Save Your Shoulders With This Exercise

A lot of clients need to prioritize exercises for their upper back muscles. Because so many of us sit at a desk and computer all day, our posture becomes compromised. One of the key weight exercises to reduce shoulder problems that train the upper back is the Wide-grip Seated Row. This exercise trains the posterior deltoids, the rhomboids, and the lats, while putting relatively little stress on the shoulder joint.

When you do the exercise, make sure to keep your shoulders down so that you don't strengthen the already overstressed upper-traps. How do you know if you have stressed upper-traps? Stand up, and take a look in the mirror. Do you look like you are permanently shrugging your shoulders? If so, you need to work on your posture (both seated and standing). I encourage practicing perfect posture at every opportunity (whenever you can remind yourself - such as sitting at a desk, standing in line, driving, etc.).

In general, the wide-grip seated row strengthens a lot of otherwise neglected muscles, including the muscles of the rotator cuff. Because so many self-prescribed training programs focus on the front of the body (i.e. upper body pressing muscles), many people are weak in upper body pulling muscles. If this is your case, it will probably help to reduce the amount of pressing and increase the amount of rowing.

When I had an irritated teres minor muscle (a small muscle in the rotator cuff), I dropped all pressing for one month and focused on wide-grip seated rows, underhand grip seated rows, band pulls, and similar exercises to train the upper back and posterior deltoids. I have been problem free ever since. Of course, if you have any injuries, make sure to talk to your doctor and get the proper referral to a health care professional.

Craig Ballantyne is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist and writes for Men's Health, Men's Fitness, Maximum Fitness, Muscle and Fitness Hers, and Oxygen magazines. His trademarked Turbulence Training fat loss workouts have been featured multiple times in Mens Fitness and Maximum Fitness magazines, and have helped thousands of men and women around the world lose fat, gain muscle, and get lean in less than 45 minutes three times per week. For more information on the Turbulence Training workouts that will help you burn fat without long, slow cardio sessions or fancy equipment, visit http://www.TurbulenceTraining.com