Two great stretches for your shoulder JOINT!

If you have stiff shoulders, a partially frozen shoulder (please do not attempt this if you have a fully frozen shoulder!) or you’re a serious Oly or weight lifter then these two stretches could benefit you.

I don’t have a lot to add here that isn’t in the video. This one is best explained on camera!

I learned both of these stretches 4 years ago from my personal trainer when I was doing a lot of Olympic lifting and he wanted to make sure my shoulders were warmed up properly.

I’ve shown these stretches to clients who have very stiff shoulder joints, those who have had shoulder surgery and have some scar tissue in and around the joint, and to the few clients I’ve worked with who have partially frozen shoulders. They’ve all really liked them and, when used regularly, have reported an increase in range of motion and more ease in the joint.

Get the most out of these stretches:

Make sure with both of these techniques that the angle of your lower and upper arm, AND humerus (upper arm) and body are at 90 degrees (as pictured to the right)
DO NOT PUSH BEYOND A GOOD STRETCH
You shouldn’t be cranking down on your joint with a lot of force, nor should these stretches feel painful; these work better with a gentle approach and the stretch should feel mostly GOOD
Use PNF principles to get the best result: PNF stands for proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation, and the idea is to use GENTLE muscle activation by pushing against the direction of the stretch in a resisted manner for about 3 seconds.
After you do this, release the stretch completely, then repeat.
PLEASE watch the video for a demonstration of what this all means.
I like to repeat the PNF stretch 3 times, and then
On the last repitition (the 4th) HOLD THE STRETCH
Hold the last stretch for anywhere from 20 seconds to a minute, then move around