Saturday, August 31, 2013

The Weight-Lifting Mistake You Can’t Afford to Make

The Weight-Lifting Mistake You Can’t Afford to Make

How’s that wing of yours? Overhead exercises may actually weaken your shoulders, suggests a study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research.

Lifters who pressed weight overhead—doing moves such as the overhand-grip shoulder press—were at greater risk of shoulder instability than men who kept weight below their head, as with a lateral raise.

“You need to have really great strength, mobility, and stability to safely lift overhead, and most people don’t,” says Mike Reinold, P.T., C.S.C.S., a Boston-based athletic trainer.

This doesn’t mean that you need to give up overhead lifts altogether. But be aware that they may increase your risk for injury, especially if you have poor posture or a weak rotator cuff  (which can reduce your shoulder stability). In fact, the study found significantly fewer problems among the lifters who performed rotator-cuff-strengthening exercises. Strengthen yours by performing side-lying external rotations with a light dumbbell, says Reinold. Here’s how to do the move:

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