Stretching plays a crucial role in one's performance. It (stretching) properly prepares the joints, ligaments and muscles for cardiovascular, and resistance training. Having a progressive stretch program can improve ROM, and reduce the chance of injury.

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The shoulder girdle is a complex joint that moves across multiple planes of the body. With that, it, as well as the hip joint, are highly susceptible to injury, and should be stretched before and after workouts. The first stretch depicted in the collage above is a beginner-friendly external rotation with a resistance band secured to a pole. This stretch is done by making sure to keep the elbow close to the body. With the elbow secured, one will then begin to move their hands laterally (side-to-side) across the body at a moderate tempo. A recommended range to stick with would be about three to four sets of anywhere from 10 to 20 reps.

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The second stretch shown is an intermediate version of the same external rotation in the first example, but this time there is an added foam placed under the arm for support. The same rep scheme from version one can be observed with this one.

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The third, and last stretch from this shoulder series is an advanced version of the external rotation. This should only be attempted if one has a good foundation in the previous stretches. This stretch involves similar mechanics to our previous stretches, but this time we have added shoulder flexion to the end of the movement. This means that once you have initiated the movement, you will get to about half way, and raise the elbow from the side in an upward path, making sure to keep the elbow straight. Once you have extended the arm at the top, slowly bring down the arm to its original position. Since the movement is more complicated to perform, I would suggest to do two to three sets of eight to ten.

Deltoids

Understanding the basics of the shoulder.

Once stretching is complete, one can transition into goal-specific compound movements (like the shoulder press for example). This movement relies on multiple muscles to execute. The same progressive method (which is to slowly increase the repetitions and/or weight in small increments) should be applied to these type of workouts to avoid plateaus.

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The shoulder press demonstrated above (underhand grip) is suited more for individuals who have prior experience in executing a standard overhead press (both seated, and standing). Both versions target the anterior (front), and lateral (side) parts of the deltoid however, the underhand version involves the recruitment of the upper chest (pectoralis minor) as well. To start, one will find a weight that is moderate to them (going heavy is not necessary when first starting). Next, you will want to grab the bar in a reversed fashion (making sure to stabilize the wrist throughout the motion) and place it directly in front of the shoulder, or near the collarbone.

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Once you have a stable grip, you will then begin to press the barbell up, and over the head (think of a crescent moon shape). As you reach the apex (top) portion of the motion, slowly bring the weight down to the initial starting point to complete the first repetition. I recommend when first starting off to do three sets of 10 to 15 repetitions. That will be enough to both learn the new action, as well as break down the muscle fibers, which will create new growth (GAINS!).

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