That's Fit

I woke up this morning with a little bit of pain in my shoulder, a carry-over from a rotator cuff injury that has plagued me for the past ten years or so. My guess is that I slept awkwardly on my arm, although it's entirely possible I've aggravated it recently during a weightlifting workout. Depending on how my arm feels by later this evening, I may or may not be able to make it to the gym. Frankly, it's my own fault -- well, it was the fault of my former, younger, and sometimes more careless self -- that I am still occasionally dealing with pain ten years after the fact; I should have used better form and used a narrower grip on certain exercises.

Rotator cuff injuries are among the more common suffered by regular weightlifters, and in most cases it occurs during the performance of the bench press. In light of this fact, researchers have found that narrowing your grip while benching may help reduce your chance of injury. And, to the presumed delight of many seasoned lifters, a study in the Journal of Strength Conditioning also found that this slight narrowing of grip will have little affect on the strength of your lifts.

In addition, always be sure to warm up with about 5 minutes of moderate-intensity cardio before beginning your lifting routine. And, don't forget to stretch before and after your workout.

Your shoulder joints are among the most mobile you have, and their safety comes from the stability provided by the muscles and ligaments that surround them. That's why an imbalance in these stabilizing muscles can oftentimes result in injury.

In addition to performing rotator-cuff-specific exercises (the area of the shoulder where most injuries occur), it's important to follow a resistance training program that targets more than just your mirror muscles. Be sure that your workout includes an equal amount of pull exercises (pull-ups, rows, etc.) as it does pressing exercises (bench press, push-ups, military press, etc.), as it will create muscle balance and, in doing so, help stave off shoulder injury.

Also, be sure to listen to your body. Pain is never the goal, despite what some meatheads wearing Gold's Gym T-shirts and lycra shorts may tell you. If something feels wrong -- that is, different from the usual burn you have grown accustomed to feeling during a resistance training workout -- you should stop immediately. Failure to do so could take you out o the gym and on the D.L. for several weeks.

For those of you who may be serious lifters -- or, for those of you who may seriously be thinking about lifting -- I have a very short, albeit vital, piece of advice for you: Protect Your Rotator Cuff.

Without getting too clinical about it, the rotator cuff isn't an actual part of the body, per se; it's more of a term given to a group of muscles and tendons that act to stabilize the shoulder. Knowing what the rotator cuff happens to be is one thing, but injuring it is something altogether different. A tear or impingement (or both) can cause a great deal of pain, not to mention permanent injury in some cases. Being someone who has injured his rotator cuff while lifting weights, I can personally attest to the pain and discomfort this nagging injury can inflict.

To that end, I implore you to strengthen your rotator cuff by performing a few very simple exercises: the side-lying external rotation, the propped external rotator, and the lateral raise with internal rotation. Perform each with very, very light weight and do so delicately and with perfect form. They may not seem like they are actually doing anything while you do the exercises, but trust me, they are.

For a better description of how to perform each of the above listed rotator cuff exercises, click here.

Resistance training, when done properly, will strengthen bones, muscles, and joints. When done incorrectly, however, a host of potential problems arise. This is certainly the case with shoulder exercises, as it is this part of the body that many lifters injure (the author of this post notwithstanding).

The shoulders are made up of the deltoids (anterior, middle, and posterior) and rotator cuffs (supraspinatus, subscapularis, teres minor, infraspinatus, and teres major). Any of these regions are susceptible to injury if strict form is not adhered to, or if attempts at lifting too much weight are made. Sticking to a weight you can handle, and not continuing past the point of technical failure, will help ensure that your shoulders remain injury-free.

This is not to say that muscle soreness of any kind will not occur. In fact, delayed-onset soreness is how your muscles are supposed to feel after a strenuous workout. This is nothing to worry about. But, if you're experiencing more of a shooting or dull pain, you may want to see an orthopedic surgeon. Signs of serious shoulder injury include a stiffness and a lack of normal rotation, if you lack the strength to complete normal day-to-day activities, or if your shoulder feels as though it may pop or slide out of its socket.

As great for your body as resistance training undoubtedly is, there are certain risks inherent to such a taxing workout. In particular, if you are lifting a good amount of weight to increase size and muscle strength (rather than lifting light weights to tone and burn fat), the risk of injury is something that you should always bear in mind.

One of the more common injuries people suffer is to the rotator cuff, which is located in the shoulder near the armpit. This specific injury is on that oftentimes occurs during the performance of the bench press, one of the most popular and effective weightlifting exercises for your upper-body. In light of this fact, researchers have found that narrowing your grip while benching may help reduce your chance of injury. And, to the presumed delight of many seasoned lifters, the researchers also found that this slight narrowing of grip will have little affect on the strength of your lifts.

On most Olympic bars, which are the kind you'll typically find in just about any gym, there are little notches that serve as reference points for your hands. Based on the aforementioned research, which was published in the Strength and Conditioning Journal, you should make efforts to keep your hands inside these notches. Placing your hands any wider than this -- which is basically anything wider than shoulder-width apart -- increases the risk of injury.

In addition, always be sure to warm up with about 5 minutes of moderate-intensity cardio before beginning your lifting routine. And, don't forget to stretch before and after your workout.