Top 3 Exercises For Athletes Saved My Shoulder

When I was in high school I pitched the maximum number of innings per week for 3 years.  By attending a smaller high school, we only had 2 pitchers – Matt and myself.

Now when I ask the team I coached how many of them are pitchers, 14 out of 15 athletes raised their hand….

When I went to college, I started getting some shoulder pains that ended up persisting for years.  When I bench pressed I would get a nagging pain, overhead press was out of the question, and a lot of dumbbell unilateral pressing exercises caused discomfort. 

Heck, even running would cause pain in my shoulder. 

I had to so something to fix it.  I started with different stretches I picked up and then started to work on mobility.  Fortunately, I never had to have surgery and the pain has really gone away. 

However, I can see that strength trainers are going to face a lot more of these issues in the future with the number of youngsters that are throwing frequently!  As seen above, there is a lot to shoulder movement and health, not just the joint.

Here’s two suggestions to avoid the pain:

1.  Perform OPPOSITE movements than throwing.  Kids through enough, don’t run them repeatedly through the same motion in the gym.  Train the motion IN REVERSE. 

2.  Incorporate all three exercise in the Top 3 Sledge Exercises For Athletes, get the hands strong, the shoulder mobile, and the core explosive. 

Top 3 Sledge Exercises For Athletes

I tried to make this exercise series as simple as possible without and fancy equipment, bands, or machinery.  Just a hammer is all you need!

Each movement and exercise will contribute to a healthier upper body.

- Joe Hashey, CSCS -