This is a question I have been asked several times in recent months on You Tube and also via email as there has been a lot of discussion around the potential benefits of this exercise for your spine and shoulder. To me, this question reminds me about the benefits of backwards walking for knee pain that I discussed in a previous article in that there are undoubtedly some obvious benefits to using an exercise like this, but the overall impact it can have is usually well and truly overstated. In some cases this can even be detrimental to the overall health and stability of the body defeating the purpose of using it in the first place. In this article, I will go into detail about how to do this correctly, and analyze the pros and cons of using the dead hang to rehabilitate a back or shoulder problem to help you determine if it is something that will benefit your body.
Why It Is Vital You Devote Time To Strengthening Lower Trapezius
One of the most neglected muscles in many strength workouts is the lower trapezius. If you have neck pain or shoulder pain this can be a real problem, as weakness with this muscle greatly contributes to ongoing pain and dysfunction for the important role it plays in providing stability to the scapula and shoulder joint. Most people believe that many of the compound strength exercises will automatically improve its strength and function so they don’t devote any time to strengthening it with specific exercises. I know I used to think this way, and it may be true for someone with no injury or dysfunction in the shoulder, however anyone with postural problems, shoulder, or neck pain these compound exercises may not work very well, if at all. This leads to several questions such as how do you know if you have lower trapezius weakness? And if you do what are the best exercises to target this muscle to restore it back to its full function? In this article, I will discuss how to test and assess your lower trapezius strength and the best ways to improve it back to full capacity.
Why Serratus Anterior Is So Important To The Shoulder But Also Very Difficult To Strengthen
Shoulder pain is one of the most common injuries to people of all ages and it is also one of the most difficult and complicated areas of the body to work with. The shoulder is very unique in that there are so many dynamic movements this joint can complete but this dynamic mobility with extreme ranges of movement leaves the joint vulnerable to imbalances, instability, and injury. When there is a muscular imbalance around the shoulder it can lead to diminished scapula control that result in postural dysfunctions like winging of the scapula and shoulder injuries like shoulder impingement and rotator cuff tears. One of the main muscles responsible for these imbalances is the serratus anterior which is a prime mover of the scapula and along with the lower trapezius plays a critical role in providing normal scapulohumeral rhythm and motion. The biggest problem with the serratus anterior is that many of the best exercises to strengthen this muscle are also the most problematic and painful movement to execute making it very difficult to restore back to full strength. In this article, I will discuss exactly what the serratus anterior’s function is and how you can restore full strength if you have suffered a shoulder injury.
Why I Don’t Rate the Bench Press Very Highly As a Strength Exercise
One of the exercises I very rarely use or talk about is the bench press. It is arguably the most popular exercise used in the gym in particular with young males looking to add muscle size to the upper body. While it certainly can add some muscle to the chest and shoulders I tend to rate the bench press below several similar exercises and I believe it is highly over-rated in terms of its overall benefits, and under-rated for the risks it presents. In this article, I will explain why I don’t rate the bench press so highly and the many other exercises you can use instead that deliver a much greater result.
Why I Don’t Like External Rotation Exercises For Strengthening The Rotator Cuff
Whenever you talk about exercises for the rotator cuff or for preventing shoulder injuries the very first exercise people think of is the external rotation exercise using rubber tubing. How come nearly every shoulder problem needs external rotation work? Do they all have weak external rotators? Many physical therapists and trainers will say yes, and this will often be their “go-to” exercise for almost every shoulder injury they see. Their belief is that the external rotators are weak and over-powered by the larger internal rotator muscles of the pecs and lats and therefor they need to be strengthened. However, this type of logic ignores the true role of the rotator cuff and assumes so many critical factors that are often the reason behind the imbalance being created in the first place. In this article, I will discuss how these exercises often cause more problems than they solve and if you want to improve stability and function of the rotator cuff, you will find there are much better choices that will get you out of pain and back to full function.