Today I would like to talk about scaption.

The question is based on a Facebook message I got from a reader.

Thanks so much Steve.

Thank you for everyone who follows me on Facebook and sends me questions.

I have a tough time calling myself an expert, but thanks.

The debates about shoulder pressing, hmmm.

This is my take on it.

#1 – The Afraid Physical Therapist

I hate generalizations.  Some people throw me into the pool of dumb personal trainers even though I have two degrees, numerous publications, trained thousands of people and have been doing this for a few years.

I can’t generalize all physical therapists because I hate being generalized.

I see numerous personal trainers telling their clients not to press overhead, which I think is wrong.

Lets start with not generalizing.  If I look back at what I did when I started training or even what I did last year, I shake my head at it.

#2 – What is the Big Deal About Shoulder Pressing?

The statement of not pressing over the head being bad has been around for a while.

I think people feel that everyone who shoulder presses could run the risk of a shoulder impingement.

This is another bad generalization.  Most clients will not have shoulder impingement with pressing and need to be doing overhead movements.

Plus avoiding something is not always the best answer.  Looking at why it hurts and what can be done to move it out of pain is more important because not addressing it could lead to other issues.

#3 – What to Do About the Fear of Overhead Pressing?

If you are a geek and like reading journals like me, you would know that you can move the overhead press exercise into the scapular plane.

If you don’t know what the scapular plane is or scaption, let me explain what scaption is:

What is Scaption?

==>  Scaption <==  What is it?

Let me go back to the research thing.  When I did my master’s project, a lot of the research had test protocols that moved the subjects out of pure abduction and into the scaption.  They did this in order to do the best they can to eliminate impingement being a factor in the study.

Let me go through an exercise example.

For example, with the traditional shoulder press with dumbbells.  When you press overhead, you traditionally bring the ends of the dumbbells together at the top of the movement.

You can move the elbows so they are not only in the frontal plane (abduction).  You move them about 30 degrees in front of the frontal plane.  Then you perform the shoulder press movement.  Instead of hitting the ends of the dumbbell at the top of the movement, you would hit the corners of the dumbbells.  This puts the shoulder in a happier position and less likely to pinch.

#4 – Overhead Pressing Is Evil!

This probably needs another post but I do at least one overhead movement in a workout.

I don’t feel a shoulder press is the best or only overhead press movement to do.

It could be a diagonal pull up or an incline bench press but I do want to do movements over 90 degrees of shoulder height for shoulder health.

I hope that helps.

One thing I talked about in the video was the Effective Rotator Cuff Exercise Program.

That is it.

Rick Kaselj, MS

Here are some other articles on shoulder pain or rotator cuff that may interest you:

What is Shoulder Impingement?

What Causes Shoulder Pain?

Read the rest of this entry »

I have a guest blog post for you today on suspension training and the shoulder.  It is from Zita Alves.

Enjoy the post and make sure to try out some of the exercises.

Take it away Zita…

I love to do bodyweight exercises but there comes a time when you know that something is missing – the pulls.

There are not many people, especially women, who can just hop up onto a bar and bang out a set of pull ups, particularly if they are overweight.

It can be really hard to achieve muscle balance without using any gym equipment/dumbells etc as pulling movements using the lats, rhomboids, trapezius and biceps cannot  always be overloaded enough by gravity alone – they need an external force.

How many people do you see who have internally rotated shoulders and an overdeveloped chest.

Not only from a postural point of view but also from a sports specific standpoint should we be looking at working the back musculature in equal measure. Given where the lats insert, isolated lat exercises or overtrained lat muscles can exacerbate this internal rotation which is why “rowing” movements are so beneficial in order to hit the rhomboids,mid/lower traps, serratus and posterior deltoids.

By using a suspension trainer you are able to do both horizontal and vertical pulling movements to target different muscles and the great thing is that by tiny adjustments in hand, elbow or body position you are able to hit the whole back from every angle.

