Video: 4 Physio Exercises to Keep Your Shoulders Safe

May 25, 2019
by Liz Koch  
Self Assessment Shoulder Exercise

Ever wonder if your shoulders are going to hold out through the next crash? Have some thoughts of weakness?

Crashing in mountain biking is inevitable, but there are some things you can do to see if your chances of getting injured are higher.

As a physical therapist, who does online movement assessments for strength programs through, The Ride Life, I use exercises to help me assess the strength and control of specific joints. I’m going to show you 3 self-assessment exercises, that I use, to see if you are at risk if you crash. These exercises are not to clear out everyone, but to speak directly to the people who are more at risk for shoulder injuries.

These exercises are chosen to show the stability of the shoulder joint and its ability to stay together if an impact occurs. Part of the exercises are mobility, but stability is the main focus.

These videos walk you through as I walk Daniel, an avid mountain biker, through the exercises.


Assessment Exercise 1: Hands and Knees: Arm Raise

Views: 5,721    Faves: 16    Comments: 0

Perform 20 reps

Looks for:
- Shoulder blade Muscles Working (shoulder blade stability)
- Neck Strain/Tightness
- Full shoulder Flexion (parallel with the floor)


Assessment Exercise 2: Knee Push Ups

Views: 3,641    Faves: 10    Comments: 0

Perform 15 reps

Looks for
- Shoulder Blade Stability with Pec Muscles
- Core with Shoulder Complex
- Back of the Shoulder Joint Stability


Assessment Exercise 3: Arm Raise to the side

Views: 3,162    Faves: 10    Comments: 0

Perform 25 reps

Looks for
- Deltoid with Shoulder Mechanics
- Neck Strain/Tightness
- Rotator Cuff Muscles Working with Shoulder Blade Muscles
- Overuse of Pec Muscle


Did you pass?
- No Pain with the exercises
- Completed the exercises using the correct regions for muscles
- Felt strong at the end of the set





The Exercises!
Do you need to add some strengthening to your life? Are your shoulders at risk?

Here are 4 exercises that focus on stability of the shoulder joint, motor patterning of the shoulder complex, and neck to shoulder function.

Exercise 1: Hands and Knees – Arm Raise to the Side

Views: 2,935    Faves: 18    Comments: 0

Objective
- To increase Middle Trap Strength and Activation
- Help Support Rotator Cuff Muscles

Perform:
- 1 time a day
o Before Riding to warm up for a ride
o With Workout
- 2 sets 10-20 reps, can add weight when needed

Things to Note:
- Lead with your thumb
- Don’t raise hand higher than level of trunk
- Goal is shoulder blade movement

Exercise 2: Bent over Row with “W” (Shoulder External Rotation)


Views: 2,431    Faves: 15    Comments: 0

Objective
- To increase Shoulder Blade Strength with External Rotators of Shoulder (helps keep ball of shoulder in socket)
Perform:
- 1 time a day
o Before Riding to warm up for a ride
o With Workout
- 2 sets 10-20 reps, can add weight or use band/cable when needed
Things to Note:
- Don’t bring elbows back too far
- Try not to move elbows when moving hands
- Neck should stay loose

Exercise 3: Knee Push Ups


Views: 1,777    Faves: 16    Comments: 0

Objective
- To Increase Shoulder blade stability with Pec Muscle and Deltoid
- Strengthen Back of Shoulder Joint
Perform:
- 1 time a day
o Before Riding to warm up for a ride
o With Workout
- 2 sets 10-20 reps, when you can do 20 in a row move to regular push up and back reps down
Things to Note:
- Keep elbows out and shoulders away from ears
- Don’t forget the importance of using your core with a push up

Exercise 4: Upright Row

Views: 2,111    Faves: 16    Comments: 0

Objective
- To increase Middle Trap Strength and Activation
- Help Support Rotator Cuff Muscles
Perform:
- 1 time a day
o With Workout
- 2 sets 15-20 reps, increase weight as needed, 10# is a great starting weight
Things to Note:
- Shoulder blades sink down as elbows go out
- Don’t strain neck

All of these exercises are great for strengthening shoulders. If you have pain with these, please seek care/treatment. Pain can cause muscles to function improperly based on a protection mechanism. AKA… if the muscles hurts to use it, the brain won’t use it as much. These exercises are a great starting position but you may need to diversify.

