| Have you ever thought about which joint in your | | | | body to push, pull, lift or throw, rather than just your |
| body is the most moveable, the most fragile or the | | | | arms. Actions or exercises that require excessive |
| most abused? Like most people, you probably | | | | range of motion in the shoulders should be |
| shrugged your shoulders in answer to these | | | | performed with caution or avoided altogether. |
| questions. And there you have your answer!Whether | | | | Strength training exercises such as dips or the |
| or not you carry the weight of the world on them, | | | | dumbbell press can stress the shoulders if a safe |
| you need to take care of your shoulders. Strong | | | | range of motion is exceeded. Avoid going too deep |
| shoulders not only enhance the look of your upper | | | | or low into position on exercises such as these. Listen |
| body, they are crucial for pain-free movement.The | | | | to your body if you participate in fitness activities |
| shoulder joint is unique in that it has greater range of | | | | that involve repetitive arm motions. Swimming, |
| motion than any other joint in your body. This | | | | racquet sports and popular workouts like kickboxing |
| flexibility is important because it enables your arms to | | | | can cause shoulder problems if overdone. If you feel |
| perform all kinds of activities such as pushing, pulling, | | | | pain or discomfort in the shoulders after activities like |
| reaching, lifting, or even scratching your back. It's | | | | these, take a break and change to activities such as |
| easy to take all this mobility for granted, until | | | | cycling or walking that require less shoulder |
| something goes wrong.The shoulder's complex | | | | movement. Strength train your shoulders with a |
| structure and flexibility make this joint versatile, but | | | | variety of exercises that move through different |
| also prone to injury. Learning how to keep your | | | | ranges of motion. As you workout, use the strength |
| shoulders in the most stable position during | | | | of your muscles rather than momentum to move the |
| movement, and identifying which shoulder motions | | | | resistance. If you have to swing a dumbbell to lift it, |
| are safe, will help you develop strong shoulders and | | | | or "cheat" with other parts of your body, the weight |
| or recover from shoulder problems such as tendinitis, | | | | is too heavy and should be decreased. Use active |
| bursitis, impingement or rotator cuff injuries.Because | | | | stretches to increase flexibility in your shoulders, |
| strength and stability of the shoulder joint is not | | | | rather than passive stretches. For example, clasp |
| provided by the shape of the bones and their | | | | your fingers behind your back and lift your arms in a |
| ligaments, the shoulder joint is dependent on the | | | | pull-back stretch. This stretch uses the strength in |
| strength of the muscles to give support.Strength | | | | your muscles to lift the arms to a comfortable range. |
| training the deltoid muscle group (that runs over the | | | | In a passive version of this same stretch, another |
| top of the shoulders), and the rotator cuff muscle | | | | person would pull your arms back and lift them for |
| group (which encircles the shoulder joint), will help | | | | you. The potential for overstretching and injury are |
| strengthen, stabilize and shape the shoulder area. | | | | greater when using passive stretching for the |
| Here are some guidelines to help you strengthen your | | | | shoulder area. Take care of your shoulders by |
| shoulders and avoid preventable injuries.Avoid rapid, | | | | focusing on strength training and safety. Shrug off |
| uncontrolled or flinging arm movements. All shoulder | | | | poor movement habits, and enjoy your shaped-up |
| exercises or daily tasks involving the shoulders should | | | | shoulders! |
| be smooth and controlled. Try to use your entire | | | | |