The 4 worst exercises for the shoulders and rotator cuff muscles

Are you struggling with shoulder pain? Then you should avoid these 4 exercises! These exercises can aggravate shoulder pain and lead to injuries. Feel free to share with someone who has shoulder problems. Do you have more suggestions for exercises that can be harmful to the shoulders? Tell me in the comments section at the bottom of the article or at Facebook.

Exercise is good in most cases - but like all possible things, it is also possible to do this wrong. There are some exercises in particular that are linked to aggravation of shoulder pain and damage to the rotator cuff muscles. The rotator cuff muscles are the shoulder's most important support apparatus - this consists of the supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor and subscapularis. With incorrect training or repetitive work above shoulder height, these muscles can be damaged or even torn off. Here are 4 exercises you should avoid if you have a sore shoulder. Of course, there are several exercises that can be bad exercises, but here we have selected four pieces. We point out that it is the wrong execution we primarily focus on in this article - and that this is a selection of exercises that many make mistakes without sufficiently well-trained stability muscles. You will find good alternatives for exercises if you have shoulder problems here .

1. Bench press

Bench press is an exercise that places high demands on shoulder stability and specific muscle control. The exercise can lead to a closed, uncontrolled and excessive movement in the shoulder joint (glenohumeral joint) which puts an incredible amount of pressure / load on the rotator cuff muscles. These are uncontrolled exercises that over time can lead to overload and injury, and are considered one of the most common causes of shoulder injuries. Many people think that bench press is an exercise everyone can do, but it is not true at all - it requires that you already have very good stability and control over the muscles; and can thus be considered an exercise for only the advanced.

2. DIPS

Very popular exercise that is used far too much among everyday exercisers. Again, we return to an uncontrolled and large movement (assuming you do not have extreme muscle control) where the shoulder joint tips forward during the execution of the exercise - which adds a very high load on the front of the shoulder and individual shoulder muscles. Pain in the front of the shoulder? Abstain from this and find out the workout. Our recommendation to wait with the DIPS exercise mainly applies to Ola and Kari Nordmann, as this is an extremely difficult exercise to perform correctly - but we also agree that it can have a good training effect if done correctly. The only problem is that most people make it wrong - and thus develop shoulder pain over time. Some important things to keep in mind if you are going to do the exercise is not to go over 90 degrees, as well as make sure that your head position does not tip too far forward.

3. Deep dumbbell swing (Flyes)

Deep dumbbell swing as it is called in Old Norse - perhaps better known as flyes for most people - is an exercise that really puts your shoulders in an exposed position. Lowering the weights too far back causes the shoulders to be out-rotated and led out to a position where they are at their most vulnerable - add an extra heavy weight and then you have a recipe for an irritated or injured shoulder. This strengthening can be done in other ways in less exposed positions, for example with a training elastic or in a pulley machine.

4. Standing pull-up

Another example of an exercise that ends up in an exposed position for the shoulder. Standing pull-ups are typically performed with barbells or kettlebells. When the weight is raised in this way, the shoulders will be rotated inwards and place very high demands on the stability muscles in the rotator cuff - stability that few of us have. The result is thus an overloaded and exposed shoulder position that can provide a basis for what is called "impingement syndrome" where injuries to the shoulder lead to a pinching inside the shoulder joint itself.

Feel free to contact us at YouTube or Facebook if you have questions or the like regarding exercise or your muscle and joint problems. Consult your therapist (chiropractor, physiotherapist or doctor) if they estimate that it is time for you to start with specific exercises and which exercises they recommend for you.
We recommend that you try these exercises as a gentle start:

Try these now: - 5 Good Exercises for Sore Shoulders

Recommended products for pain relief

Biofreeze (Cold / cryotherapy)

NEXT PAGE: - Shoulder pain? You should know this!

Also read: - AU! Is it Late Inflammation or Late Injury?

Also read: - 8 good advice and measures against sciatica and sciatica

Also read: - The 5 worst exercises if you have prolapse

Did you know: - Cold treatment can give pain relief to sore joints and muscles? Blue. Biofreeze (you can order it here), which consists mainly of natural products, is a popular product. Contact us today via our Facebook page if you have questions or need recommendations.

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The 5 worst exercises if you have prolapse

Do you have prolapse? Then you should stay away from these 5 exercises! These can worsen the pain and lead to poorer healing. Feel free to share with someone who is affected by prolapse. Do you have more suggestions for exercises that can be harmful to the back? Tell us in the comment field at the bottom of the article or on Facebook.

