Shoulder Injury Prevention
www.stewsmith.com
I have received many emails this week concerning past
injuries of Military.com and StewSmith.com readers. According to Navy Bureau of
Medicine, the top three sport injury surgeries done on its members are:
-
Shoulders
- Knees
- Lower Back
For the next three weeks I will
focus on exercises to help strengthen these areas in case you are suffering from
previous injuries. For those healthy Military.com readers, the exercises
discussed in the next three weeks will also help you PREVENT hurting yourself
with these most common of injuries.
This week my focus is on the number
one most injured joint in our bodies - the Shoulder. The shoulder is our
most versatile joint. There is no other joint that can lift up, down, forward,
backward, rotate left and right, or throw. The only joint in our body built
similarly is the hip. But with the shoulder's versatility comes its weakness. It
is commonly injured due to tendonitis, ligament pulls, bursitis, dislocations,
separations, and rotator cuff injuries. If you have had any of these injuries in
the past or you want to help prevent shoulder injuries in the future, try the
Light Weight Shoulder Workout below.
This workout is actually one used
by many physical therapists and requires ONLY light weights - in fact no heavier
than FIVE pound dumbbells is recommended. Start by using no weights at all and
only lift "the air". You will find that the air gets heavy on these small
muscles of the shoulder. But these are the muscles that no one exercises. Most
people will lift too heavy amounts of weight over their head and cause an injury
mainly due to lack of stabilization of the shoulder joint. By exercise all of
the muscles in the shoulder as with the Light Weight Shoulder Workout, you will
build the balance needed in the shoulder to help prevent injuries and build
nice, tone shoulders and arms. Try it below and see for yourself:
The
Light Weight Shoulder Workout (with dumbbells)
Do the following
sequence of exercises non-stop for ten reps each:
Lateral Raises - 10 (palms
down)
Lateral Raises - 10 (thumbs up)
Lateral Raises - 10 (thumbs down)
Front Raises - 10 (thumbs up)
Cross overs - 10 (palms facing away from
you)
Military press - 10 (see pics below)
LATERAL RAISE -
A safe and effective shoulder exercise with light weights. Over 5 pound
dumbbells is not recommended for this exercise. Keep your knees slightly bent,
shoulder back, and your chest high. Lift weights parallel to ground in a
smooth controlled motion, keep your palms facing the ground. Follow the next 5
exercises without stopping. 
THUMBS UP - After
performing 10 regular lateral raises, do 10 lateral raises with your thumbs up,
touching your hips with your palms facing away from you and raising your arms no
higher than shoulder height. 
THUMBS UP / DOWN -
Continue with side lateral raises. As you lift your arms upward, keep your
thumbs up. Once your arms are shoulder height, turn your hands and make your
thumbs point toward the floor. Repeat for 10 times, always leading in the up and
down direction with your thumbs.
FRONT RAISE (THUMBS UP) - Now,
for 10 more repetitions, time to work your front deltoids. Lift the dumbbells
from your waist to shoulder height keeping your thumbs up. 
CROSS OVERS -
With your palms facing away from you and arms relaxed in front of your hips,
bring your arms up and over your head as if you were doing a jumping jack
(without jumping). Cross your arms IN FRONT of your head and bring them back to
your hips for 10 repetitions.

MILITARY PRESS - Place
one foot ahead of the other as shown and knees slightly bent to reduce strain on
your lower back. Exhale as you push the weights over your head for 10 final
repetitions in the mega-shoulder pump workout.. Slowly lower them to shoulder
height and repeat. Muscles used are shoulders and triceps (back of arm).
Do
this routine during any upper-body day workout. Each of the StewSmith.com
Fitness Books has this great workout explained and placed throughout the books.
Check out StewSmith.comor emailStew@StewSmith.com for answers to
any of your questions. Next week - Knee Rehabilitation.
The Complete List of Stew Smith's eBooks:
General
Fitness and Nutritional Guides for Everyone
The 45 Day Beginner Guide to
Fitness
The 45 Day Intermediate Guide to Fitness
The Diabetic Prevention Workout /
Diet
The Athlete Workout - Rugby, Soccer, Lacrosse
& Football
The Busy Executive Workout
Routine
The Six Week Advanced Weight Training / PT
Guide
The Special
Forces Physical Fitness Workouts
New - Combat
Conditioning Workout
The Army Special Forces / Ranger Workout Phase 1 & 2
The Army Air Assault School Workout
NEW - The Coast Guard Rescue
Swimmer Workout - NEW
The OCS, ROTC, Service Academy, &
Bootcamp Workouts
Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard OCS Workout
The Service Academy Workout (West
Point, Navy, Air Force Academy)
The Navy, Air Force, Marine Corp Bootcamp Workout
The Army Air Assault School
Workout
The Law Enforcement
Physical Fitness Test Workouts
The FLETC Workout - Ace the PEB
/ Same as Blackwater's TestThe State / Local Police Academy Workout
The Public Safety Diver
Workout
Border Patrol Agent Workout
ATF Agent Workout

__________________________________________________________________________________________
Stew Smith, former Navy SEAL and fitness writer is certified by the National
Strength and Conditioning Association (www.nsca.com) as a Certified Strength and
Conditioning Specialist (CSCS). Email him personally at
stew@stewsmith.com or
stew@mycustomworkout.com
New Venture -
www.mycustomworkout.com
Online Downloadable Workouts Available at StewSmith.com