Stretch/strengthen the shoulders

Shoulder injuries are still quite frequent, especially among athletes who do  considerable throwing, and to a good extent, hitting overhead. Most notable among such athletes are pitchers and tennis players hitting overheads.

To help keep the shoulder injury free and functioning most effectively, it is  necessary to both stretch and strengthen the muscles of the shoulder joint and especially of the rotator cuff. In this way you can have a free shoulder or more accurately, shoulder girdle in which the scapula is free to go through a full range of motion.

There are many stretches for the shoulder and shoulder girdle, but most of them involve movements forward and backward, not overhead. To alleviate this deficiency I have found that use of the Backstretch Strap is most effective in full stretching and strengthening of the muscles involved in overhead movements of the shoulder and shoulder girdle.

In this stretch you attach the backstretch strap to a door or overhead beam and hold the handles approximately a head high. You then lower your body into a full squat or until your arms are completely extended with raised shoulders. To strengthen the muscles you then do a pull-up using only the arms. If you need assistance in doing a pull-up you can then use the legs to help return to the original position.

It should be noted that a stretch of this kind with the following strengthening is also great for people who cannot do pull-ups with the backstretch strap they can use the legs to assist in raising the body back up to the original position. It is a great way for beginners to learn and improve in doing pull-ups, a most difficult exercise for most youngsters.

In addition, as the name implies backstretch strap is also great for stretching the lower back and especially the lower latissimus dorsi muscle. This muscle is not targeted when doing the common pull-ups. Thus it does not get any stretching or strengthening.

More details on the stretches and strength exercises can be found in Biomechanics and Kinesiology of Exercise if you purchase the Backstretch Strap an instructional video describing these exercises is included.