Shoulder training for people with rotator cuff problems?

[Fast Twitch Fiber]

Does anyone have any suggestions? My RCs are killing me when I try overhead presses (or incline bench) My shoulder workout has been reduced to pussy exercises like lateral raises and upright rows on the friggin Smith machine. Does anyone have any suggestions for a good strength/mass workout without being able to do overhead presses?

 

[lodid]

Same story here!

Would love to know what others do.

My doc said it could take 6 months to recover, I need to find alternatives as there is no way I can skip upperbody for up to 6 months.

 

[DrBones]

Go see a DEEP TISSUE massage therapist TODAY...
I couldn't do anything with my shoulders for 2 years... it hurt to lift my arm.

7 different doctors told me I was hooped and had to live with it.

I went to a deep tissue massage therapist and within 4 sessions I was benching again pain free...

It may take longer for others to recover.. but go get it done and then take care of your cuffs!

 

[spatts]

My plan of attack was to stop doing overhead movements for a while, and start working the infraspinatus, rhomboids, rear delts, etc...to make them stronger. Once I rehabbed them, I worked on building strength in them. Now I can do overhead stuff with no problem, but I usually don't, just because there's no carry-over from overhead movements to my bench press. I stick with bench-plane moves.

It took me about 6 months to be pain free, and almost a year to be "normal." Now I continue to work on increasing the strength in the muscles that support that area.

 

[MsBeverlyHills]

Go see a DEEP TISSUE massage therapist TODAY...
I couldn't do anything with my shoulders for 2 years... it hurt to lift my arm.

7 different doctors told me I was hooped and had to live with it.

I went to a deep tissue massage therapist and within 4 sessions I was benching again pain free...

It may take longer for others to recover.. but go get it done and then take care of your cuffs!

yep-- this sounds good...also I wouldnt use the Smith for shoulder workouts at all-- could be making your problem worse...just use lighter free weights.

 

[The Red Dragon]

Yeah smith machines restrict a natural movement making the movement awkward (That's how I felt). Yeah I'm quite interested to know how to work the rotator region. I think I put a stop to overhead lifting except for incline bench...which is not really overhead =/.

 

[The Red Dragon]

And by the way, upright rows can be dangerous to the RC's depending on your shoulder structure...that can cause pain to (it caused me pain a few hours/days afterwards).

 

[rugal]

Spatts,

what specific exercises did you use?

 

[needsize]

I hurt my rotator cuff pretty bad on military press, and just couldnt get it to heal. I recently switched over the to hammer strength over head press (I normally hate machines) and my shoulders have continued to grow while feeling 100% better

 

[natedog]

I bought a book on rotator cuff rehab when I hurt mine doing ...drumroll... military press (taking it off the rack too far behind me, actually). There was only one exercise that seemed particularly useful for bodybuilders because of all of the other shoulder work we already do. It worked very well for me. I recovered in a couple of months (couldn't lift a towel over my head at first, and was back in the gym full-force after).

Lay on a bench, on your side. Hold a LIGHT (5-10 lbs, more is not better) dumbell in the hand that's on the top side. Rest your elbow on your hip and make sure you keep it there. Keeping your elbow at a 90 deg angle, slowly lower the dumbell to about bench level, then raise it up as far as you can comfortably. Repeat. Do a couple sets of maybe 10-15 for each arm, each workout. Increasing weight isn't really necessary, and beyond a certain point probably isn't good.

The exercise is called...external rotation, I believe. It works a particular small muscle in the rotator cuff that doesn't normally receive much attention.

The book mentioned a few exercises that everyone should remove from their workouts, due to particular stresses put on parts of the rotator cuff. One of those was upright rows (impingement of the shoulder ACL), and another was behind the neck presses (don't remember why, or maybe the list was too long).

 

[spatts]

rugal, at first I started doing some very light weight rotator movement for my cuffs. Your typical rehab work, and I can post some pics of that if you're not familiar.

Then, I started adding hang snatches to my regimen. These are WONDERFUL. I never used more than the bar, just worked the muscles for rehab.

Then I started adding in heavy face pulls, seated db power cleans, and things like that.

It was jus in the last couple months that I switched from a "rehab" mind set to a "strengthening" mind set. So now I'm adding weight to those hang snatches, picking up the weight on power cleans, etc..

