Five tips for a scary (and ailment-free) overhead

You read the title, and you think: overhead what?

Overhead everything.

Because the shoulders are a rather delicate anatomical area, subject to different modalities accident and wear. Treating them well is in all respects an investment to make, because an out of order shoulder risks jeopardizing your sports career for quite a few months (and it is a torment to be rehabilitated).

Let's see some easy tips for keep them healthy when doing overhead exercises.

1 - Tighten everything

… Starting from the butt. The "base" on which the kinetic chain of upward thrusts rests must be solid: the risk is to impose dangerous forces on the lumbar section of the spine. Plus, it is a question of energy transmission, and again: a solid foundation will ensure that the force thrust does not get bogged down in a soft abdomen.

Then: beautiful contracted buttocks and core. And engrave it on the bar with which you do military press: those in OH are not just upper exercises.

2 - Elbows down

Push your elbows out, when you are carrying a weight over your head, exposes the shoulder ligaments to potentially damaging forces.

The ideal is keep your elbows under the bar or at the handlebars / kettlebells, and as much as possible against the torso.

3 - Alternate

We also learn the trick this time from bodybuilders: alternate the exercises you use overhead.

The ideal would be to attack the delts from as many angles as possible, in order to make them strong in different planes.

This it applies to major exercises (OH press and military, overhead squat, clean & jerk ...) and for those accessories, that is the infinite range of

• side raises
• front lifts
• exercises for the deltoids to the cables
• pushed with one hand
• face sweater

A note: do your training plans not include face pulls? Wand your coach and have them include them. They are literally essential to fortify the shoulders.

4 - A matter of pulse

I gave you some time to digest the other anatomical tips (I repeat: glutes, core, elbows), before unleashing the last one: the wrists.

When you go overhead, the wrists should remain in a straight line which ideally continues from the forearms. The reason is twofold:

• otherwise you risk getting hurt (even chronic)
• reduce strength that you can express in the thrust

If you can't keep the right forearm-wrist position, eat a good diet of wrist curl.

5 - Warm up

Last but not least, heating. I talked about it in a series of articles (start from this on the dynamic warm up), but it's worth repeating. Never start exercising without a proper warm-up.

There are routines that in a few minutes prepare the body for a "basic" workout, but if the WOD involves shoulder work, dedicate a few more minutes of your warm up to this district. Which doesn't mean 5-10 shoulder dislocation with the broom handle of the guy who does the cleaning in the box, but a series of exercises that prepare muscles and joints for the work they will have to endure.

PS: elastic bands will become your great friends!

In short, listen to your uncle: apply these tips, why a healthy shoulder is worth more than gold.