When you start a set of shoulder exercises with weights, do you pull your shoulders back? It’s not a horrible way to try for good form but this quick move isn’t the full solution. It’s worth going a little deeper to find your best shoulder position for strength training.
Note: This post is for information only and is not intended to replace the advice of a physician or an assessment by other wellness professionals.
Start by looking at your posture.
Your whole body, from your feet up to your head, is affected by poor posture. Among other benefits, good posture allows you to breathe more fully and move better. It also puts the shoulder joint in an optimal position for performance and can alleviate or ward off shoulder-related pain issues.
*** If you’d like to skip the anatomy and background info, you can scroll down to the video below.
A forward rounded shoulder seems to be the dominant issue with poor shoulder joint positioning. This position fosters tightness through the front of the shoulder. That’s further compounded by the often weaker and overstretched muscles of the scapulae (shoulder blades) and upper back.
What Causes Forward Shoulders
- Poor posture at your desk/in front of a computer.
- Ditto with phone usage.
- And basically everything you do all day long.
That last item? It’s true. The majority of activities we do throughout our day are all out in front of us – sitting, eating, cooking, working, driving, and on and on. All day long.
Stretching and exercises to counteract these forces will help you attain your best position for shoulder strengthening… and you’ll be able to carry it over into ‘real life’ activities as well.
Basic Anatomy of the Shoulder
The shoulder joint is one of the most complex in the body. It’s where the top of the humerus (upper arm) meets the trunk at a socket formed by part of the scapula (shoulder blade). If you look at a skeleton, you can see that the ball-shaped top of the humerus isn’t tucked into a deep socket. Instead, it rests on a very shallow saucer formed by the scapula.
The very fact that the shoulder joint is so unstable is what allows it to be the most mobile joint in the human body. Think of all the ways you can move your arm. And then think about what makes it work correctly.
Stability of the Shoulder Joint
The stability of the shoulder first comes from all the muscles, ligaments, and tendons that hold it in place. It also comes from posture. When your shoulder is properly positioned, all the supporting structures can work at their best.
Stretching
If you tend to have forward rounded shoulders, your shoulders will usually be internally rotated, protracted (forward), and possibly elevated.
In a standing position, you can turn your palms to face forward and pull your shoulders back and down. BUT that often results in overextension through the thoracic and lumbar spine. It takes a lot of subtle adjustment to get all of these elements just right. I find it easiest to take gravity out of the picture and work on the floor, at least to start.
Below, I take you through a series of movements on the floor to help you stretch and also get a better sense of what proper shoulder joint position should feel like.
Once you have a good feel for what correct posture feels like when you’re laying flat on your back, you can start to incorporate it into your upright posture, particularly with your workouts. In my next post, I’ll talk about specific strength training to help maintain this optimal shoulder position.
Stay fit!
Interested in scapular strengthening? Check out my post on how to work the lower trapezius and serratus anterior muscles.