— ARCHIVES —
Exercise of the Month - February 2007: “External Rotations”
Prehabilitation is a term used by strength coaches, personal trainers, therapists, etc, to describe exercises, movements, etc, that their athletes, clients, and patients perform to reduce risk of injury whether in daily life, at the gym, or on the playing field. The shoulder complex is one of the most common areas of injuries amongst fitness enthusiasts and athletes alike. Preventing injury (in this case at the shoulder) should be a high priority when it comes to designing an effective exercise regimen. A great exercise that reduces risk of injury and increases muscular endurance of the rotator cuff musculature (specifically the muscles that externally rotate the arm and provide stability to the shoulder joint) is External Rotations.
Often performed with a resistance band or a cable column machine, external rotations are performed by standing straight while holding the forearm against the body and the same elbow in by your side. Externally rotate your hand and forearm away from the body via external rotation of the humerus (upper arm bone). Terminate the movement at a comfortable end point where no pain is felt. As previously stated, external rotations are performed to build up endurance in the rotator cuff. Therefore, this exercise can be performed as part of a warm-up routine for 1-2 sets of 10-25 repetitions.
