Shoulder extension in training

August 11th, 2017 by

Yesterday I talked about internal rotation of the shoulder when performing push ups. I found this picture on Instagram this morning and it perfectly depicts what I was talking about yesterday. The bottom right pic is what most people look like when performing push ups and, in this case, bench dips. The arms move in a similar manner in both exercises.

A LOT of movements we perform every day are done in a very poor position and with poor form, most likely without us even being aware of how poorly we’re moving. These dysfunctional movement patterns are most likely the result of sitting at a desk all day.

Look at the bench dips below. How many of you perform them like the pic on the right, with your elbows flared out super wide and with your ears in line with your shoulders?

This internal rotation of the shoulder joint only serves to further reinforce poor movement patterns which will ultimately result in injury. Pay attention to how you move. If you lack the mobility and the end range shoulder extension to get into positions like this, you should fix your issues and avoid certain exercises until you do.