The shoulder may not have the best joint design out there, but it does allow people to do amazing things. When you think about which joints in the human body are most prone to injury, there is a competition between the shoulder and the knee for first place.
But it’s not really a fair fight. The knee is a highly complex articulated joint designed to cope with an incredible amount of force in the frontal and sagittal planes inherent in flexion and extension of the joint. The knee contains a series of stabilizing ligaments and menisci (medial and lateral) that provide additional stability and act as shock absorbers to treat varus and valgus forces, as well as internal forces and external rotation.
Instead, the shoulder joint and surrounding musculature is a type of ball joint designed primarily to stabilize the glenohumeral joint. While this allows for amazing flexibility and range of motion (much more range of motion than the knee), all that flexibility and complexity can make the shoulder more susceptible to injury.
Injuries come from pressure
The shoulder is not well designed to deal with the horizontal and vertical forces we throw at you in strength and conditioning training. But with clever programming and thoughtful supplemental work, you can train hard, push heavy weights, and avoid the kinds of injuries we’ve all probably had once or twice; as well as strengthening yourself in the process.
Due to the range of motion the shoulder is capable of, it is important to train the surrounding muscles to be strong in as many of these ranges as you can safely. The main thing is to stabilize the glenohumeral joint by loading kettlebells, doing plates on the floor or on rings, side plates or light dumbbell presses.
It is also important to introduce a series of complementary shoulder exercises to be as strong as possible in various ranges of motion. For example:
- Dumbbell Lateral Raises
- Inclined paddle
- Side flight
- Push-ups
- Parallel push-ups
- Ring bends
- Dominated
Feel free to add these specific shoulder movements and exercises to your existing routine if they are not yet present enough. Remember to stay light enough to guarantee a perfect technique and only gain weight when you can do it perfectly. The technique is essential with shoulder work.
Progress your training and increase your strength
As with all other types of training, your sets and rep structures should be progressive, starting with the lowest volume that will cause adaptation and working toward the maximum you can recover from. Go out and strengthen your bulletproof shoulders.