Be sure to set the scapula, shoulders down away from ears, neck long for every movement.  Here are some great exercises to try include:

REVERSE FLYES

Start

• Arms out in “T” Position in line with shoulders
• Hands facing forward
• Standing almost upright

Movement

• Lean back as arms come forward in front of chest, hands facing each other
• Lift arms back to start position keeping arms slightly bent, leading with top of hand
• Wrists strong, core braced, keep chest up, squeeze shoulder blades down

HIGH/WIDE ROW

Start

• Arms out in-line with shoulder
• Bent elbows , hands face down in-line with elbows
• Lean back slightly

Movement

Lean back more as arms straighten in-front of body, hands facing down chest up, core braced, back straight, wrists strong

LOW ROW

Start

• Arms by side, elbows bent
• Hands facing each other, inline with elbows
• Lean back slightly

Movement

• Lean back more as arms straighten in front of body, hands facing each other, chest up, core braced, back straight
• Pull leading with elbows, keeping shoulder blades down to bring arms and body back to start position
• Pull leading with elbows, keeping shoulder blades down to bring arms and body back to start position

ROTATIONAL SINGLE ARM ROW & SQUAT

Start

• Hold 1 handle only
• Feet hip width apart, slightly in-front of hands
• Bend knees to sit back, bottom towards floor
• Arm straight and rotate body to let other hand touch floor  Hands facing forward

Movement

• Push into legs at same time as pulling handle to bend arm and row body up to standing position, other hand can cross over strap
• Straighten the arm and bend the legs to return to start position

Y OVERHEAD RAISE

Start

• Arms in “Y” position
• Hands facing forward
• Standing almost upright

Movement

• Lean back as arms come forward in front of chest, hands facing each other
• Lift arms back to start position keeping arms slightly bent, leading with top of hand
• Wrists strong, core braced, keep chest up, squeeze shoulder blades down

Once the exerciser has mastered  the basic movements with good form they can work on some great combinations such as the following:

• Low and high row combi
• Low row, reverse flye combi
• High row to Y raise combi

One of my favourite combinations is :-Y raise, high row, low row to bicep curl. Perform 1 rep of each after the other in a continuous movement aiming for approx 5 reps in total, or more reps depending on the foot positioning. The advantage of suspension training is that during a set if form deteriorates the feet can be very slightly moved to make the exercise easier and maintain the time under tension.

One of the coolest ways to use the Ztrainer is for MYOFASCIAL STRETCHES. The body has lines that run through the it and tightness in these lines is very common and can lead to dysfunction. For example one of the lines that I love to stretch for both myself and my clients is the anterior lines that runs from the head down the front of the body through the hips down the legs into the feet. A great way to prepare the body ready for activity is by incorporating the following movements.

Lunge and chest openings

Facing away from the anchor point, holding the handles lightly, arms straight and wide in T position step forward into lunge, tucking pelvis under. Make sure fingers pointing back to add a slight nerve stretch.

Alternate feet and repeat with arms in more of a Y position

Developing this further you can get an even deeper stretch. Step right foot forward into lunge position, tuck pelvis under and lift left arm. Keep right arm down by side and rotate upper body slightly to right to get a great stretch down the left side of the body. There are not many people who won’t feel this one!

Curtsey lunge and lat stretch

Facing the anchor point standing back with arms straight, take 1 leg behind into a curtsey lunge and drop chest to feel the lats stretch.

Side Stretch

Standing sideways to anchor point, grab both handles with arms straight, feet under handles and drop hip slightly to side, eg if anchor point is on left, drop left hip out to side to feel left side of body stretching

Do as many of the above as you feel your body needs.

Zita Alves has been a Personal Trainer for 13 years after a career change in 1998. As a non-exercising, overweight asthmatic she has found her true passion in helping others. In 2009 Zita set up Bath Bootcamp in Somerset, UK which currently runs 15 classes a week. In 2010 she launched the Ztrainer Suspension Fitness Training System which already has customers around the world and is being used by some of the UK’s leading Fitness Professionals.
For more information go to www.ztrainer.co.uk

Thank you so much Zita.

