Training the Shoulder: Not Just Front Raises

Oftentimes, when we think of training the shoulders we immediately envision doing dumbbell work that usually includes front raises, side raises, rear delt flys, etc. When the goal is to increase the size of the shoulder these exercises are usually a fine choice. However, that’s not always the need for athletes who rely on the function, strength, and health of their arms and shoulders to succeed in their sport. The needs of an athlete are different than those of a bodybuilder, and so we should treat the training of the shoulder differently as well. For athletes, shoulder care is about shoulder function. Not just shoulder size.

The shoulder is a ball-and-socket joint made up of three bones that articulate with each other: the humerus (arm), the clavicle, and the scapula (shoulder blade). These bones are then covered by ligaments, tendons and muscles that attach to the arm, upper back, mid back, lower back, and neck. For the arm to move freely as intended, it needs these muscles to function properly to allow the scapula to move as needed. When these muscles become tight or restricted, then scapular movement becomes compromised which can lead to compensation and sometimes injury. My goal when training the shoulder in athletes is to first: restore or maintain the range of motion for the scapula, and second: strengthen the muscles that are responsible for moving the scapula.

So who needs this heightened focus on shoulder training? If you said, “All athletes.” I wouldn’t scoff. However, I would emphasize overhead athletes. These are baseball, softball, and quarterback-like athletes who are constantly throwing. These are volleyball and tennis athletes who need stability to produce power in an overhead position (i.e. serving & hitting). These are also swimmers who need scapular mobility to create full overhead movement to create the most powerful, efficient stroke possible.

“*Insert athlete’s name* threw 100 times yesterday, isn’t that enough to help increase their throwing speed?” Repetition causes compensation. Compensation leads to dysfunction. Untreated, dysfunction usually spells injury. An analogy I’ve always liked is, “Everyone likes a fast car. But a fast car with bad brakes eventually crashes.” Yes, working on the acceleration of a car can improve the overall speed, but the car eventually needs to slow down. The same is true with the shoulder. It’s awesome if I can throw a ball 90+mph. But if my shoulder is not strong enough to decelerate, I’m going to have problems.

When I program shoulder care, my focus is to address the way the scapula can move. In the simplest terms, I want to see the ability of the scapula to move up, down, forward, backward, slide up, and slide down. A lack of any of these can lead to an inability to properly handle loading or weight in an overhead position. Step one would then be to improve that movement capability – likely through stretching or targeted rolling of the traps, lats, and teres major muscles. Step two would be to then work on the strengthening of the muscles responsible for these movement patterns. This can be as simple as using a TRX to perform rows or as complex as having a baseball athlete perform a banded isometric with their arm placed in a similar position as they would when releasing a pitch.

The human body can be incredibly complex, but at the same time, it’s incredibly well-organized. The body will only allow an output it deems safe enough to control. In the realm of shoulder care, the body will only allow the arm to throw/hit/serve as hard as it can safely control and slow down. Proper shoulder care is reinforcing that the arm is in fact ready and able to create extreme outputs. Maintenance for the braking system of a McLaren 720 can cost upwards of $2000. Overhead athletes should prioritize healthy, strong shoulders the same way McLaren prioritizes a quality braking system.

Alex Williams