The shoulder joint is notoriously prone to injury because of its ability to move in all planes of motion and the sheer number of structures contributing to its support, creating more opportunities for any one of those structures to tighten up, become overactive, or become weakened.
Striving for optimal mobility not only will prevent sports-related and Activities of Daily Living (ADL) injuries but will increase efficiency in movement, strength gains, and sports performance.
Exercise selection and execution is only part of the equation. Preparing the joint and its supporting structures for those exercises is key to improving mobility, and ultimately, strength.
Pec Wall Hover
How to Perform the Pec Wall Hover:
- Abduct one arm to 90 degrees, placing palm and outstretched arm flat against a wall.
- While keeping your arm in place on the wall, slowly rotate your torso away from the wall until you reach tension. (Your arm should now be behind your torso)
- Now try to lift that same arm an inch or so off the wall (This will be activating the opposing muscle groups in the back: posterior delt, lower trapezius, and rotator cuff.)
- Perform ten small and slow circles forward, 10 backward, moving in and out of that tension.
- Repeat with arm 45 degrees upwards and 45 degrees downwards from the start position.
- Perform on the opposite arm
This exercise is the perfect preparatory movement for almost everyone. It will effectively:
1. Optimally stretch overworked chest/shoulder muscles
2. Activate scapular and rotator cuff control
3. Help to correct poor shoulder and thoracic posture
4. Prevent impingement injuries at the acromioclavicular (AC) joint (caused from people lifting with anterior-carried shoulders)
5. Improve overall shoulder flexibility and mobility
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