After you have been doing these exercises for 3-4 weeks at least 4-5 times a week, retest the first exercises and see how you have improved.


About the Author:
Liz Koch, PT, DPT is a physical therapist that knows exactly what it is like to have pain. She has been to many PTs over her life, which directed her to becoming one. She has been a mountain biker since she was a kid and has recently opened up her own clinic in Western North Carolina, Blue Ridge BioMechanics. She wants to share the knowledge that you don’t have to be in pain when riding and you don’t have to stop riding to get out of pain. She has focused this mission to Rad Mountain Biking Ladies on Facebook and through her online business, The Ride Life.

Let her know if you have questions.

*If you have pain please consult with a doctor or physical therapist for further evaluation, Liz Koch and companies are without liability if you injure yourself while performing these exercises*


MENTIONS: @theridelife


Author Info:
theridelife avatar

Member since Dec 11, 2018
6 articles

83 Comments
  • 37 8
 Upright rows will definitely do damage to your shoulder. When internally rotated range of motion decreases as well as the tendon of the long head of the bicep becomes pinched in bones.
  • 14 12
 Doing the upright row correctly will not do damage to your shoulder, but if you have pain doing it, you may not be using your shoulder blade stabilizers correctly and not all exercises are good for everyone. As a note, when you internally rotate the most likely tendon to be pinched would be part of your rotator cuff as your biceps tendon moves forward when internally rotating.
  • 3 2
 @theridelife: You showed how to do and explained enough. If I can do it everyone else can. I even did all exercises w 5 pounds weight and didn't injured. Side Upright rows- she said thumbs up peep. If all of these people show up to Crossfit, they will definitely get injured. Thanks for showing how to strengthen shoulder, upper back, mid rhomboid, upper lats.
  • 3 0
 Only not the most comfortable for us mountain bikers considering majority of us had at least one acromioclavicular injury Wink
  • 15 2
 This. Just ask Jeff Cavaliere.
  • 4 1
 @Artzyblack: Sigh. Doing upright rows will not lead to injury everytime you do them, but increase the risk of rotator cuff injuries overtime (the opposite of maintaining shoulder health).
There are numerous exercises that you can and should swap for the upright row.
  • 2 1
 @muletron: sigh,???? all CrossFit instructors will tell you, PT will tell you same thing. If anything hurts don’t do it. I went to CrossFit to get stronger but kept getting injured but realized most mtn bikers have uneven arm strength and legs. That’s when Physical therapy exercise helped to prevent it.
I thought you were talking about side lateral upright row. That one hurts most peep. Kettle bell upright raise- I’m sure there are different ways to do it without getting rotator cuff injured.
  • 3 0
 jeff has a good point in his video an extreme IR with Abduction above 110-120 deg isn’t good ... however at 90 deg the place where you stop the Abduction movement in my video you are in a neutral rotation esp if you keep your shoulder blades down and in. And you should start the motion with an ER on your shoulders moving you into a neutral position. If you do not keep your shoulders blades down and in then you will have an IR and that isn’t good. This exercise is not meant to be done with a lot of weight, it is to strengthen delts with the use of shoulder blades in a position we are in a lot for riding downhill. If you are doing it correctly you will end up, at the top of the motion, where you can straighten your elbows and be in a bench press like position (obviously you would have to lie down on you back to be totally like it). If that position is wrong... then you should cut out bent presses as well
  • 3 1
 Thats the first thing i thought before reading your comment. Its one of the worst exercises to potentially damage your shoulders.
  • 3 1
 Continuing from my previous comment I am personally on a bodybuilding program and i am in the gym 5-6 times per week. I am no expert yet but i have had 1st hand experience of the damage upright rows can do. Your shoulders are not designed to lift objects on that way and i was getting a lot of clicking and pain when performing incline/flat bench press. When i stopped doing Upright rows the clicking and pain sropped. Upon doing some research there its conmon knowledge that they are not good. In fact its an absolute rarity that i see anyone in the gym doing these nowadays. There are much better safer shoulder excercise you can do to achieve better strength in them.
www.stack.com/a/upright-row
  • 4 1
 @Matt76: yes you are correct. there are other exercises. You can use the main idea and go forward Smile There are many other exercises and information in the article that can help a lot of people and bring forward the idea of shoulder strengthening to decrease the risk of major shoulder Injuries, The reason for choosing this exercise is to help support the active body position on the bike for going downhill. In addition, most of the Mtn bikers that I work with need more deltoid strength and ER strength with shoulder blade stabilizers and that is one of their main problems for their shoulder and neck issues. I also don’t want this exercise with a heavy weight. But yes... if done incorrectly it isn’t a good exercise and yes there are other exercises. I’m not a body builder, I don’t go for bulk, I go for function, I go for control. Once you need to increase the weight you change the exercise... bc then you can probably do them more correctly. Thank you for your input.
  • 1 1
 @theridelife: Firstly, i was rude and did not say that this was a good article you have posted and will be really useful to riders out there to strengthen themselves so i apologise for that. I will though stand by what i say and that upright rows are really not the best exercises for your shoulders even with light weights. Ive ridden and raced most disciplines of mountain bikes for over 25 years and i cannot see an application where uprights rows would benefit. There are far safer excercises you can do. Think on this one we would have to agree to differ.
  • 5 0
 @Matt76: lol “I am no expert” and proceeds to tell a doctor she’s wrong. *facepalm*