Thank you for reading, until next time.

Rick Kaselj, MS

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I just got an email from an online training client.

She is testing out my upcoming shoulder pain program.

It is so cool getting emails like this:

Dear Rick,

Thank you for your email. Sorry for not replying to your email earlier. I had a friend in crisis staying at my house, I was helping her all week and she just left on Friday.

Today I have completed the first day of your program ( Sunday 1st May ) and I am very happy with the result.

Both shoulders are getting a bit more movement and I look forward to doing these exercises each day to see how much improvement I can get by next Sunday.

I will be going on my 3 month camping trip around Australia next Tuesday and I will have my computer with me. I might not be able to email you when I am at a remote location. My plan is to report to you at the end of each week, however depends on when I can get a signal to send emails.

Thank you for your help and I look forward to talking to you next week.

All the best,
DF

It is great to get great feedback like this and also to be able to help people around the world.  Plus I love the fact she is doing the exercises where ever she is, even on her camping trip.  Camping in Australia would be fun, I have yet to do that.  Soon enough.

One other thing she said in her email was she was having difficulty with some of the stretches for the shoulder and was wondering what she could do.  I will do another blog post on what you can do if the typical shoulder stretches cause you pain.

Back to today’s post.

This past weekend at the Exercise Rehabilitation of the Lower Body course, a fitness professional asked me about the tricep dip exercise.

She had been giving it to a client and it had been causing her shoulder pain.  She wondered why it would be causing her pain and if she should be doing it.

I cringe when I see someone doing a tricep dip.  It is not a great exercise for the shoulder.  Let me explain why:

Few Thought from Rick on Tricep Dips:

I Used To Do It

This was an exercise that I was taught when I started out doing personal training.

I thought it was good for the triceps but I always did not feel right doing the exercises as I felt a lot of stress in my shoulder.

Now that I have trained a few people and have a better understanding of the biomechanics of the shoulder, I have put this exercise in the museum of exercises.  Right beside ballistic toe touching in leg warmers and spandex.

Rotator Cuff and AC Joint Injuries

Just like leg extensions are not the best exercises for a client with a knee injury, tricep dips are not the best for someone with a rotator cuff or AC joint injury.

Great Way of Sawing Your Rotator Cuff

I know we are all fans of Jillian Michael’s kettlebell technique.

How about Bob:

Can you hear her rotator cuff being sawed?

Way to go Bob!  100 reps!  CrAzY.

Can you image a client who is overweight and needs to lose 50 pounds doing Bob’s challenge?

With every repetition her scapula anterior tilts and digs into her rotator cuff.

I shake my head.

Why would anyone do 100 reps of a small muscle group?

Whatever.

Read the rest of this entry »

I have had a few clients with shoulder pain of late so I decided to sit down and write a little about shoulder pain.

I wanted to put something together that I could print out and give to them so I could educate them on their shoulder pain.

This is the first part of the shoulder pain series – What causes shoulder pain?.

Enjoy!

How Big of a Problem is Shoulder Pain?

Musculoskeletal disorders are the second leading reason for physician visits each year with about 132 million physician visits occurring in 2006 (American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, 2009).

It is estimated that musculoskeletal disorders cost the United States almost $850 billion annually, and about 440 million work days are missed due to these health conditions.

With about 7.5 million physician visits each year, shoulder pain is a major contributor to the increasing disability caused by musculoskeletal disorders in developing nations (AAOS, 2009).

I always like to start off with some numbers.  The numbers are impressive.  It shows how big of an issue injuries are, especially shoulder pain.

4 Key Parts to the Shoulder

The shoulder girdle is composed of 3 bones and 3 main joints held together by ligaments (structures that connect bones to other bones), tendons (structures that connect muscles to bones), bursae and muscles.

