How Often Are You Moving Your Arms Overhead?
Let me ask you a question. How often do you move your arms overhead? For many of us, outside of putting away some dishes in a top cupboard, we may not be doing it that often. So many things we do daily keep our shoulders at our side; driving our car, eating, cooking, typing, etc.
This lack of movement wouldn’t be a problem in and of itself, but our bodies need to move. And not just move through a small range of motion but through the full range of motion of the joint. Given that the shoulders are the most moveable joint in the body, we need to focus on incorporating more movement.
Welcome to Overhead Lifting
Lifting overhead challenges our rotator cuff and engages our shoulder blade muscles; specifically, our serrates anterior (read more about this vital muscle in our blog post here).
The shoulder press is the most common overhead lifting exercise, and there are many ways to modify the lift if necessary. You can use a variety of implements, anything from dumbbells and barbells to a kettle ball or a medicine ball. When getting started, use something you already have and is easily accessible to do regularly.
If you haven’t lifted overhead, you can find it quite challenging. One way to modify the lift is by taking a couple of small weights and sliding them up the wall (make sure to put a sock around each weight, so it doesn’t scratch your wall!).
If you have a stiff mid-back, you might find it challenging to lift overhead. You can modify it by sitting on an incline and doing an overhead press.
