll cover what the rotator cuff is, how it functions, and how you can protect—even heal—your rotator cuff so that hopefully you can train without injury or the need for surgery. These exercises worked for me and they’re very simple to do.
Before we begin, I need to point out the following:
- Always perform these movements prior to shoulder or chest training.
- If your delts ache (other than a normal burn from training them directly) opt for “palms-in” training and no barbells for a while. Read my article on deltoid training using the palms-in technique for more information.
What Is The Rotator Cuff?
The rotator cuff is a group of 4 muscles that helps to lift your shoulder up over your head and also rotate it toward and away from your body. Unfortunately, it is also a group of muscles that is frequently injured by tears, tendonitis, impingement, bursitis, and strains. The major muscle that is usually involved is called the supraspinatus muscle. It is this muscle that the following movements exercise and strengthen.
There are three major injuries that can occur in the rotator cuff region. Rotator cuff tendonitis, also known as Impingement Syndrome or Shoulder Bursitis, usually occurs in people 30-80 years of age, and usually the weakness in the shoulder is only mild to moderate. A rotator cuff tear usually occurs in people who have had tendonitis for a while and are starting to experience more weakness. It can also happen in someone who tries to lift something too heavy and feels a pop in the shoulder. Instability impingement occurs in younger individuals, typically 15-30 years old. The rotator cuff is irritated because the shoulder is loose in the socket. This often happens in baseball pitchers, swimmers, and other throwing athletes.
Repairing and Strengthening the Rotator Cuff
If the injury or wear on the rotator cuff is bad enough, orthoscopic surgery is occasionally required. If you suspect this, please see a doctor prior to using these techniques. In my case I was able to avoid surgery by consistently using the exercise below. Everyone, regardless of whether they have an injury in the area or not, should perform these movements for prevention’s sake.
There are three phases to this movement: the first phase (pics 1 and 2) involves lifting the weight outward from the body. The second phase (pics 3 and 4) involve lifting the weight forward and away from the body. The final phase (pics 5 and 6) is done by lifting the weight backward and away from the body. Ten to fifteen reps per phase is required and there is no resting between phases. However, very light weights are to be used. This is NOT a strength exercise so please don’t treat is as such by using heavy weights. To give you an idea, I use 8lb dumbbells and I use 90lb dumbbells for military presses. Use that as a gauge for your own weight selection.
Phase 1: Sitting on the end of a bench, begin by holding the weights with your palms back (see pic 1) rather than your palms facing you as you would when performing side lateral raises. From there, bending slightly at the waist, simply lift the weight out to the side (similar to a lateral raise—see pic 2) and back. Repeat this for 10-15 reps.
Phase 2: Notice that you begin this phase in the same position but you twist the wrists to where the top of your hands are pointed inward toward your thighs. This is a bit awkward at first but you’ll get used to it quickly. From there you lift the weight in an arch forward and away from the body (see pic 4—notice the wrists are turned toward the body) and return. Repeat this for 10-15 reps.
Phase 3: Begin in the same starting position but lean more forward. Turn your wrists 180 degrees to where the palms of your hands are facing your thighs exactly as in a lateral raise. (NOTE: I simply forgot to snap the right position for the starting picture so pic 5 is not biomechanically correct). You now lift the weight directly backward and away from the body and return (see pic 6—this wrist position is correct, but due to a funky angle you can’t see it as clearly as I’d like. Just remember to perform this phase with the same wrist position you’d use in a side lateral and you’ll be golden). Repeat this for 10-15 reps.
That’s all there is to it. I perform two sets of these phases prior to all delt or chest training and I suffer no shoulder pain whatsoever. I train all chest and delt movements with dumbbells, palms-in, to deactivate the rotator and protect it from injury.
Thanks to my friend and model Ramsey Rodriguez for showing me these movements years ago and for posing for the photos above. Ramsey is a national-level bodybuilder and one of the finest trainers I know. He trains here in Dallas at Goodbody’s on Inwood Lane. Ramsey is also one of the creators of Tribustol, a fantastic supplement for enhancing strength. For more information, check out the Tribustol website today.
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