Bone of the Shoulder Joint

The shoulder consists of these three bones:

• humerus (upper arm bone)
• scapula (shoulder blade)
• clavicle (collar bone)

Joints of the Shoulder

Acromioclavicular Joint - A key structure on the the outer end of the scapula, protruding away from midline of the body is the acromion.  The acromion forms the highest point of the shoulder.  It is a key area for ligaments to attach and forms half of the acromioclavicular joint with the clavicle.

Glenohumeral Joint – The head or ball of the humerus fits into the shallow socket on the scapula, called the glenoid fossa, to form the glenohumeral joint.  This is the main joint of the shoulder and the joint that allows the high level of movement the shoulder has.

The head of the humerus is larger in comparison to the glenoid, and only one-third of the humeral head is in contact with the glenoid fossa.  A larger humeral head in contact with a shallow socket enables great movement in the joint but decreases the stability of the shoulder and leads to its increased risk of shoulder injuries.

The glenoid fossa is made deeper by a ring of fibrous cartilage surrounding the glenoid, called the labrum.  Extending and making the fossa deeper enhances stability of the shoulder joint.

Sternoclavicual Joint – The inner end of the clavicle connects to the sternum (breastbone), forming the sternoclavicular joint.  This joint is the only link of the shoulder and arms to the rest of the skeleton of the body.

Scapulathoracic joint – Is where the scapula moves up and down against the rib cage. This joint is not an actual joint as it depends entirely on the surrounding muscles during shoulder movements.

This shows that the shoulder is a very complex structure.  One specific shoulder joint may be injured but it will affect all of the other shoulder joints.

Muscles of the Shoulder

Rotator Cuff Muscles – A key set of muscles that stabilizes the shoulder joint are the rotator cuff muscles which have a key function of keeping the humeral head centered within the glenoid fossa. The tendons of supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor and subscapularis muscles form the rotator cuff.  Injuries involving the rotator cuff and their tendons are one of the leading causes of shoulder pain.

Scapular Stabilizers – The set of muscles that connect to the scapula and assist in stabilizing and moving the scapula.

Shoulder Muscles - These are the large superficial muscles that you see when you look at the shoulder joint.  Examples of these muscles are the deltoid and latissimus dorsi.

Bursae of the Shoulder

Bursae are fluid-filled sacs that allow smooth gliding between two surfaces that move against one another.  There are many bursae associated with the shoulder joint.

Inflammation of the bursa located between the acromion and joint capsule that surround the glenohumeral joint and the bursa between the subscapularis and the joint capsule are the most common areas in the shoulder that can lead to shoulder bursitis and shoulder pain.

6 of the Most Common Shoulder Injuries

Any injury or disease affecting the supportive structures of the shoulder, such as the bones, tendons, bursae, cartilage, and ligaments can result in shoulder pain.

In general, wear and tear, overuse or repetitive overhead movements and trauma play a major role in the development of shoulder pain. The following are the common causes of shoulder pain:

#1 – Rotator Cuff Tendonitis

Tendonitis is the inflammation the rotator cuff tendon resulting from overuse or repetitive movements affecting the rotator cuff.

#2 – Rotator Cuff Tear

Overuse, repetitive overhead motions, aging or falling my result in degeneration of the rotator cuff tendon, which can cause incomplete or complete tearing of the rotator cuff.

Rotator cuff tears usually cause pain in the deltoid muscle, especially when the affected arm is lifted from the sides.

#3 – Shoulder Instability

Shoulder instability occurs when the humeral head is not sufficiently maintained within the center of the glenoid fossa.

If the joint becomes too loose, the head of the humerus may slide partially out of place, termed shoulder subluxation, or it may completely come out of place, a condition called a shoulder dislocation.

#4 – Frozen shoulder or Adhesive Capsulitis

Frozen shoulder is a tightening of the capsule that surrounds the shoulder joint which leads to poor movement of the shoulder and shoulder pain.

