haydn buffoon: Parents of a Dozen: Sports Sunday:Youth Workout for Shoulders ...

Sunday, March 24, 2013

Parents of a Dozen: Sports Sunday:Youth Workout for Shoulders ...

Welcome to Sports Sunday! My name is Doug Heasley and I?m going to post informative, educational, and fun material which will help you and your children become a better coach and better athletes . I?ve been fortunate enough to learn a lot of skills, tips, and techniques from some great instructors throughout my life. Since my wife is not the biggest sports fan, actually she is not a sports fan at all, I feel compelled to share my love and knowledge of sports with all of you. I look forward to you joining me on my ?Sports Sunday? journey.

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I have played sports my entire life and consider myself a pretty good athlete.

I?ve played everything from baseball & football to bags & darts and just about every sport in between. However, I have been fortunate enough to have received a lot of great training and advice from some very knowledgeable people throughout my sports life. I would like to share some of this knowledge with you every Sunday.

If you have any questions you would like answered, just let me know. If I don?t know the answer, I have many friends in sports that I can turn to for advice. I have friends who have played everything form college baseball & hockey to golf & wrestling. I have been involved in travel sports (currently helping coach a U11 travel baseball team) and recreation sports. I even have a few Olympic Athletes I can get some advice from if needed.

Here is a great exercise to help strengthen your athletes shoulders and arms. It helped my son go from an average baseball hitter to a power hitting number 3 hitter.

Shoulder/Arm Strengthening Exercises?

Shrugs Using dumbbells in each hand, raise both shoulders up without bending the elbows. This exercise will strengthen the trapezius muscles of the shoulder complex.

Side Shoulder Raise

Using dumbbells in each hand, raise both arms out to the side until parallel to the floor (no higher than the shoulders). Hold for 1-2 seconds and slowly return back to your side. This shoulder exercise should be done simultaneously. This exercise will strengthen the deltoids on the out-side of the shoulder.

Front Shoulder Raise

Using dumbbells in each hand, raise both arms up in front parallel to the floor (no higher than the shoulder). Hold for 1-2 seconds and slowly return back to your side. This exercise can be done with both arms simultaneously or alternating one arm at a time. This exercise strengthens the anterior or front deltoid muscles.

Flys

Using a bench and dumbbells (make sure a spotter is used for safety), lay on your back with both arms out to the side. Begin by bringing both arms up and together until they meet. An optional finish to this exercise is to end with a punching action. This will work the serratus anterior muscle (helps keep the shoulder in place). Slowly lower the arms back down until they are parallel to the floor (do not go beyond this). This exercise works the chest muscles (pectoralis major). The push up can be used as a substitute for this exercise (ending with a punching motion).

Rear Flys Using a bench and dumbbells, lay on your stomach. Using dumbbells, start with both arms hanging down.Begin the exercise by lifting both arms together out to the side. Stop when your arms are parallel to the floor. This exercise will strengthen the rear Deltoids as well as the upper middle back muscles known as the rhomboids.

Empty Can Using a light dumbbell, beginning with arms at your side, turn the dumbbell inward as if to empty out a can of pop (keep arm straight). The correct placement of the arm is very important in order to protect and isolate the supraspinatus muscle (an external rotator of the shoulder). Lift the arm up at a diagonal(if you were standing on second base, the direction you want to lift your right arm is towards third base left arm towards first base), just below the height of the shoulder. Hold this for 1-5 seconds. Then slowly lower the arm to the side.