Training Shoulders Properly

I am seeing more shoulder injuries every day, and I firmly believe this is the result of improper lifting.  Let's consider the rotator cuff and look at what exercises can help strengthen and protect it while lifting.

I gave a brief description of the rotator cuff and its function last spring, so let's recap: rotator cuff muscles are responsible for keeping the glenohumeral joint in place during shoulder depression.

Here's how that works.  During a shoulder press, the rotator cuff group takes over as we lower our arms and as our elbows drop below 90 degrees. We hold the weight there for a second then we start our lift upward.  The bottom end of this lift is also more rotator (supraspinatus) than middle deltoid. The supraspinatus is a much smaller muscle than the middle deltoid and, therefore, can't take the same amount of stress.

Remember, also, that rotator cuff muscles are part of the shoulder girdle, and three of the four rotator cuff muscles originate behind the scapula.

For as much shoulder lifting as we do, we have to remember to treat our rotator cuff muscles as a separate muscle group. I have found very few people perform specific exercises for their rotator cuff muscles.

Here are a few tips on how to safely strengthen your rotator cuff muscles:

• With light weight, practice a shoulder press from the very bottom position: elbows at your side and hands by your shoulders.
• Using a band or light dumbbell, keep your elbow tight to your body and move your arm from your stomach to the outside of your body.
• Lift light dumbbells and, with elbows bent, lift the weights parallell to the floor. Then slowly rotate the weights upward from the shoulder.
• Include rows and rear delt exercises in your workout. This way, the rhomboids and rear deltoids assist in keeping the scapula in place — which in turn aids in keeping the rotators in place.

Protect your rotator cuffs by exercising properly.  Repairing is time-consuming, costly and never guaranteed, so avoid injuries in the first place.

Diesel Crew

If you are a fitness nut, pay a visit to Diesel Crew. I visited the Web site today for the first time in a long time.

These guys are crazy about their fitness. They have

• links
• tips for body building
  
• articles for strong man competitors
  
• workouts for MMA fighters
  
• videos for shoulder rehab
  

And the list goes on. Check it out.

Picking The Martial Arts Studio

Recently I discovered that one of the gyms at which I work holds a weekly "open martial art mat" night, which means all martial arts practiced on campus are invited to work out in the gym at this time.  (For this gym, that included judo, taekwondo, Brazilian jui juitsu, tai chi, mixed martial arts and Krav-Maga.)

I was hoping I would be able to get in some sparring, randori or chi saui, depending on who was practicing. However, I learned an even more important lesson: before you join any group to practice and learn, find out what what they do and how they do it so you know if it's a proper fit to your needs and expectations.

The night I visited, two groups were using the martial arts room: a Brazilian jui juitsu group and a mixed martial arts group.

The jui jitsu class was taught by a small woman.

Now, I have met some very powerful martial arts women through the years, and I know size isn't an indicator of power or strength.  I never thought I would hear a woman say the safest place to be in a fight is on the ground.  And yet, that is exactly what she told her group.

All I could think was: if she was fighting a 200-pound person, she would be at a 100-pound disadvantage

Don't get me wrong: I am a firm believer in ground-fighting. If you are going to learn to fight, you need to be able to survive wherever the fight could take you. I am just not sure that a small woman in a true self-defense situation should want to fight on the ground with someone almost twice her weight.  (Frankly, I wouldn't advise this for anyone of small stature, man or woman.)

To drive her point home, the jui juitsu instructor demonstrated some take-downs with a man in the class who pinned her with his forearm against her neck. She was good enough to avoid getting choked, but she could not get out from under her opponent. This is a bad idea, especially for a small person, and for a woman.

My opinion is this: There are too many tools in the martial arts tool belt to assume that one type of fighting will protect you from all attacks — especially when you are limiting yourself to fighting mostly on the ground.

The second group practicing mixed martial arts were strictly ground-and-pound guys. I watched two men wrestle each other like their lives depended on it, and two others were, for lack of a better term, kickboxing. All four  were wearing pads and mouth guards, and the kickboxing guys wore gloves.

