You hear the name often, but did you know that weakness in this muscle can be a key producer of shoulder pain?
Shoulder pain can be a source of great frustration. Weather it's preventing you from training or simply causing you discomfort in your daily life, you'll need to develop a strategy to address it, as rest doesn't always resolve the condition.
Let me share a simple but essential exercise to include in your arsenal for creating shoulder health.
Shoulder pain can be a source of great frustration. Weather it's preventing you from training or simply causing you discomfort in your daily life, you'll need to develop a strategy to address it, as rest doesn't always resolve the condition.
Let me share a simple but essential exercise to include in your arsenal for creating shoulder health.
The trapezius is a muscle that helps to control many different shoulder movements and failure of it to work efficiently can cause the joint of your shoulder to move incorrectly, eventually causing pain.
It's a muscle that is commonly weak in many people, even individuals who regularly weight train. The reasons for this can be many, but for the sake of a post that can become too wordy, let's just say the movements required to exercise this muscle are no longer movements we perform with much frequency. If we also add that you sit hunched in front of a computer screen all day, you can bet your Trapezius muscles are on a full sabbatical.
The exercise that you need to include in your daily activities is called the XYT. It's called this because the movements that you perform with your arms follow the pattern of X's, Y's, and T's. Let's get to it.
It's ideal to perform the exercise on a bench but it can be done on the floor as well.
Step one
Lie face down on the bench or floor. Hold your body perfectly straight with your head in alignment with your body.
Step two (perform the X)
Pull your shoulder blades together with considerable force.
Step three
Reach diagonally out ward with your thumbs pointing upward. Hold the end of this movement for a couple of seconds and return to the shoulder blades together position and finally bring your arms back down. It is really important to emphasize the pulling of your shoulder blades together. Repeat this for a total of 10 repetitions then immediately go to step four.
Step four (perform the Y)
Pull your shoulder blades together then reach more directly in front of you. Hold the end position for a few seconds and return to the shoulder blades together position, then bring the arms back down. Be sure to really pull the shoulders together as with the X movement. Repeat for 10 repetitions then go to step five.
Step five (perform the T)
Pull your shoulder blades together then reach straight out to your sides. Again be sure the thumbs are pointed upward. Hold the end movement for a couple of seconds and return to the shoulders together position, finally bringing the arms back down to the starting position. Repeat this for 10 repetitions.
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A point to note in the technique; when you reach forward, keep your chest in contact with the bench. This will ensure that you don't over arch your lower back.
You can repeat the exercise 2-3 times and you should try to perform it about 4 times per week.
This post is not intended to replace a consultation with your health care practitioner. Always consult your doctor before doing exercise.
It's a muscle that is commonly weak in many people, even individuals who regularly weight train. The reasons for this can be many, but for the sake of a post that can become too wordy, let's just say the movements required to exercise this muscle are no longer movements we perform with much frequency. If we also add that you sit hunched in front of a computer screen all day, you can bet your Trapezius muscles are on a full sabbatical.
The exercise that you need to include in your daily activities is called the XYT. It's called this because the movements that you perform with your arms follow the pattern of X's, Y's, and T's. Let's get to it.
It's ideal to perform the exercise on a bench but it can be done on the floor as well.
Step one
Lie face down on the bench or floor. Hold your body perfectly straight with your head in alignment with your body.
Step two (perform the X)
Pull your shoulder blades together with considerable force.
Step three
Reach diagonally out ward with your thumbs pointing upward. Hold the end of this movement for a couple of seconds and return to the shoulder blades together position and finally bring your arms back down. It is really important to emphasize the pulling of your shoulder blades together. Repeat this for a total of 10 repetitions then immediately go to step four.
Step four (perform the Y)
Pull your shoulder blades together then reach more directly in front of you. Hold the end position for a few seconds and return to the shoulder blades together position, then bring the arms back down. Be sure to really pull the shoulders together as with the X movement. Repeat for 10 repetitions then go to step five.
Step five (perform the T)
Pull your shoulder blades together then reach straight out to your sides. Again be sure the thumbs are pointed upward. Hold the end movement for a couple of seconds and return to the shoulders together position, finally bringing the arms back down to the starting position. Repeat this for 10 repetitions.
form mt:asset-id="182" class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" style="display: inline;">
A point to note in the technique; when you reach forward, keep your chest in contact with the bench. This will ensure that you don't over arch your lower back.
You can repeat the exercise 2-3 times and you should try to perform it about 4 times per week.
This post is not intended to replace a consultation with your health care practitioner. Always consult your doctor before doing exercise.
LOL!!! Did you put that one up for me? I somehow feel like you're talkin to me. Thanks for the treatment today!! I'm feelin pretty good and I'll do the exercise as you've told me.
I can only say that after seeing you and about a half dozen people with the same problem this week, I felt like a post was necessary.
You don't fool around! When I asked for a new exercise post I didn't mean like right away. This is a great exercise but do you think I can add some light weights to it? When I perform the Y part of the movement I get clicking in my shoulder. What can that be? Should I stop?
Hey Chris! You were totally right. It’s been some time since I posted an exercise and this one is long over due. The clicking in your shoulder is from the instability in your acromioclavicular joint. Clicking that doesn’t produce pain shouldn’t be a problem for you with this exercise, but I wouldn’t add any weight until you’ve properly rehabbed that shoulder. I doubt the clicking will really go away especially with overhead movements but your shoulder has become much more stable and that will give the acromioclavicular joint some reprieve.