This is the double-edged sword of social media and youtube, too much well-marketed, bad information in the hands of amateurs who now think the know something, and when good information comes along it gets ignored. The lady knows what she is talking about. Very difficult in a couple short minutes to advise in a general yet engaging manner. Take it for what it is, solid info.
  • 2 0
 Pretty much 100% of the time, when someone makes a sweeping generalization re: anything fitness or diet related like you just did here, its wrong. Upright rows bodybuilders used to do, with heavy weight, protracted shoulders, and lots of body english are risky. Sometimes more to the elbow and forearm than the delt complex. That is not what she demonstrated! Did you even watch the video, or do you just not know what you are seeing? She clearly revised the range of motion and I would argue the path of motion, and used an extremely light weight. If you cannot do that motion without injuring your shoulders, good luck putting groceries away into a cupboard, lifting a child into a baby seat, etc. If your going to start quoting biomechanic terms and anatomy, I sure hope you didn’t get your education/information from bodybuilding.com exclusively.
  • 1 0
 @dtm1: it’s funny that you start your statement with a general statement knocking general statements. I’ve had numerous conversations with orthopedic surgeons, physical therapist, and personal trainer instructors who all agree there is absolutely no safe way to perform upright rows, behind the neck presses, or pull downs. You can argue with Yale surgeons if you want, I’ll take their word for it.
  • 2 0
 @dtm1: So you say and clearly you are the expert in this field. Funnily enough the internet is an excellent source for finding infornation you need for all manner of things. I completed my univeristy course using google scholar alone. Also i have 1st hand personal experience of what upright rows can do to your shoulders. There is enough research and first hand experience out there to show the this excerise is not the best. But yes what the hell do I know as i am ' not an expert' like yourself clearly.
  • 3 0
 Worst exercise ever no matter the range of motion. A disaster waiting to happen and should be avoided at all costs.
  • 2 0
 I appreciate your input and concern for the other reader of PB. Bc that is why you are making a point to say that it is a terrible exercise. You guys do know that you do this movement on the trail most days that you go out, at low weight and a higher speed and most likely a high range of motion. Here are two videos from GMBN that show the movement of an upright row on the bike... one for cornering (one sided) and body position for moving you and the bike around youtu.be/lienHJ82Pj4 and the other video is for the push when you are jumping... youtu.be/6f-91HEKdQI

But you are probably right, you should only do these in quick movements when you are on the trail vs knowing how to stabilize your shoulder (with light weight) off the bike.

