In-Season Arm Care Programs: Keeping Your Upper Body Healthy All Season Long
Leave a CommentKeeping your arms and shoulders strong and mobile are important in a successful season for any overhead athlete. Often, skipping out on warming up, cooling down, and stretching can cause preventable injuries. Athletes can excel throughout their season without worrying about injury with proper care and effort. The throwing or hitting motion of sports such as baseball, softball, tennis, water polo, swimming, and volleyball could result in injury due to the tremendous force athletes put through their shoulders. In women’s volleyball, the ball can be spiked up to speeds of 70mph, and in tennis, players can serve up to 128 MPH. With such high velocity and force behind hitting and throwing, athletes need to keep up with strength and mobility. Here are six exercises all overhead athletes can do for a healthy upper body.
1. Open Books
This is a great way to mobilize and stretch out the upper body. It also works great for warming up the body for movement. Holding the stretch allows you to sink into it and improve overall mobility. Perform 2 sets of 12 repetitions, holding for 5 seconds
2. Wall Slides
Sliding up the wall can improve stability while focusing on the movement and increase the overall range of motion in the shoulders and thoracic spine. This movement involves the scapula, which is important for overall shoulder health.
Perform 20 repetitions with a 3-second hold at the top of each rep.
3. Lat Stretch
The lat is a major muscle in the body and can be often overlooked when performing stretches and mobility work. This muscle stretches from the lumbar spine all the way to the shoulder, so keeping it mobile is important for athletes.
Perform 3 sets at 30 seconds each.
4. Single Arm Prone Ts
This exercise focuses on the smaller posterior shoulder and back muscles that often get overlooked in strength training. Starting off with no resistance is best to get the most out of the exercises, as it gets easier perform with light weight dumbbells to progressively overload the muscles. Strengthening these muscles will prevent rounded shoulders and secondary shoulder impingement.
Perform 3 sets of 12 slow and control repetitions.
5. Prone Ys
This exercise focuses on strengthening and stabilizing the shoulder in a flexed position. It works the shoulder range of motion and challenges the shoulder against gravity. It can strengthen and stabilize the shoulder at the end range.
Perform 3 sets of 12 repetitions.
6. Single Arm Kneeling Row
This is a great full back and shoulder exercise. Lean into the end range of shoulder flexion with a full lat stretch, allowing the scapula to move with the shoulder. Contract back, fully engaging the lats, and performing scapular retraction.
Perform 2 sets of 8 slow and controlled repetitions.
These exercises can help prevent injury during the season. If you want a more in-depth exercise program or are experiencing pain or discomfort, call your local Athletico and get a free assessment with one of our licensed physical therapists. Free assessments are available in-person and virtually through our telehealth platform.
*Per federal guidelines, beneficiaries of plans such as Medicare, Medicaid, Tricare, VHA and other federally funded plans are not eligible for free assessments.
The Athletico blog is an educational resource written by Athletico employees. Athletico bloggers are licensed professionals who abide by the code of ethics outlined by their respective professional associations. The content published in blog posts represents the opinion of the individual author based on their expertise and experience. The content provided in this blog is for informational purposes only, does not constitute medical advice and should not be relied on for making personal health decisions.
References:
1. Drummond, D. A., Duke, S., & Yandell, K. (1982). Physiological comparisons between a nationally ranked shall college women??S volleyball team and Elite Women Volleyball Players. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 14(2), 146. https://doi.org/10.1249/00005768-198202000-00209
2. Edmonds EW, Dengerink DD. Common conditions in the overhead athlete. Am Fam Physician. 2014 Apr 1;89(7):537-41. PMID: 24695599.
3. Kibler WB. The role of the scapula in athletic shoulder function. Am J Sports Med. 1998 Mar-Apr;26(2):325-37. doi: 10.1177/03635465980260022801. PMID: 9548131.
4. Andersson SH, Bahr R, Clarsen B, Myklebust G. Preventing overuse shoulder injuries among throwing athletes: a cluster-randomised controlled trial in 660 elite handball players. Br J Sports Med. 2017 Jul;51(14):1073-1080. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2016-096226. Epub 2016 Jun 16. PMID: 27313171.
