For those who’re taking a look at this text, either you are on a quest to know more about your body, otherwise you’re apprehensive about your shoulder health, specifically your rotator cuff.
The supraspinatus is one in every of the 4 muscles that make up the rotator cuff and plays a giant part in shoulder abduction (bringing your arm up such as you’re doing a lateral raise). Strengthening your supraspinatus is crucial if you would like to maintain your shoulder health, prevent injury, and improve upper body function.
This text will cover the highest 7 supraspinatus exercises to maintain your shoulders bulletproof. It must be noted that if you happen to have already got a shoulder injury, check together with your doctor before starting any of those exercises to make sure that they match up together with your recovery plan.
So, What Is the Supraspinatus Muscle?
The supraspinatus is positioned within the upper back, connected to the shoulder blade and the humerus (upper arm). As mentioned above, its primary job is to assist lift your arm to the side and supply some stability to the shoulder joint. Unfortunately, most individuals don’t work on ensuring the supraspinatus stays in fighting shape, and it’s essentially the most commonly injured rotator cuff muscle.¹
Why Should You Strengthen the Supraspinatus?
Besides the plain wanting to have the opportunity to lift your arm without pain, listed below are a few other the explanation why you ought to be incorporating some supraspinatus exercises into your routine:
- Prevent Shoulder Injuries: It helps with shoulder stabilization and can even help avoid impingement.
- Improve Athletic Performance: A stronger supraspinatus can increase physical output for anyone who participates in activities with overhead movements, resembling tennis players, volleyball players, or swimmers.
- Enhance Range of Motion: A well-developed supraspinatus contributes to higher arm mobility and suppleness, crucial for each day activities and sports.
7 Best Supraspinatus Exercises
Below are seven of my favorite supraspinatus exercises in no particular order. I at all times use 2-3 of them in my dynamic warm ups before understanding.
1. Supraspinatus Isometric Hold
The supraspinatus isometric hold is a targeted exercise designed to strengthen and stabilize the supraspinatus muscle. Isometric exercises like this help improve shoulder stability and forestall injuries, especially for those involved in overhead movements.
How To:
- Stand together with your arm by your side.
- Hold a lightweight dumbbell or resistance band and lift your arm about 30 degrees away out of your body, maintaining a slight bend within the elbow.
- Hold for 10–15 seconds and repeat for 3 sets.
2. Full Can Exercise
The Full Can exercise is an important movement for strengthening the supraspinatus muscle. By mimicking the motion of pouring out a can together with your arms elevated, you specifically goal the rotator cuff while minimizing stress on the shoulder joint. It’s an important selection for injury prevention, rehabilitation, or enhancing overall shoulder strength.
How To:
- Hold a lightweight dumbbell in each hand together with your thumbs pointing upward.
- Raise your arms to shoulder height in a “Y” position (roughly 30 degrees forward).
- Slowly lower them back to your sides.
3. Empty Can Exercise
Much like the complete can exercise above but this movement internally rotates the shoulder, which is a more aggressive isolation of the supraspinatus. This will aggrevate shoulder injuries so be mindful of your current situation before attempting it.
How To:
- Hold a dumbbell or weight in each hand together with your thumbs pointing down (as if you happen to’re emptying a can).
- Raise your arms in a “Y” position
- Lower them slowly.
4. Side-Lying External Rotation
The Side-Lying External Rotation is common exercise to strengthen the rotator cuff, especially for individuals who partake in activities that involve overhead motions. It’s an important addition to each rehabilitation programs and strength training routines to advertise healthy shoulders.
How To:
- Lie in your side with a lightweight dumbbell within the hand of the highest arm.
- Together with your elbow bent at 90 degrees, rotate your arm outward, lifting the dumbbell toward the ceiling.
- Return to the starting position.
5. Prone Horizontal Abduction
The Prone Horizontal Abduction helps to strengthen the upper back and shoulder muscles. You’ll be able to improve your posture, improve shoulder mobility and enhace upper body strength. It’s great for people trying to counteract the results of slouching or forward shoulder rotation.
How To:
- Lie face down on a bench or flat surface.
- Together with your arms hanging down and palms facing inward, raise your arms straight out to the perimeters until they’re parallel with the ground.
- Lower and repeat.
6. Band External Rotation
The Band External Rotation is an easy exercise for warm ups and to strengthen the rotator cuff. This can be a common movement you will see on the gym due to its effectiveness.
How To:
- Attach a resistance band to a stable surface.
- Stand with the band at waist height and hold it within the hand farthest from the anchor point.
- Keep your elbow bent at 90 degrees and rotate your arm outward against the band’s resistance.
7. Wall Angels
Wall angels are perfect for a variety of things including activating and stretching the shoulders, upper back and chest. Additionally they can aid in improving posture, shoulder mobility and upper back strength. Use them in your warm ups or rehab routine.
How To:
- Stand together with your back against a wall, arms raised at 90 degrees to your sides (like a goalpost).
- Press your arms against the wall and slide them upward, keeping your back and arms in touch with the wall.
- Lower and repeat.
Find out how to Incorporate Supraspinatus Exercises Into Your Routine
So now you recognize what you possibly can do to strengthen these muscles, so now it is a matter of putting them into practice. Listed below are some tips about the best way to work these into your workout routine:
- Warm-up: These could be done on any workout day, including leg days; begin with light band external rotations or wall angels to activate the muscle.
- Frequency: Aim for 2-3 sessions per week, 20-30 reps per exercise. Do not feel like you should do each exercise each session.
- Progression: Start with light weights or resistance bands and steadily increase as your strength improves. We’re not trying to break records. As a substitute, we’re attempting to make sure that you do not break!
Common Mistakes to Avoid When Performing supraspinatus exercises
Piggybacking off of the last line of the above section, listed below are some mistakes people make once they first start doing supraspinatus exercises:
- Using Too Much Weight: The supraspinatus is a small muscle that is easily injured, so overloading it could do the precise opposite of what we’re trying to perform here. Ditch the ego. Start light.
- Incorrect Arm Position: Ensure you are listening to the shape within the videos; we included them for a reason. If possible, do the exercises in front of a mirror to make sure all the things is where it must be.
- Neglecting Other Rotator Cuff Muscles: While this text focuses on the supraspinatus, do not forget that the rotator cuff also includes three other muscles. For truly strong shoulders, make sure that you are working them equally.
Wrap-Up
Rotator cuff injuries suck, don’t let yourself get injured when it could possibly be prevented. Dedicating time to strengthening your supraspinatus can prevent from expensive surgery, shoulder pain, and missing time doing all of your favorite activities.
Start light, make sure that your form is correct, and be consistent! Once you’re still capable of hit the gym, and others start dropping out as a result of injury, you will be thanking me.
Take a look at more rotator cuff articles:
References
- Pennmedicine.org, 2023, www.pennmedicine.org/for-patients-and-visitors/find-a-program-or-service/orthopaedics/shoulder-pain/rotator-cuff-tear-treatment-and-diagnosis.