Yes there are other exercises, yes this one can be performed where it is dangerous. But so can a lot more. I'm glad that you understand the mechanics of the shoulder from google scholar. Here is an article that backs my modifications and I even go one step farther ... I don't want you to use a bar, I want you to use a KB or a band so that at the top of the range, where it would be most likely for an impingement your hands are equal to your shoulders - not in internal rotation but in neutral position. journals.lww.com/nsca-scj/Fulltext/2011/10000/The_Upright_Row__Implications_for_Preventing.2.aspx-accessdate=12

Additionally, you do know that I said in the article many times... if you have pain with an exercise.. don't do it. You don't have to do this exercise. Use the rest of the information. It brings to light that strengthening their shoulders can actually help them from having a debilitating crash. I would figure that we would agree on that fact.
  • 18 2
 DO YOUR FUCKING FACEPULLS t.jeff cavalryman
  • 2 0
 Yes boi! You know where its at!
  • 3 0
 Do your face pulls PROPERLY....
  • 4 0
 @Mfro: which is a really hard exercise... esp to do correctly but a good one
  • 5 0
 Thank you for this. Have had 9 dislocations over two decades on the left shoulder and do not want to go into the double digits. Did the self-assessment and it felt great so will add the exercises into my routine as much as possible to stay ahead of my “sleeve of wizard” rotator cuff.
  • 3 0
 That is great and man dislocation are so hard! They can set you back and come back to haunt you.
  • 9 2
 People i trust a lot more than you say that upright rows are bad for your shoulders. I.E. Jeff Cavaliere at Athlenex.com
  • 8 0
 jeff has a good point in his video an extreme IR with Abduction above 110-120 deg isn’t good ... however at 90 deg the place where you stop the Abduction movement in my video you are in a neutral rotation esp if you keep your shoulder blades down and in. And you should start the motion with an ER on your shoulders moving you into a neutral position. If you do not keep your shoulders blades down and in then you will have an IR and that isn’t good. This exercise is not meant to be done with a lot of weight, it is to strengthen delts with the use of shoulder blades in a position we are in a lot for riding downhill. If you are doing it correctly you will end up, at the top of the motion, where you can straighten your elbows and be in a bench press like position (obviously you would have to lie down on you back to be totally like it). If that position is wrong... then you should cut out bent presses as well
  • 2 0
 @theridelife: I think that you're making some good points.
  • 3 3
 You going to buy his tshirts and supplements too? Cuz I’m sure those are also nothing but the best. Personally, I only take advise from Shark Tank approved experts. That guys site reeks of marketing hype and toys for fanboys.
  • 1 0
 I smashed my right clavicle right down the the middle into a 2" gap between the broken ends. Anterior shoulder dislocation, too.
By the time I got the attention of a surgeon it was a couple weeks past safely doing the plate/screws thing. (I didn't have my wits about me to push the medical system harder as I also had a major concussion that wiped me out.)

Clavicle is now shorter and in a slight twist compared to my good shoulder. After 10 years the bone callous is now starting to release my nerves and blood vessels channeled nearby to clavicle through to arm.

PHYSIO IS MY EVERYTHING. After 4 rounds of physio (every time I sprained or dislocated the damned thing I had to go back) finally I'm starting to have my full flex and range of motion back.

High-load strength training isolations and some oly lifting has finally built enough muscle around my shoulders that I don't fear dislocations every time I wakeboard, bike, or play rugby.

Do your physio, kids! Then lift heavy things and get some bulk around your injury site while still retaining range of motion. Might save you a joint replacement or reconstruction in the future.
  • 1 0
 Oh man! That is a tough crash! I’m so happy to hear hmthat you are moving and feeling better and yes doing things up front can help you long term and can save you from bigger accidents and time off the bike. That is the main point of this article ... to get people thinking and if hey new to strengthen now Smile thank you and glad you are feeling better
  • 2 0
 Thanks for the exercises and self assessment ideas. Any tips on ways to mitigate carpal tunnel syndrome on a bike in a future post would be sweet. Just another bag of worms....
  • 2 0
 Hey Baruch, yes that is on my list and if you message me I’d be happy to give you some suggestions and point you toward some of my videos on it and some fit adjustments that can be done.
  • 1 0
 I have carpal tunnel and ulnar nerve damage...seeing a good bike fitter and using ergon grips on my bike has made a huge difference.
  • 2 0
 Even with my crashes I have been able to recover faster than normal due to maintaining my flexibility and strength in the gym. Just because you pedal a bike doesn't mean you can neglect your upper body.
  • 3 0
 Yes! This!
  • 1 0
 Managed to injure my shoulder a few weeks ago, the pain is going now but it seems worse when dropping the arm down than it does when lifting (front of traps is where the pain is). Is this a common problem and which exercise is best for it?
  • 2 0
 youtu.be/HIh_Og0O2J8 This is from my clinics YouTube channel... it has 5 exercises that are lighter than the ones given here. Take a look and learn from more of the anatomy. You will get more info about what to do and why. Dont do the exercises that cause you pain. And you might want to go see a PT/physio around you if it continues.
  • 1 0
 @theridelife: Thanks for the advise, very helpful.
  • 1 0
 Push-ups also great for the serratus anterior (helps keep shoulder blades from winging). My serratus gets more sore than chest/tris after I do lots of pushups.