#5 – Shoulder Impingement

Shoulder impingement (squeezing of the rotator cuff tendon), most frequently occurs in the supraspinatus, underneath the bony arch of the acromion.

#6 – Arthritis of the Shoulder

Arthritis is a degenerative disease that usually occurs due to wearing and tearing of the affected joint, as in osteoarthritis, or due to a systemic inflammation, as in rheumatoid arthritis. Arthritis results in loss of protective cartilage in the shoulder joint which can cause pain and limited shoulder movement.

Other causes of shoulder pain include shoulder fractures, labral tears, calcific tendonitis, superior labrum from anterior to posterior or SLAP tears and biceps tendon ruptures.

Common Causes of Shoulder Pain

Increased Risk with Age – Shoulder pain is more common in individuals older than 40 years and is often the result of wear and tear on the shoulder.

Previous Shoulder Injury – In younger adults, shoulder pain is commonly associated with a previous injury.

Related to Sports Played or Work Performed – In addition, about 21% of shoulder pain associated with injuries was related to work (Wofford, Mansfield & Watkins, 2005).

Athletes and workers who execute repetitive overhead or throwing motions have greater risk for shoulder injuries and pain.  Examples of sports where athletes have greater risk of shoulder pain are swimming, tennis, baseball, volleyball and javelin.  Examples of occupations that are at greater risk of shoulder pain are carpenters, painters, construction workers and workers performed repeated overhead movements.

Posture - Bad postures and body mechanics also increase the risk of shoulder pain.  For example, forward rolled shoulders increases the risk for impingement syndrome. This type of posture can reduce the space to which the rotator cuff tendons or muscles goes through, which increase the risk of squeezing the structures underneath the acromion.

Diagnosis of Shoulder Pain

The cause of shoulder pain is mainly determined by medical history, results from a physical examination and findings on the diagnostic imaging tools.

If the pain is severe or if the cause is still undetermined through physical examination, your physician may recommend diagnostic imaging tests to obtain the accurate cause of the pain.  X-rays, a magnetic resonance imaging or an ultrasound may be ordered in order to provide better clarification of the injury and the severity of the injury.

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I hope you enjoyed part one on Shoulder Pain and have a better idea of the magnitude of shoulder pain, the make up of the shoulder, common causes of shoulder pain and ways of diagnosing shoulder pain.

Rick Kaselj, MS

P.S. – If you are looking for other resources when it comes to shoulder pain, injuries and recovery, these may help:

Other articles on shoulder pain, injuries and recovery:

• Posture and Scapular Muscles
• Focus on Scapular Muscles
• Buns and Shoulder Pain
• Bench Press Shoulder Pain
• Getting the Most from Your Scapular Exercises

Fitness Education Courses on shoulder pain, injuries and recovery:

• Exercise Rehabilitation of the Shoulder

• Core Stability of the Shoulder

Books and products related to shoulder pain, injuries and recovery:

• Effective Rotator Cuff Exercises

• Scapular Stabilization Exercises

That is it for now!

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I got  a guest post for you.

It is from Ben Greenfield.  I have been reading his stuff for some time and I asked him to send me a blog post.

I liked it and I know you will as well.  It talks about inflammation which is a huge issue in recovery from injuries, enjoy.

How To Recover Like Wolverine From X-Men

By Ben Greenfield, MS – Author of The Bulletproof Knee & Run With No Pain

Let’s make just one giant assumption and assume that you know all about Wolverine from X-Men.

You know he possesses animal-keen senses.

You know he competes like a super-human weapon.

You know he has retracting bone claws made from space-age metal.

And, perhaps, most importantly, you know he possesses a special healing factor that allows him to quickly recover from virtually any wound, disease or toxin.