I have also developed a litle triple set that help me out alot for my cuffs. It's basically three of the very first moves I used for rehab, but I use a little more weight and triple set them.

I put a 10 pound plate in each hand (holding it through the middle). I start with a unilateral move that I refer to as "bye-byes." I'm sure they have a more mature name. lol. Basically you hold your arm up like a traffic conductor commanding a stop, and with your upper arm remaining at 90 degrees to the body, the hand goes forward and back up like you're saying "bye bye." I do these for about 10 each side, then go straight in to side lateral raises (which I do with my arms at 90 degrees (not out like wings), the I do a front delt move. This a tricky one to explain. OK, you probably know what a plate raise is. You hold them in front of you, raise them up and down...pretty simple. HOWEVER, here's what I noticed: If you hold the plates so that the words on the plate are facing down (your thumbs are on top pointing away from you, it hits the front delt in a totally different way. I get alot more out of it. Not sure if that description works for you. I will be happy to post a vid of this if necessary.

I do this triple set all the way through three times on bench days after my heavy shoulder move. Then on off days, I sled drag or use bands to do active recovery...same moves imitated.

 

[kingc_79]

when i hurt my shoulder, they had me doing really light lateral raises with pulleys and another one was: tie off a band to something. hold the end and have your arm @ full extension and rotate your shoulder back slowly. another one was: hold arm 90% angle to your side pointed up. have someone throw you a 3 or 5lb ball and let your arm rotate as far back as possible and spring it back up. do this for 3 sets 10-14. thats a few of the things the trainer had me do when i hurt my shoulder in the usmc.

 

[spatts]

Here's the triple set I was talking about. I do these three moves back-to-back, and then rest. I go through the whole thing 2-4 times. When I first started working my rotators, I couldn't get through 1 set. I still do these light to keep blood and oxygen flowing through the area, and to promote healing. I do additional strength work with my regular training back and rear delts now, too, but it took almost a year to get to that level.

 

[ariolanine]

Does anyone have any suggestions? My RCs are killing me when I try overhead presses (or incline bench) My shoulder workout has been reduced to pussy exercises like lateral raises and upright rows on the friggin Smith machine. Does anyone have any suggestions for a good strength/mass workout without being able to do overhead presses?

I have the opposite problem. Over head presses feel fine, but lateral raises and upright rows kill my right shoulder. The next day I can feel and hear the loose cartilage.

 

[The Red Dragon]

Thanks spatts.
Natedog what other exercises shouldn't be done?

 

[natedog]

Don't remember exactly. It's been years.

Image: http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0944831257.01._PE_PI_SCMZZZZZZZ_.jpg

Here's a picture of the book, "7 Minute Rotator Cuff Solution", available from Amazon. It's worth reading.

 

[Zander1983]

Thanks for those pictures, spatts. I think I'll use that routine instead of external rotations...

 

[SeymourCuts]

If you already have a problem, exercise choice is pretty much a gamble at making it better or making it worse without knowing the exact nature of your problem. So many potential imbalances. The ART therapist I went to for my RC had me do 6 weeks of rehab with no upper body exercise outside his office then he had me doing the pussy super-slow shit for a few weeks. Cutting out all exercises that require use of the shoulder (including Squats or any movement where you have to hold weight in your hands) other than the 7-Minute RC Solution exercises for 4-6 weeks while taking joint supplements like Glucosamine, Chondroitan and Gelatin, then easing back into your normal upper body routine to guage how your shoulders are is probably the way to go. If they're still giving you problems on the same exercises, then it'll be time to see a therapist for sure.

 

[spatts]

I took a significant amount of time away, laregly for diagnostic purposes. I went to my sport med physician, who ran all kinds of tests (CT/MRI/XRAY/Etc...) and he came to the conclusion that it was a severe muscle imbalance that was putting stress on the bones in the joints of my shoulder. I started out light. There are other rehab moves I can post that I started with...some where I would lay on my side with a towel between my waist and arm, and something similar to the bye-byes, but to the side. I did this stuff everyday, religiously...I wanted to bench again someday. I took it very slow. It's been over a year, and it was just in the last month or two that I started turning my rehab work into strength work. I took the entire month of December off after my comp because of the stress I put on the area....didn't want to regress. It was smart that I did, too, because after 4 weeks of no benching at all, I came back to set a huge PR. I just needed some down time.