Question: Why elbows out for pushups and shoulders not retracted? Always been told that's the safe way of doing them.
  • 2 0
 I think that you are using the term retracted in the correct manner... aka bring the shoulder blades closer to the spine.

If the shoulder blades are closer to the spine the serratus anterior doesn't activate quite as much. Its main jobs are to protract and prevent winging of your shoulder blade. Protraction is where your shoulder blade comes around your body (away from your spine) the push-up plus is a good example of this and it is why I want you to be less retracted. also elbows out help you to incorporate a little but more deltoid in the exercise than before and makes your more in the downhill aggressive position. It is harder and you should go down on load/reps.

Does this make sense?
Thanks for the question .. I like it when people are thinking about what I put out. It also tells me i need to add a bit more in the explanations that I give Smile
  • 1 0
 @theridelife: Yes... makes sense, Thanks. Your explanations were good, I'm just a Kinesiology geek ;-)
  • 1 0
 Great info @theridelife. I’ve been in the fitness industry for almost 3 decades, have had my share of shoulder issues, and watch these corrective exercise pieces on PB with much skepticism (lot of poor info at times) and your info was great IMO for the time you had and for making it applicable to a broad audience. Too bad that the PB youtube workout experts don’t know what they don’t know. Keep up the good work.
  • 1 0
 This is really good stuff! The key is to work with someone who can guide you. If you are so-called injured, chances are you probably had something brewing already. Thanks Liz
  • 3 0
 thought those upright rows were universally banned as they cause the shoulder to internally rotate too much.
  • 1 0
 If you have have an extreme IR with Abduction above 110-120 deg isn’t good ... however at 90 deg the place where you stop the Abduction movement in my video you are in a neutral rotation esp if you keep your shoulder blades down and in. And you should start the motion with an ER on your shoulders moving you into a neutral position. If you do not keep your shoulders blades down and in then you will have an IR and that isn’t good. This exercise is not meant to be done with a lot of weight, it is to strengthen delts with the use of shoulder blades in a position we are in a lot for riding downhill. If you are doing it correctly you will end up, at the top of the motion, where you can straighten your elbows and be in a bench press like position (obviously you would have to lie down on you back to be totally like it). If that position is wrong... then you should cut out bent presses as well
  • 1 0
 I'll have to check this out when I get home. Reduced left shoulder mobility from a shoulder operation back in 93. I'm always looking for new exercise to try out.
  • 2 0
 Woould these help if my neck it largly strained already (+1 year) and my upper traps are firing for everything?
  • 1 0
 Also interested in this question!
  • 2 0
 @WoodenCrow: @gaffney92: you will probably need to do some easier exercises than are listed. But working on shoulder strength and control to use your shoulder blade muscles can really help your neck as well as working on some upper back mobility. I have another neck article on PinkBike. I’ll try to find it and tag it here and I’ll tag another video from my clinic about easier shoulder exercises than you can follow. They are targeted toward whitewater kayakers but good info for you as well.
  • 1 0
 @theridelife: Sorted the neck issue..... mostly. I switched pillows, Im currently sleeping on a ok quality pillow but its a lot lower in height than previous ones to sleep on. I have also found focusing all shoulder exercises to have one good quality rep vs quantity a huge help. Also found this upper traps release exercise helpful too!
Lying on my belly, face down with my forehead resting on the top of my hands. I push my shoulders down my back and push my hands into the ground with more focus on my shoulders being pushed back. Hold for 3 seconds and repeat.
  • 1 3
 Great shoulder exercise. If assessment hurt your shoulders, neck, you guys probably had previous injuries. I used to have neck pain, wrists pain going dh that lasts more than 3 miles w gnarly terrain but now I don't. I've been working on upper back, lats, adding more push ups ( 200 w raised legs). Now going downhill doesn't stress upper neck or wrists. Thanks.
