Shoulder Health | Muscle Musts
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00:00 When we think about shoulder training, we generally think about building shoulder muscle
00:08 and adding shoulder strength, but neither of those things can happen unless you have
00:12 a good base of shoulder health.
00:14 And I think this is the flaw for a lot of guys in the gym.
00:17 I remember coming up when I moved to New York, went to a bodybuilding gym and I saw a whole
00:20 bunch of guys in that gym that were all shoulder pressing, you know, 70, 80 pound dumbbells,
00:25 super jack shoulders.
00:26 I see those same guys now and a lot of them can barely lift their arm overhead because
00:31 they didn't take care of their shoulder health.
00:33 The shoulder joint is not just up here at the top of the arm.
00:36 The shoulder joint is essentially from the midline of your chest all the way out.
00:41 So the key thing that we want to focus on is knowing that my arm and my shoulder blade
00:44 have to operate together in order for proper shoulder movement that we'll see in any kind
00:50 of push, pull, extension, et cetera.
00:53 The only way to get stronger is to have healthy shoulders.
00:57 So moving the arm with proper scapula humor rhythm is imperative for me to make sure that
01:01 I'm going to get the strength out of my muscles, but I'm maintaining the health of the joint
01:06 at the root of the entire thing.
01:07 Let's get into our five movements.
01:09 So the fifth move on our list, when we talk about shoulder health, we want to understand
01:12 how to really squeeze our shoulder blades and control that.
01:16 And one of the very best ways to learn that is something called the front rack carry.
01:19 Ideally done with kettlebells.
01:21 The key thing with the front rack carry is not just picking up the weights and holding
01:26 your kettlebells and not thinking through the process.
01:28 You want to think about squeezing your shoulder blades together, forearm that's perpendicular
01:32 to the ground, almost trying to squeeze your lats, basically trying to make your body nice
01:36 and tight, your abs stay tight so we're not arching our back.
01:39 We're teaching a lot of good overall torso positioning that's going to feed shoulder
01:44 health in the long term.
01:45 What do you like to do in terms of timing, reps and sets on this?
01:47 We'll end up doing probably three sets where we're doing about 30 to 45 seconds in time.
01:52 This way, it's not a matter of how quickly you can get from point A to point B. I want
01:55 you to maintain control of this.
01:57 So by mastering this position, we're mastering a really good start for our overhead press.
02:01 It sets the stage for so much shoulder strength over the long term.
02:05 At number four, we're going to go with the arm bar.
02:07 And the difference between a front rack carry and the arm bar is the front rack carry is
02:10 you moving with a static shoulder and the arm bar is a static weight.
02:15 And now your body is moving around that, which makes it not just a great drill for the shoulder,
02:20 but it's an awesome hand-eye coordination drill.
02:22 You're right.
02:23 It is a really good hand-eye coordination drill.
02:25 How we're moving through the humerus and how the humerus is interacting with our scapula
02:29 when we create that rotation.
02:31 And the whole time we have to create a whole ton of shoulder stability.
02:34 It's all about how I can focus on the weight and how I can focus on my movement.
02:38 All about slowly getting a good feel for how your shoulder is and how you can operate through
02:43 space.
02:44 And the arm bar is also having that stabilized, but letting the arm move the way it's most
02:48 comfortable for you, the individual versus what the instructional video might say.
02:53 Every person's a little bit different.
02:54 So I love an arm bar because it allows you to dynamically stabilize that joint, but let
02:59 it freely move how you feel comfortable.
03:01 It's also going to address another issue.
03:03 When we talk about International Chess Monday, you talk about people benching too much.
03:07 This winds up being a really, really good chest opener.
03:09 So even if you're not getting all the other benefits or you don't see the other benefits
03:14 of the arm bar instantly, you're going to get a nice chest stretch out of this.
03:18 And in getting that chest stretch, we're going to create more room gradually for our shoulder
03:22 to move.
03:23 So it winds up being excellent just for that.
03:25 What do you like for reference sets here?
03:26 I mean, listen, you had me at chest at that point, but if I were to choose sets and reps,
03:29 I would end up doing somewhere from three to four sets.
03:32 And I want to go with a nice focus, six to eight repetitions on each side.
03:36 Again, you're focusing on the dynamic stability of each area and how your body can operate
03:40 while maintaining that kettlebell or weight in that top position.
03:44 It's not about getting a high volume or going for a PR.
03:48 This is really a shoulder health drill.
03:50 Really good warmup exercise for you.
