The Shoulder Muscles

What do we know about the shoulder? For the average person, it helps us perform the most menial day-to-day tasks without much problem provided we don’t abuse it. For those who workout regularly including sportspeople, they are more likely have an awareness of the importance of the shoulder - perhaps they’ve been on the receiving end of shoulder problems or they know how integral the shoulder is to their performance. So what is the biggest risk with shoulders?

Fully mobile means questionable stability

The beauty of the shoulder is that it is such a complex joint, and we are in awe of how it all works! Not only is there the shoulder joint which can move in all possible directions – we are talking where your arm joins your body here, but the shoulder girdle which also has movement -think about the muscles around the shoulder blades, those bony wings that are flush to your ribcage around the back. The shoulder complex lives up to its name- it really is a complicated interplay of joint and girdle. Both have to move seamlessly together to create the huge range of movement your shoulder is capable of but at the same time, they need to provide excellent stability to allow you to raise your arm and to keep it there!

So what creates stability at the shoulder? Ligaments? Cartilage? Good joint articulation at the bone surfaces? Erm, not really - MUSCLE is the answer. Lots of them. Long ones, short ones, wide ones, thin ones, complicated ones, simple ones. The shoulder complex is a mass of interconnecting and interplaying muscles but the downside is that if even one of the tiniest muscles is not performing well enough, the whole system becomes faulty and your shoulder will not thank you for it! Once out of kilter, the shoulder is a difficult joint to get back on track.

Who and what need to take heed?

Well we know many sports are responsible for creating shoulder muscle imbalances. Some, more than others. Crossfit exercises place great burden on shoulder joints, as does weightlifting. Golf, most racquet sports, basketball and volleyball alike all require explosive strength at the shoulder. Rowing and swimming for example, require excellent shoulder endurance strength and help develop shoulder girdle stability – if done correctly these exercises can build shoulder integrity.

So if the more powerful muscle groups like deltoid don’t take the strain, and the shoulder girdle muscles are not working effectively, then the smaller muscles – the rotator cuff – are often left to shoulder the burden (another pun we couldn’t resist). These discrete muscles - particularly supraspinatus - are regularly the cause of many a shoulder problem –when they are unsupported by inherent shoulder strength.

So what can we do about keeping the muscles in great shape and which muscles should we work on?

Deltoid – a bit of a superhero

The obvious shoulder muscle to keep strong is the deltoid. We all love to see a well-shaped deltoid, giving definition to the line of the shoulder and looking good in a tight t-shirt, but is that all it’s good for? Of course not! Deltoid has the function of helping abduct the arm (taking it out to the side of the body - not kidnapping it), but also it is crucial to prevent the shoulder from popping out of place downwards when we are carrying heavy objects. It has front fibres which flex the arm and posterior fibres which extend the arm backwards. All in all, the deltoid is a good multi-tasker and a solid all-rounder. Quite an achievement!

Infraspinatus and Teres minor have the scapula covered! 

A couple of unsung hero’s of shoulder stability are the infraspinatus and teres minor, but they shouldn’t be! As part of the rotator cuff, they are critical to keeping the action of the deltoid in balance and again keeping the shoulder in the joint. If deltoid pulls the interior shoulder upwards then these two stop it from being pulled up too far. Critical to the stability of the shoulder, but hiding in the groove of the shoulder blade they are not often given the attention they deserve! How many of our readers have even heard of these muscles before? It’s now time to do them justice.

So how can we use our diPulse products for ensuring deltoid is working at its best? Using the diPulse SMARTSHIRT deltoid can be isolated and targeted for either by our Explosive Strength program or Hypertrophy program in the Sports and Fitness category.

Our SMARTSHIRT can also help isolate infraspinatus and teres minor via the integrated carbon electrodes at the back of the shirt. Since the rotator cuff have a mix of endurance and strength muscle fibres, perhaps using the Resistance program in our Sports and Fitness category would be the best fit for these two muscles.

If you want to isolate these muscles another way, don’t forget the diPulse SMARTRECOVERY kit is perfectly suited to reaching the smaller muscle groups of the shoulder that you may want to focus on.

The diPulse Toning Program in the Massage and Wellbeing category can also help prepare the shoulder muscles prior to an intense workout or sports session. Always remember that post-training programs can be found in our Cool-down and Muscle revival categories too to ensure your shoulder muscles return to their pre-workout resting state. So next time you think of your shoulder workout, make sure you remember that diPulse can offer you a much more efficient and targeted workout than exercises alone.

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References:

Austerfit.com (2021) accessed at https://www.austerfit.com/shoulder-anatomy-and-the-best-exercise-you-arent-doing/

Mint Lounge (2021) accessed at https://lifestyle.livemint.com/health/fitness/the-trouble-with-crossfit-111603983159994.html

Orthobullets (2021) accessed  https://www.orthobullets.com/anatomy/10012/deltoid

Sports Health (2021) accessed at https://www.sports-health.com/sports-injuries/shoulder-injuries/soft-tissues-shoulder