Rotator Cuff Exercises for The Office
Doing my rotator cuff exercises like the cat from Chinese food restaurants. 
Today I had a 1-1 technical boxing session. I stopped boxing on a very consistent basis about three years ago when the light bulb went off with left should pain and I thought, ‘Maybe I shouldn’t hit things everyday for fitness if I make my living with my arms.’
I’ve done it all somewhat extensively: American-style boxing, Muay Thai, kick boxing. Everything a Jewish girl needs to know. Strictly for fun and fitness of course.
10 years ago I developed mild left rotator cuff impingement from surfing 24-7 (think: overhead paddling) and not cross training enough to preserve my shoulder health. Boxing brought that shoulder pain out with a vengeance. Switching to south paw, aka ignoring that there was a problem, didn’t help.
Fast forward to today’s training session. Mr. Kick Boxing Guy said… why DON’T you just do a little bit everyday to strengthen your rotator cuff if you know it could be an issue anyway?
Where do I begin! Why do I think rotator cuff exercises are merely sprinkles on the cupcake of shoulder rehab?
The rotator cuff is a tiny little band of muscles that wraps around the head of the humerus. For all intensive purposes and this blog, let’s just say that they have a little job as well: to rotate the arm in towards you and rotate it away from you.
Rotator cuff: small and not mighty
Impingement or pinching of the rotator cuff (and other soft tissues of the shoulder) can occur from giving that tiny band of muscles a MUCH bigger job than they are intended for, say, anchoring and moving your entire shoulder/arm in ALL directions and at ALL times. They get pinched and angry at you. There are way bigger and stronger muscles that are intended for those jobs!
NO shoulder muscles can perform their intended job unless they are anchored on to an upright and decompressed rib cage. I find, however, that ALL people who have shoulder pain and have some version of slouchy posture.
Shoulder pain on the left, guaranteed.
You can’t fix the shoulder until you align and maintain an upright spine and rib cage. Can’t. Cannot.
The shoulder blade is a coat hanger and your spine is the closet.
You can’t hang something big, like an entire arm, on a slouched and falling over spine.
Check out FoundationTraining.com for more info regarding spine and rib cage decompression exercises that ARE the precursor to proper shoulder rehab. You can leave endless shoulder retraction exercises in 1985 shoulder rehab where they belong.
CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO If your posture is already on-point and you’re ready for the shoulder sprinkles, here is the no-more-excuses approach to getting your rotator cuff rehab in at the office. No gym required.
Not having luck getting rid of your shoulder pain? Frozen shoulder? Bursitis? Let us help you.