I didn't join either group.  I didn't want to practice ground fighting, and I didn't want to fight.  Instead, I worked out on my own.

When checking out a martial art to study, educate yourself.  Before you choose a studio or teacher with which to study or practice, do your homework.  Check out the schools to find the right setting and tone for your personality.

Train Core Muscles All Around

When we talk about core muscles, most people think about abdominal muscles only. That is a mistake. It's only a small part of the whole, and the "core" should be thought of in its entirety for proper strength and support.

The core muscles are called that because the are responsible for all motions through out our thoracic cavity:

• bending forward (flexion), controlled mostly by our abs
  
• bending backward (extension) controlled by the lower back
  
• pivoting (spinal rotation) controlled by lower back, abs and obliques
• bending to the side (lateral bend) controlled by the obliques

When any of these muscle groups are trained more than another it causes muscular imbalances.

For instance, too many crunches and too little lower back work can cause the torso to tilt forward. This is obviously not a prime body position for a healthy back — and terrible from a sports standpoint. These imbalances can lead to serious injury.

When you train arms, you work biceps and triceps. When you train on core day, remember all core muscle groups.

Your body functions as a unit. Truly, it must be trained as a unit.

When All Else Fails, Listen To Your Body

When you bust your gut working out, you're eating right and still you're not getting results, it's time to listen to your body.

We need to understand that the diets we experiment with or the workout plans we read in books do not always work because we are not a one-size-fits-all people. We have different builds and different metabolisms, which means our bodies have different needs.

Here are a few tips on what your body could be telling you:

• Are your muscles to tired to get through your workout? Try eating two hours before your workout. Be sure to include carbs and protein: the carbs are for your glycogen stores now and the protein in your system for later in the workout, especially if the workout is more than an hour long.

• Are you lifting hard and taking your protein shakes, and wondering why your body fat is still 20 percent? Remember that protein is hard to digest. By taking in more protein than your body can digest in a 24-hour period, it can cause you to put on weight by storing as fat.

• Are you lifting weights and getting stronger, but don't seem to gain muscle size? My guess is that your stuck in the 3-10 state of mind (three sets of 10 reps). It's time to break out of that mold and try some new lifting techniques.

• Are you eating more because of your new workout routine? Don't make the mistake of eating a huge meal after your workout because you're hungry. Teach yourself how to eat smaller meals during the day. That way you aren't hungry during the day and you still maintain a daily suitable calorie intake.

• Keep a journal of your workouts and your food intake. When you review it every week, compare your goals to your results. This will give you greater insight into your calorie expenditure vs. calorie intake. Compare this to any noticeable changes in your physique or scale weight, then make adjustments accordingly.

Learn to listen to your body, you will thank it later.

Holiday tip from our friends at A.C.E. Fitness

We all look forward to some home cooking and baked goodies at Thanksgiving.

However, the holidays don't have to be full of sacrifice and guilt. Here are A.C.E.'s tips on
Enjoying the Holidays Guilt-Free.

Lifting For Size: The Big Three

If you are one of those many people who are lifting for size and you are not doing one or all three of these exercises — deadlifts, bench press and/or squats — you are seriously missing the boat.

Adding muscle is the ability to train your body to lift more weight. Once we accomplish that goal, we can lift more weight in more varying exercises.

Take a look at how many muscle groups we use during:

• Deadlift: hamstrings, glutes, quads, erector spinae group, forearms, shoulders, abs (when done correctly), traps, rhomboids, posterior deltoid

• Bench Press: lats,bicep, tricep, pecs (major and minor) anterior deltoid, forearms, serratus anterior

• Squats: quads, hamstrings, hip flexors, abs, tibialis anterior, soleus, calfs, quadratus lumborum (lower back)

Because of all of these different muscle groups at work, we can lift more weight during these exercises. Once we get proficient at these, then soon we can add weight to the rest of our routine.
This will lead to the muscle mass you are looking for....

....assuming you are eating right, but that's a whole other blog.