Shoulders - Ya Gotta Keep 'Em Separated

Odd getting workout advice from the band Offspring…who knew the song “Come Out and Play” was really about good lifting posture?

Errm, yeah.

Anyhoo, let’s talk about your shoulders today! Whether they are exposed, covered up, or playing peek-a-boo through one of those (still?) trendy “cold shoulder” cut shirts, your shoulders have a preferred alignment necessary for good lifting form. The two main points are to keep your shoulders down and back.

1) Keeping your shoulders back: I had a friend refer to this as “tucking your fairy wings in”. If cues based on magical creatures don’t do it for you, my default cue is “confidence, not pride.” Slightly tuck your shoulders back, but don’t get to the point that you’re actively sticking out your chest.

Since a good portion of us are attached to our fond “glowing screens”, be it work laptop, smartphone, dumbphone, what have you, our shoulders tend to hunch forward. When you’re working out is a great place to consciously think about your shoulders and work on drawing them back. Of course, doing that in real life is always a good idea too…

Another good cue for shoulders comes when you’re lifting a barbell: imagine you’re trying to “snap” the bar in half with your hands. Since the bar is rigid, the slight rotation you try to put in your hands will work up through your arms and get your shoulders to pull back. You can try to visualize this with dumbbells, but be careful not to actually rotate your wrists, because it won’t do you much good.

2) Keeping your shoulders down: In a standing neutral position, keeping your shoulders down isn’t typically an issue. However, when you start lifting—especially whenever your hands go over your head—this can be a big issue. Straining to lift a weight can cause us to recruit the shoulders to “help out”, and you may suddenly find your shoulders near the ears. FIGHT IT! Think about keeping a good amount of space so that your head has plenty o’ room. If you’re really struggling, that’s a cue that the weight you’re trying to lift is too heavy for you.

Remember that good shoulder position is important no matter when you’re standing, squatting, lunging, etc. When you’re starting to feel fatigued, it’s always good to do a quick check and see if your shoulders are starting to scrunch up or collapse forward. Keeping your shoulders in line will help prevent your body from compensations that can lead to injury down the road.

Now…hey-ey, go out and play!

Want to see more? Click here for a demonstration video I made on YouTube!