3 Reasons To Look After Your Shoulders

Having minor aches and pains in your shoulders is a common problem everyone suffers with at some point in their lives. However, if you?re really struggling, your shoulders are telling you to overhaul your training routine. Ignoring these signals and pushing through the pain could lead to serious injury and months on the sidelines.

Rest is barely enough and only serves to be a quick fix. The chances are when you start doing your old routine again, the pain will come back. The shoulders are a fragile area which needs to be taken care of. Over at Breaking Muscle, they have some steps you can take in order to prevent problems before they start.

1. Because You Sit A Lot

If you live in modern society, your shoulders are suffering from your typing habits.?In her article,?The Thing You Do Every Day That?s Setting You Up for Shoulder Injuries,?author and mobility expert?Brooke Thomas?explained the domino effect sitting and typing has on your shoulders:

?A shortened pec minor, the little guy who sits deep to its better known neighbor pec major, will rotate your scapula forward and down, giving you that slumped shoulder look that you like so much.?

2. Because Your Overhead Lifts Could Be Better

Shoulder mobility plays a big role in overhead lift performance.?In his article,?The Dynamic Duo of Shoulder Impingement,?coach and physical therapy expert?Robert Camacho?discussed the role your shoulders play in overhead movements, as well as the lesser known role of the trapezius muscles and serratus anterior muscles:

?You have to learn to stabilise your shoulders properly.?If I asked you to stabilize your shoulders, what would you do? I tend to find that this is a commonly overlooked aspect of training.?

The post also has?three short videos which outline some simple shoulder stretches you can do at any time. Remember, if your shoulders become stiff and shortened, other parts of your body will start to suffer too. Doing these stretches, finding good replacement exercises and moving better will all help you feel great again.