Read the rest of this entry »

One of the presenters of Muscle Imbalances Revealed, Eric Beard, just finished up this great video:

Read the rest of this entry »

Exercise Rehabilitation of the Shoulder

DESCRIPTION:

“Nearly 6 million people a year visit their doctor for shoulder pain, strains, dislocations or other shoulder related problems”

 

In the Exercise Rehabilitation of the Shoulder course, functional anatomy of the shoulder joint will be reviewed. In addition, common shoulder injuries (frozen shoulder, shoulder impingement, rotator cuff tear and shoulder instability) will be discussed, and rehabilitative principles and exercises for each will be presented.

OBJECTIVES:

Foundations of Upper Body Conditioning

DESCRIPTION:

OBJECTIVES:

Exercises for Shoulder Impingement

Description:

The shoulder is one of the most injured joints in the body.  One of the most common injuries to the shoulder is shoulder impingement.  A key component in the recovery from shoulder impingement is exercise.  The role of exercise for shoulder impingement is key in helping speed up recovery, decreases pain, improving movement, increasing strength and creating stability around the shoulder joint.  The focus of the Exercises for Shoulder Impingement webinar will be exercise program design and exercises for a client that has shoulder impingement.

What you will learn during the webinar:

- A 12 week shoulder impingement exercise program that you can use right away with you shoulder impingement clients
- The exercises to DO and NOT do when training a client recovering from shoulder impingement
- Essential components of an exercise rehabilitation program when training a client recovering from shoulder impingement
- Recommended and research backed exercises when training a client recovering from shoulder impingement
- Key structures involved in shoulder impingement

Read the rest of this entry »

Videos of Each of the Scapular Stabilization Exercises

Here is an exercise from the scapular stabilization exercise program:

What Shoulder Injuries Need to do Scapular Stabilization Exercises

Here is another video that I did to explain what shoulder injuries need to add scapular stabilization exercises to their exercise program.

Scapular Stabilization Exercise Program

Shoulder injuries lead to pain, prevent people from doing the things they love and make the simples tasks painful. Many will lean to exercises to help them recover from their shoulder injury. But too often strength exercises will lead to slower recovery from a shoulder injury. What needs to be done before strengthening the shoulder is activating, building endurance and strengthening the scapular stabilizer muscles. Adding this one step will speed up the recovery from a shoulder injury and prevent re-injury of the shoulder.

How the Program will help you:

- You will discover what is Scapular Stabilization?
- It will be explained why Scapular Stabilizers are so Important?
- What Muscles Make Up Scapular Stabilization?
- What are the Causes of Why Ones Scapular stabilizers are Not Working?
- How can you Prevent Scapular Stabilization Injury?
- How can Exercise Help Rehabilitate Scapular Stabilization Muscles?
- What exercises can help?
- Who Should Not Do these Exercises?

To get more information on the scapular exercise program, click the “Add to Cart” buton:

INSTRUCTOR: Rick Kaselj – MS., B.Sc., PK, CPT, CEP, CES

Rick Kaselj specializes in exercise rehabilitation, post-rehab, active rehabilitation, exercise therapy and corrective exercise. He works in one-on-one and group rehabilitation settings, training people who have been injured at work, in car accidents and during sport activities. His clients and group exercise participants include a wide variety of individuals from healthy and special populations. Rick has given over 233 presentations to 4531 fitness professionals and consumers across Canada while continuing to work in rehabilitation centers, physiotherapy clinics, fitness clubs and personal training studios. Rick recently completed his Masters of Science degree focusing on corrective exercise and therapeutic exercise for the rotator cuff. To reach Rick

or learn about his exercise rehabilitation courses please CLICK HERE .

Other Scapular Exercise Blog Posts

Exercises For Injuries blog is always growing.  One of the topics I blog often about is scapular exercises.  Here are some previews blog posts on the topic that will help you:

Getting the Most from Your Scapular Exercises – The keys to get the results you are looking for from the scapular stabilization exercise program.

Quick Way of Assessing Your Client’s Scapula – Key areas that a fitness professional should look at when looking at a client’s scapula.

If you are looking for a scapular stabilization exercise program to help you overcome your shoulder injury, click the “Add to Cart” button to get it:

Rick Kaselj, MS

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