03:52 That's number four.
03:53 For number three on our list, you have all that chest tightness.
03:55 We're pulled forward very often to keep our shoulders healthy.
03:58 We want to build strong mid back strength that's going to pull our shoulders back.
04:02 It's also going to make us stand taller.
04:04 That means any row works.
04:06 One of the best options for that is going to be the chest supported row.
04:08 I really like this exercise because we can load it up.
04:11 You get to squeeze your shoulder blades and pull back.
04:14 And in doing so, we're going to wind up getting a lot of rear delt.
04:16 You're getting a lot of mid back.
04:18 It just wants to being a really great way to open up your shoulders.
04:21 Yeah, I mean, rows in themselves are going to get you a lot stronger on that back end.
04:25 Let the arm fully protract shoulder blades, move through, retract, pinch them back.
04:30 But the beautiful thing about a chest supported option is you now can't use momentum to help
04:34 you with the strength aspect of it.
04:36 If you want your shoulder to get stronger and you want your back to get stronger, you
04:39 need to eliminate the momentum and the chest supported row is the best option for it.
04:43 If you're doing dumbbell rows, if you're doing barbell rows, sometimes we don't feel confident
04:47 doing that or we don't feel comfortable doing that.
04:49 But because you have that chest support, you feel nice and safe.
04:52 So you're able to really, really attack the chest supported row.
04:54 In terms of reps and sets, I generally like to think of three to four sets of anywhere
04:58 from eight to 12 reps.
05:00 I feel like you can go heavy on this exercise.
05:02 It's not bad to go heavy, especially when you think about what people are trying to
05:05 do on the bench press.
05:06 I'm definitely trying to get stronger through this.
05:07 I actually prefer going with somewhere from the eight to 15.
05:10 I like going a little higher with it too, mainly because when it comes to the posterior
05:13 chain of actually pulling, you're not likely to injure yourself when you're pulling back
05:18 because of where the weight sits.
05:20 It's not like a pushing motion.
05:21 So I like to get a little extra volume on that.
05:23 It's going to hit the backside of the shoulder a little bit more.
05:26 This way we're going to actually really groove that pattern that we're looking for between
05:30 the arm and the shoulder blade.
05:31 Either way, I think this is a mandatory exercise in everybody's routine.
05:35 At least once a week, if not twice.
05:37 That's number three.
05:38 At number two, we're going to go with an overhead press with an eccentric focus.
05:42 All that means is we're really paying attention to the lowering and descending of that weight
05:47 going back to that starting position, the overhead press.
05:51 That's where we're going to help build a lot of strength through it.
05:53 It's going to also help you figure out where your elbows should be in position to your
05:56 body when you're going through proper pushing.
05:59 The fact is most people, especially when I started shoulder pressing, I didn't know
06:02 where my elbows were supposed to go and you learn it very quickly by doing a nice controlled
06:06 pattern of that overhead press with the focus on the eccentric.
06:09 Exactly.
06:10 Every single guy in the gym is going to tell you to get all the way...
06:12 I can't even get out here.
06:13 This hurts right there.
06:15 Every single guy is going to try to tell you that's the best way to train your shoulders,
06:19 to focus on the deltoids, whatever they're going to say.
06:22 In reality, the best pattern and the best position for you to be in, where you're going
06:26 to be able to load the most in the long term, which is going to help you build all that
06:30 muscle and strength that you want, is going to be the most natural position for you, which
06:33 you're going to discover as you lower.
06:35 What we're talking about is you're going to press up and then you want to think about
06:39 lowering for three, four seconds.
06:42 That's going to require a lot from your total body too.
06:44 If your abs aren't tight, you're going to wind up arching through your back.
06:47 Your glutes have to stay nice and tight.
06:49 So all of that framework, everything we did in the front rack to start, you wind up essentially
06:54 lowering into the bottom of a front rack position, but you're doing it in this controlled manner
06:59 that's going to build a ton of strength and a ton of awareness that's going to really
07:02 help you own your overhead pattern.
07:04 Yeah, it's like any other exercise.
07:05 I don't want gravity to pull the weight down.
07:07 I want me to pull the weight down.
07:09 So I have to slow it down a little bit, own the weight, own the intensity, and it's going
07:14 to help me out, which is why when we're doing this, it's really a drill to figure out how
07:17 you can manage that weight.
07:19 If you're going with an eccentric load, it's going to start to burn and get really fatiguing
07:22 pretty fast.