  • 3 0
 Good stuff.
  • 2 0
 Given how common shoulder injuries are in MTB , this is huge. Thanks !
  • 1 0
 Thank you and message me if you have questions
  • 4 2
 lol @ people arguing with a DOCTOR over her treatments
  • 4 2
 I can see where you get that idea, but I’m afraid to say the commenters are right. Her justification / explanation is fair enough (and we’ll explained I’d like to add), but it’s much simpler to avoid that exercise altogether. I’m a physio specialising in musculoskeletal conditions with a masters degree in rehab science and I currently work as an advanced practitioner, and I would never under any circumstances prescribe this exercise to a patient experiencing shoulder pain or loss of function. There are so so many alternatives that it’s just not worth it.
The post is a good one, and props to her for getting out there and doing something positive, we need more articles like this to help injured riders, but a little more consideration for the evidence base behind any recommendations would prevent misunderstanding which leads to doubt, which leads to a lose of engagement and trust from patients / clients - not conducive to a good patient-therapist relationship or outcomes.
  • 1 0
 Agreed I’m also a PT and work primarily with cyclists and upright rows are probably lowest on my list of suggested exercises - they’re not relevant to the on the bike position either- a mid level row would be much safer and more functional @Eastbournemtber:
  • 3 0
 Exactly. LOL @ all body builders/internet info bikers arguing with someone with Ph.D and they stopped eating carb so long ago that don't realize how stupid they sound like. Keep up the good work @theridelife. So many other people are grateful that you are sharing knowledge. Upright row? Hike a bike section, lifting bike over rocks? It does matter to mountain biking. Manual pull, bunny hop, dj bike pumping etc.
  • 2 0
 @Artzyblack: while I have done other excersizes to do the same thing that I think are better, doing an upright row as shown with 10lbs kettle bell (5lbs per arm!) is pretty damn safe. You don't need much weights to do that excersize, my PT had me using therabands.
  • 1 0
 @darabebe: @Eastbournemtber Hey fellow PTs. Thanks first for the backing and support for me being on here. @Eastbournemtber I think you tried to state your opinion in a supportive way.

I do have a doctorate in Physical therapy, aka rehab science, and own my PT clinic that treats and focuses on mtn bikers. In this article, I'm trying to help the non-injured rider. So not our typical population, patient, that has rotator cuff tears or impingement, but might make themselves known that they need PT or other direction for fitness to prevent other major issues with crashing.

Here is an article that backs my modifications journals.lww.com/nsca-scj/Fulltext/2011/10000/The_Upright_Row__Implications_for_Preventing.2.aspx-accessdate=12

I go even further than the article by using a KB or a band so your hands can be equal to the shoulders, thus being in a neutral position than in an Internally rotated position. I also only want a 10# weight or a band.

@darabebe As for your comment about it not being mtn bike specific. Here are two videos from GMBN that demonstrate in body position and in jumping where an upright row can help and should be taught as a stabilizer for on the trail movements. Yes there are other exercises but this one is very applicable to riders check them out.
Body position - youtu.be/lienHJ82Pj4
Jumping (mainly the push) - youtu.be/6f-91HEKdQI

Would love to hop on a phone call or message with either one of you in regards to this and talk more through it. Thanks for your input.
  • 1 0
 Hi,
Sorry for such a delay in replying...life gets in the way some time.
Firstly I would like to apologise if my original comment came across as negative. It was not meant to be in any way a slight on your professional integrity, knowledge and training, or care towards your patients. It is not in my nature to be derogatory towards a colleague.
Secondly, I would reiterate the positivity towards your venture to get yourself out there and try to make a positive impact by sharing your knowledge and experience in an attempt to help the mtb community. Too many people sit on the couch and make negative comments without actually trying to make a difference themselves. So keep going, you’re clearly doing a good job of it.

