Do-It-Yourself Shoulder Kit

WOW!  April is already coming to a close.  Hard to believe how fast the year is flying by already.  Summer weather is just around the corner.

And if you're like most people, warmer weather means more activities.  Whether it's the company picnic, yard work for the house, or just being out enjoying the warmer temperatures, we all become a bit more active.

But what about the last 3-5 months? 

Chances are you were a lot less active, especially if the weather was less than pleasant to be out in.  That means your body could use a little tune-up before you start all those activities.  Chances are you could use a little do-it-yourself fix it guide -- for your shoulders.  After all, no matter what your activity, I suspect you'll be using your arms and shoulders a lot more frequently than you did during the winter months.

So don't leave yourself open to injury. Get your body, and this month your shoulders, ready for the fun in the sun.

If you know me, you know I'm big on doing the right movements, in the right order, to get the best results. 

So first things first.

Let's start by getting your body and specifically your shoulders, ready to do some work.

Self Myofascial Release (self massage)

Now that your body is warmed up, you'll be able to stretch it properly and prepare it for exercise.

Shoulder Stretches

So let's move to the exercises that will almost guarantee you have no shoulder pain during your active summer.

Shoulder Exercise 1  

Shoulder Exercise 2  

Shoulder Exercise 3  

Shoulder Exercise 4  

Shoulder Exercise 5

There's your Do-It-Yourself Guide to stronger, healthier shoulders.

Shoulder Pain?

I know you're going to think I made this up, but it is 100% true. 

Not more than a week ago, a client of mine expressed that he was having pain in his right shoulder and neck area, and couldn't figure out why. 

So we reviewed the new movements he was doing in his program -- actually had him go through a few of them.  No, those didn't seem to be creating any discomfort. 

We talked about his work -- the amount of hours sitting at his desk have actually gotten less over the past the few months. 

So we explored what has changed at home -- outside of the obvious -- he recently had a child.  --BINGO!--  Originally, he didn't notice it, but recently he's been picking his newborn up more, carrying him, and holding him for extended periods.  So far that has really been the only change that he can think of in his daily and weekly routine.

This is not the first time I've heard this.  Trainers, clients and friends have all commented at one time or another about one shoulder being more sore than the other a few weeks or months after having a child.

And 9 times out of 10, you know what else?

When they are consistent with their shoulder stretches and exercises the shoulder pain goes away -- mysteriously.

I shared this client's experience because I have worked with literally hundreds of people, that start using one shoulder more than the other, each for different reasons, and end up with the same, "I don't know what's going on, but this shoulder has really started bother me", experience. 

Shoulder pain can come from the most common activities that we do everyday and don't think about it for a second.  Whether it's a wonderful new addition to the family, the posture you sit/lay in while watching TV or reading the paper, a laptop, sleeping on your shoulders, or too many pressing movements at the gym.  Shoulder pain is often times just an issue of alignment.

Practice the stretches I've shared with you along with the shoulder movements from this month and you'll be out of shoulder pain fast!

Don't just take my word for it -- Try them.