A New Exercise for Shoulder, Scapula, and Core Control

http://www.mikereinold.com/2014/06/new-exercise-shoulder-scapula-core-control.html

Today’s post in a guest post from my friend Tad Sayce, who is a strength coach in the Boston area that specializes in swimmers.  Tad shares a great exercise video that works shoulder, scapula, and core control.  I’m a big fan of “big bang for your buck” exercises that promote strength and stability in one exercise, which is something we talk a lot about in Functional Stability Training.  Tad came up with one that I am going start trying with my athletes.

Band Resisted Horizontal Abduction with a Press

As a former competitive swimmer, I can closely relate to the overhead athlete and the complications that can arise at the shoulder. As a strength and conditioning coach working predominately with swimmers, I am constantly looking to improve the durability of the shoulder. It is widely accepted that the shoulder operates at maximum efficiency in the presence of a stable base at the core. While I am a believer in the use of isolated exercises, today’s focus will be that of a more integrated effort. The video below demonstrates an exercise that facilitates shoulder, scapular and core activation: Band Resisted Horizontal Abduction with a Press. 

As the name implies, the exercise combines resisted horizontal abduction with an anti-rotation press. It is encouraged to first master each exercise in isolation before attempting to combine them. This exercise is great for educating athletes about proper scapular movement, and also demonstrating the ability to maintain position in the presence of increasing tension. I particularly like this exercise because it incorporates both dynamic and static efforts. I typically program this exercise for sets of 5 holding for 5 seconds, or sets of 8 holding for 2 seconds.