Unfortunately though, I will continue to respectfully disagree with the selection of an upright row. I understand that at very low resistance and carefully metered sets/reps the actual real world risk of negative effects is so low it is almost not worth worrying about. Sadly, the same reasons will likely negate any clinically significant training effect beyond a short term neuromodulation effect....similar to the documented responses to manual therapy/manipulation/soft tissue techniques. The very fact that it needs to be kept very low intensity/ low load is the same reason it will likely have a very limited physiological training effect, and therefore begs the question ‘is it really worth it?’
From a personal perspective, as I mentioned previously, I spend too much time in direct contact with upper limb patients under the care of orthopaedic consultants, consultant physiotherapist, and fellow advanced practitioners to advocate the use of an upright row in the rehab process for those presenting with upper quadrant dysfunction. I understand it may still be advocated in the specific fields of athletic training etc but I don’t see a place for its use in therapeutic rehabilitation, as the number of alternatives which do not come with the need for such specific performance cues or considerations to avoid a negative outcome are just too numerous.
Thank you for providing the research links, they made for very interesting reading, and it is always nice to delve deeper and continually questions ones own opinions and beliefs...without this approach we risk becoming set in our ways and miss out on development and progress.
Good luck with your ventures and best wishes for the future. I hope to see more content from you appearing on here, and thanks for the stimulating debate. @theridelife:
  • 5 4
 Just blew my rotator cuff. Exercises didn't work
  • 2 0
 Definitely a great reason to not do exercises.
  • 2 0
 Which one made you hurt? It probably means that you need more focused exercises to you. Sounds like you have a bigger issue going on than this article is meant to help.
  • 1 0
 @Glendmcc: good reason to go see someone and get more specific exercises if you have pain to help you stay riding Smile
  • 1 0
 @theridelife: My tongue was deep in cheek with that previous commentWink .
  • 1 0
 @Glendmcc: ah sorry. some of the other comments made me think you were serious. Smile
  • 1 0
 Don't even talk about my shoulders.
  • 1 0
 Okay i'll bite. What about your shoulder Ben?
  • 1 0
 @dglobulator: don't ask
  • 1 0
 @BenPea: haha, ok!
  • 1 0
 @theridelife Congrats on making it onto Pinkbike!
  • 1 0
 Why not elbows closer to torso and shoulders retracted?*
  • 2 0
 Great question: I want you to get more activation in your shoulder blade stabilizers with your deltoids active. If you stay retracted then your serrated anterior...the muscle that comes around the side of your body isn’t as active and needs more strength for bikers as well. Does this make sense. Smile
  • 1 0
 @theridelife: so not retracting shoulder blades works serratus anterior more? Makes sense. My serratus gets sore day after pushups regardless - it's the only exercise that I can feel serratus working (other than hitting a punching bag for 10+ mins).

How come you chose elbows flared out vs. tucking elbows closer to lats while doing pushup? Same reason.. more shoulder activation?
  • 2 0
 @jawzzy3: Yes, it makes the shoulder blade stabilizers have to work harder which also correlates to our downhill riding position. the better you can move your shoulders with support the better you can keep your core engaged and have the bike move smoothly under you esp for cornering
  • 1 0
 Thank you @theridelife for taking time out making some great content.
  • 1 0
 Thanks for sharing!
  • 1 0
 Thanks for reading
  • 1 0
 @theridelife: separated shoulder grade 3 last July, not much pain and can do most stuff, bench press is the hardest, and the bone sticks right up, any tips ?
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 @pigman65: You might be driving too much for shoulder blade depression. It might have to learn more strength and control in the mid activated position as to not lift it up too much. It depends on which ligaments you specifically torn to if the separation growing when you are active actually matters. It may just look bad but be totally ok. Any Pain? 1 visit with a PT should be able to clear your mind about it and they can show you some of your other weak areas you might need to also focus on in a visit or two.







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