This Rotator Cuff Workout Will Strengthen and Stabilize Your Shoulders
Strength training is not only about squatting or pressing—there’s a lot of foundational work at its core that can help set you up for success. One example of this is a rotator cuff workout, which can help protect your shoulders so you can use those muscles more efficiently and safely.
Many people tend to neglect their rotator cuff, a group of four muscles that come together at the head of your humerus (your upper arm bone) to help you lift and rotate your arm. But focusing on building a strong rotator cuff is important for anyone who strength trains—not just for those who have had a previous rotator cuff injury, such as a torn rotator cuff, Marcia Darbouze, P.T., D.P.T., owner of Just Move Therapy in Florida and cohost of the Disabled Girls Who Lift podcast, tells SELF.
“The rotator cuff muscles are the stabilizers of the shoulder complex, and they create space within the shoulder joint for optimal movement and guide your mechanics,” Darbouze says. “Without a strong set of rotator cuff muscles, the shoulder doesn’t move the way it’s designed to move. That’s why we feel pain and get angry aches.”
Plus, if your rotator cuff muscles are weak, other muscles (like your upper trapezius) will end up taking over for the movement, she says.
Improving your shoulder stability isn’t only about strengthening your rotator cuff muscles, though. In addition to focusing on them and your other shoulder muscles, you should also make sure you’re challenging your lower trapezius muscles (the muscles at the top half of your back) and your serratus anterior (a muscle along your rib cage that helps you position your shoulder blade).
These muscles tend to be weak in many people, which is why exercises like overhead pressing can cause front-of-the-shoulder pain, says ACE-certified personal trainer Sivan Fagan, owner of Strong With Sivan in Baltimore, Maryland.
A workout that focuses on strengthening these muscles—and improving the external rotation of your shoulders and your thoracic spine mobility—can help you build the strength and range of motion to do pressing-based workouts more safely, she says.
The following rotator cuff workout created by Fagan does just that. You can use this as a warm-up for an upper-body strength training day or do it as a standalone routine if your shoulders need a little more TLC, Fagan says. (Of course, any time you’re feeling serious shoulder pain, or any kind of weakness or numbness, you should see your doctor or physical therapist.)
The Workout
What you need: A light-resistance mini band and an exercise mat.
The Exercises
- Banded shoulder external rotation
- Plank tap
- I-Y-T raise
- T-spine windmill stretch
Directions
Complete 12–15 reps of each exercise. Rest 15–20 seconds between moves. Complete 3 rounds total.
Demoing the moves below are Angie Coleman (GIF 1), a holistic wellness coach in Oakland, California; Nathalie Huerta (GIF 2), coach at The Queer Gym in Oakland, California; Erica Gibbons (GIF 3), a California-based personal trainer and graduate student becoming licensed as a marriage and family therapist; and Caitlyn Seitz (GIF 4), a New York–based group fitness instructor and singer-songwriter.
Kelsey McClellanBanded Shoulder External Rotation
Wrap a mini band around your wrists with your palms facing each other. Bend your elbows so your forearms are in a straight line. This is starting position.
Keeping your elbows tight at your sides, move your palms away from each other, then bring them back to starting position. This is 1 rep.
Complete 12–15 reps.
Focus on quality with these reps, taking the movement slowly and making sure you’re feeling it in the back of your shoulder, not your upper trapezius muscles, says Fagan.
Kelsey McClellanPlank Tap
Start in high plank position with your shoulders stacked directly above your wrists, legs extended behind you hip-distance apart, and core and glutes engaged.
Tap your left hand to your right shoulder while firing your core and glutes to keep your hips as still as possible. Try not to rock from side to side. (If you find yourself rocking, you can widen your legs for balance.)
Do the same with your right hand to your left shoulder. That’s 1 rep.
Complete 12–15 reps.
When you bring your arm off the mat, the muscles in the shoulder of your opposite arm have to really fire to keep your body stable, says Fagan. Your core gets an added bonus here too.
I-Y-T Raise
Stand with feet shoulder-width apart. With your core engaged, hinge forward slightly, keeping a slight bend in your knees.
Bring your arms up straight, keeping them in line with your shoulders. This is the I-part of the exercise. Bring your arms down.
Bring your arms up straight and out at a 45-degree angle. This is the Y-part of the exercise. Bring your arms down.
Bring your arms directly out to the sides, bringing your shoulder blades together. This is the T-part of the exercise. Bring your arms down. This is 1 rep.
Complete 12–15 reps.
These moves work the serratus anterior as well as the lower trapezius—muscles that tend to be underdeveloped, says Fagan.
Katie ThompsonT-Spine Windmill Stretch
- Lie on your right side with your knees stacked and bent at 90 degrees and your hips bent at 90 degrees. Stack your arms and hands together on the floor, extended out to the right. This is starting position.
- Slowly open up your body, bringing your left arm up and over to your left side, to form a T with your arms. In this position, both shoulder blades should be planted on the floor.
- Slowly reverse the movement to return to starting position. This is 1 rep.
- Complete 12–15 reps, then switch sides.
When you improve the extension and rotation of your thoracic spine, you’re able to move your shoulder blades freely on your rib cage, which allows you to move more effectively, says Fagan.
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