Exercise and movement are usually good - even if you suffer from a disc disorder - according to your capacity, of course. But there are exercises and exercises that can aggravate prolapse symptoms, nerve dysfunction and pain - especially those that give a high abdominal pressure or pressure on the discs. Here are 5 exercises you should avoid if you have disc herniation. Of course, there are several exercises that can be bad exercises, but here we have selected five pieces. We point out that it is the wrong execution we primarily focus on in this article - and that this is a selection of exercises that many make mistakes without sufficiently well-trained stability muscles.

1. Leg press

Leg press is an exercise that can be difficult to perform correctly - and many people pull their legs too close before pushing. This can cause the load to be isolated in your lower intervertebral discs and create a tremendously high pressure against the discs - which can lead to increased damage to the discs, which can consistently lead to worsening pain and symptoms.

A: Wrong design. Do you see how the back bends when you walk get far in with your legs? This is what can lead to increased disc problems. Instead, stop earlier as shown in the next picture (B).
B: Proper execution of the exercise. Do not bend over 90 degrees with your knees.

2. Running

The intervertebral discs are the back shocks. When you run, especially on hard surfaces, this can lead to a high load on the lower discs in the back - which can provoke the pain. Therefore, it may be better to walk in rough terrain if you have a known disc disorder - at least until you have built up the core muscles, stability muscles in the knee and hip, and you return to better function after the injury. Once the injury has healed, you can gradually add jogging / running to your exercise regimen again.

3. Sit-ups without support with twisting

We strongly recommend that you keep your lower back supported against an exercise mat or exercise ball if you are going to do sit-ups. The form of sit-ups where the body is raised too high at the same time as it is rotated should be avoided if you have a known disc problem. There are otherwise good alternatives for a more gentle training of the abdomen and core muscles - such as the low-intra-abdominal pressure exercises dynamic plank og jackknife.

4. The "wood splitter" with medicine ball or free weight

This exercise goes into a strongly bent and twisted position - maybe this was even such a position you had when you first provoked your disc disorder? We recommend that you do not do exercises with bending, rotation and increased load in the form of ball or weight. If you do not have intervertebral discs that can withstand more than us 'ordinary people in the street'. Yes, similar exercises can work for a while, but over time, this strain can lead to disc injuries and worsening pain.

5. Forward bend with straight legs

This stretching may feel as if it 'takes good care of the back', but the truth is that if it is done incorrectly, it puts very high pressure on the lower discs in your lower back. If you think about physics, you can see how the forces naturally have to go through the lower structures in the back before you can bend further down towards the ground. Therefore, it is important to try to keep a neutral curve in the back when doing this exercise.

A: Incorrect execution. By bending your back, the pelvis will tilt backwards and you will receive increased pressure on the lower discs of the lower back.

B: Proper execution. Neutral curve in the back and correct pelvic position make this a good stretch.

Feel free to contact us at YouTube or Facebook if you have questions or the like regarding exercise or your muscle and joint problems. Consult your therapist (chiropractor, physiotherapist or doctor) if they estimate that it is time for you to start with specific exercises and which exercises they recommend for you.
We rather recommend that you try these exercises with proven low abdominal pressure - based on Stuart McGill's training knowledge:

Read: Do intra-abdominal pressure exercises for you with prolapse

What can I do even for muscle and joint pain?

1. General exercise, specific exercise, stretching and activity are recommended, but stay within the pain limit. Two walks a day of 20-40 minutes make good for the body and aching muscles.

2. Trigger point / massage balls we strongly recommend - they are available in different sizes so that you can hit well even on all parts of the body. There is no better self help than this! We recommend the following (click the image below) - which is a complete set of 5 trigger point / massage balls in different sizes:

3. Training: Specific training with training tricks of various opponents (such as this complete set of 6 knits of different resistance) can help you train strength and function. Knit training often involves more specific training, which in turn can lead to more effective injury prevention and pain reduction.

4. Pain Relief - Cooling: Biofreeze is a natural product that can relieve pain by cooling the area gently. Cooling is especially recommended when the pain is very severe. When they have calmed down then heat treatment is recommended - it is therefore advisable to have both cooling and heating available.

5. Pain Relief - Heating: Warming up tight muscles can increase blood circulation and reduce pain. We recommend the following reusable hot / cold gasket (click here to read more about it) - which can be used both for cooling (can be frozen) and for heating (can be heated in the microwave).

NEXT PAGE: - Backache? You should know this!

The 4 worst exercises for the shoulders