07:23 So I'm generally only going with three sets of anywhere from like six to 10 reps, but
07:28 I usually sit closer towards that six to eight reps because myself and a lot of clients will
07:32 end up feeling extra stressed by doing that four second countdown.
07:36 It sneaks up on you pretty quickly.
07:37 Yeah, it's funny when you said 10 reps, my eyes got big because I would never go to 10
07:41 reps.
07:42 Always around six to eight reps for me.
07:43 Do the math on that.
07:44 That winds up being 32 seconds of time under tension just as you're descending in addition
07:49 to having to press the weight up.
07:50 Really strong time under tension.
07:52 We're in control the entire way.
07:54 As you're lowering to those opposing muscle groups, your lats, your mid back muscles,
07:58 they are all live.
07:59 You are aware of them.
08:01 All of that is setting the stage for really great shoulder health.
08:03 I love getting this in once a week.
08:06 That's number two.
08:07 So we've covered a lot of bases already.
08:08 The two things whenever we're looking for any shoulder health move though, we want to
08:12 really focus on the idea of external rotation, just the idea of turning our hand away from
08:17 us.
08:18 And then we want to focus on this idea of scapular retraction, being able to squeeze
08:23 our shoulder blades after moving through that full range of motion.
08:26 One of the best exercises to do that winds up being the face pull.
08:30 That good protraction, retraction through our shoulder blade.
08:33 At the same time, we're getting a ton of external rotation.
08:36 This is a really, really good exercise that you can do every day.
08:39 I like it as a warmup exercise for just about any upper body workout I'm doing because it
08:43 sets the stage for really, really good shoulder positioning overall.
08:46 Yeah, it's amazing for shoulder health.
08:47 It's like brushing your teeth every single morning, right?
08:49 It's that daily maintenance that we're doing for the specific joint.
08:52 And it's one of those things where you can add it in.
08:54 It's great for preparatory work.
08:55 It's great for a burnout.
08:56 It's great to finish off your workout.
08:58 It's one of those things that checks a lot of the boxes of what your shoulder actually
09:01 does, whether it's from a shoulder blade perspective, an arm perspective, a tension perspective.
09:07 Because of that, it makes it a really easy thing to add into your workouts.
09:10 And it doesn't take a lot of equipment, which is a beautiful thing as well.
09:13 I don't need this massive expensive machine to accomplish face pulls.
09:17 I need a resistance band by chance or maybe even a cable and I'm good to go.
09:21 The one issue I see with a lot of guys who do it, they don't understand how to do it.
09:25 So the common flaws I see is using a band that's way too thick or way too much weight
09:30 where it's now compensating your movement.
09:32 They're not focusing on owning the range of motion.
09:34 So they're rushing through it like it's a warm up and they're just kind of kicking through
09:37 it, which you shouldn't be warming up that way anyway.
09:39 And then on top of that, they're either not moving themselves into the rotational aspect
09:43 of moving that arm outward or allowing the band to pause as deep as it can.
09:48 I like a two second pause every single time I pull back.
09:51 If you're doing this on a cable machine, you want to grab the longest possible rope.
09:54 And what I like to think about doing when I do face pulls, a lot of guys just kind of
09:57 pull back.
09:58 They pull low.
09:59 They're not really thinking about it.
10:00 I like to essentially think about pulling and making my hands into goal posts when I'm
10:05 in this outside position.
10:07 Just being in this position right now, I can already feel my shoulder blades firing up.
10:11 I can feel my rotator cuffs working.
10:12 I want you to try and pull it anywhere between your forehead and your chin.
10:16 So you don't have to go super high.
10:18 If you have shoulder issues that might be something that you're a little worried about
10:20 or you're not confident in it, you can pull a little bit lower.
10:23 As long as you're getting that full protraction, retraction, you're getting your arms back,
10:28 rotating out.
10:29 The tension and the intent is all that matters for me.
10:31 Exactly.
10:32 I like three to four sets of anywhere from 10 to 15 reps.
10:35 Yeah.
10:36 I mean, you can go as high as 20 reps if you want to.
10:37 I like to have anywhere generally from 12 to 15 rep range for myself, but I've seen
10:41 people go as high as 20 and I'm really not that mad at it.
10:44 Either way, you want to get the face pull in your routine and you want to get all of
10:47 these moves in your routine on some level because they open the door for you to build
10:51 all the shoulder muscle that you want.
10:52 You can't have strong shoulders if your shoulders are not healthy.
10:56 So get these moves in your workout.
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