Strength training the rotator cuff for increased efficiency on the upper body compound movements

I had a bit of pain in my back muscles, just very slight a couple times sitting wrong, and thought about being grateful I don’t have chronic pain. It changes perspective to spend several minutes a day thinking about what others suffer and what is taken for granted, such as chronic back pain.

Starting this strength training program, 3 weeks running, can cause slight pains that remind me of the chronic pain. Also, prehab is important, and safe proper form of exercise. The rotator cuff exercises can reduce shoulder pain because internal rotation of the arms occurs in our natural lives and in strength training much more often than external rotation. This leads to imbalance and weakness. These are supporting muscles which can help in large, compound movements, including the hand stands and the L-sit.

In both the L-sit and the handstand, the shoulder blades are said best to be retracted, which is pulled and down. It’s like this when doing the pull ups. What it does is make the whole body rigid, thereby requiring less energy to maintain the position. Efficiency is key, and the prehab of rotator cuff training strengthens this shoulder blade setting.

Abdomen strengthening, something I keep as optional but probably shouldn’t, really helps with supporting the lower back significantly. Ab bicycles and other types of movements can help that. I had one called the windshield wiper but dropped it because I don’t want to bend at the waist side to side like that. It’s a useful exercise for the obliques, but I just found a better one called the Thai Crunch.