Bench Press Shoulder Prehab

Shoulder Rotation Isometric Movement Paths (IsoMP) for the Bench Press _ One of the many reasons why may pain occur in the shoulders or elbows during the bench press is inadequate rotation of the glenohumeral joint (aka the ball & socket aspect of the shoulder). _ Let's say one has limited shoulder internal rotation (IR) of this joint. For example, you may have difficulty reaching your hand up behind your back, and it feels kinda pinchy. Now imagine loading a barbell with considerable weight, lowering it slowly onto your chest and driving it back up--that's a lot of force going into a joint that already has difficulty getting into a relatively internally rotated position. _ In the video I'm moving my shoulders slowly through my maximally available end-ranges of shoulder IR and external rotation (ER) in my bench press setup, all the while squeezing strong isometric contractions through my shoulders. You're not just casually moving your hands back and forth here--make it STRONG and keep your tightness everywhere. _ An added training bonus from this drill is that it really encourages you to couple scapular depression (moving my shoulders towards my feet) and retraction at my end range of IR. You can really feel the tightness and stability in your glutes and peri-scapular muscles as you tighten your bench arch (although my arch is quite modest here). Drive your legs hard, and see how much tension you can create in your setup simply through full body isometric contractions. _ Also may help provide a protective neuromuscular "buffer" zone for people with inconsistent contact points on their chests as their shoulders would be better able to tolerate various positions of loaded IR. _ #ClinicalAthlete

A post shared by PhysioStrength (@physiostrengthnyc) on Feb 16, 2018 at 5:20am PST