Hey welcome back everybody to this week’s edition of 2-Minute Tuesdays. Now this week, we are talking to those of you who are experiencing limited range of motion with your shoulders. What things can you start doing with your workouts to potentially help with that but also make sure that it doesn’t get worse?
1) Be Mindful of Your Speed & ROM During RT
Our first exercise tip if you are experiencing limited shoulder motion is to be mindful of your speed and range of motion while doing resistance training exercises. Getting stimulation to the muscles that control your shoulders is immensely beneficial, so make sure to continue to do your resistance training, however, too often the focus gets put on trying to move fast or trying to force range of motion. Instead, slow down your pace and limit your range of motion to what your body is allowing you to do and watch as your shoulder motion improves.
Action Step: When you are doing resistance training, move slower than you think you should and move less than you think you should. Both of these will help you to stimulate your muscles while limiting the changes of disrupting their function.
2) Focus On Squeezing Your Muscles
Our second exercise tip if you are experiencing limited shoulder motion is to focus on squeezing your muscles while you are doing your exercises. To build off of the first tip, if you are thinking about trying to push through to increase your range of motion or to move faster, often you are not thinking about the one thing that can help you do that, which is your muscles. Instead, keep your focus on squeezing your muscles to get them maximally stimulated, allowing you to glean maximum motion results.
Action Step: When you do an exercise, focus on the muscles that you are trying to challenge and imagine you are flexing them in the mirror while you move. This will keep your focus on your muscles, which can help to improve your range of motion!
3) Schedule With Your Local MAT® Specialist
Our third exercise tip if you are experiencing limited shoulder motion is to find and schedule with your local Muscle Activation Techniques® (MAT®) specialist for an assessment and some sessions. MAT® is designed to identify where you have muscles that are not contracting well and get them working better, which is something that traditional resistance training is not able to do. As a side effect, range of motion often increases, as well! So get your body assessed and tuned up with MAT® to make sure your muscles are firing on all cylinders.
Action Step: Find a certified MAT® specialist in your area here. In the Chicagoland area and want to schedule with us? Book your consultation and assessment online here! And if you’d like to find out more about MAT®, be sure to download our free eBook here.