For fitness athletes, shoulder injuries tend to be the most common injury seen so paying special attention to your training schedule and overall shoulder volume should always be considered.

For the shoulders, a little rotator cuff isolation work can be a great addition to your regular training to strengthen them and reduce your likelihood of injury. Master Coach Zach Long has four great exercises to help keep your shoulders strong and healthy.

Banded Shoulder Raises are a very simple but effective exercise. Grab a resistance band with your elbows straight and palms facing each other. Spread the band apart slightly and then slowly raise the band overhead and back down repeatedly. You should feel a significant burn in the back of your shoulder.

Scapula Angels will also do a great job strengthening the posterior rotator cuff. Attach resistance bands to a rig and then pretend you are making snow angels while the band tries to pull your arm forward. If you keep your arm in line with your body, you’ll feel the entire upper back and posterior shoulder get worked hard!

Internal Rotation Diagonals hit the front side of the rotator cuff. This is the subscapularis muscle of the rotator cuff which is often overlooked in shoulder rehab.

Finally, Arm Bars are great for building shoulder stability. Try 3x30 seconds with a heavy load that makes you work to stabilize the weight. As you hold the weight, think of pressing your arm up to the sky.

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