Want Stronger Shoulders? It Takes Just 15 Minutes a Day

This article originally appeared on Climbing

Any system is only as strong as its weakest link, and for most climbers, that's our shoulders. In fact, according to a 2018 study published in the journal BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine, shoulders rank just after fingers as the most common site of chronic climbing injury. A lot can go wrong in a structure this complicated, says Lorena Butron, an occupational therapist and climbing-injury specialist at the Orthomotion clinic in Boulder, Colorado. "I see a lot of weak rotator cuffs, even on really strong climbers," she says.

Among her climber clientele she sees everything from rotator-cuff sprains and strains, to full-on tears of the labrum, biceps tendon, and rotator cuff--all part of the complex nest of deep muscles, tendons, and ligaments that holds your arm in its socket. Butron says most shoulder injuries are caused by overuse (i.e., repeating a move ad nauseum and/or skipping rest days) or attempting hard moves without warming up. And most require weeks to months of recovery and, in serious cases, surgery.

Fortunately, recent research shows that a diligent prehab routine can dramatically reduce the rate of shoulder injury. The better news? It takes only 15 minutes a day, four times per week.

I. Understanding Muscle Imbalance

Unlike the adjacent big muscles of the rhomboids, biceps, pecs, traps, and lats, the small muscles of the rotator cuff--the supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor, and subscapularis--often go ignored until they're too weak to support the force generated by their larger neighbors. The result: a dangerous strength imbalance. "The rotator cuff is the dynamic stabilizer of the shoulder," Butron says. "If your cuff is weak, your shoulder is going to give."

Recognizing an Imbalance

In addition to three simple self-diagnostic tests (see sidebar, p.89), there are also two big red flags. When you notice either on the wall, come down and try again when you're rested enough to maintain good form.

Red flag No. 1

"If you're chicken-winging, there's definitely an imbalance," says Butron, referring to the phenomenon of elbows creeping upward when a climber becomes fatigued. While this is common in times of great effort, it's a dangerous position for the shoulders--and definitely a red flag early in a session.

What it means: The muscles around the shoulder blade are too weak to lock the shoulder down and inward, a position that protects the rotator cuff.

Red flag No. 2

You fall every time your feet cut on overhanging terrain because you can't keep your shoulders engaged.

What it means: Your rhomboids, lats, and rotator-cuff muscles aren't strong enough to support your body; you're overloading your ligaments instead.

Open vs. Closed Kinetic Chain

There are two theories to weight training: The first is that weak muscles be targeted in isolation with machines and free weights--in an open chain. The second is to opt for full-body exercises in which all extremities contact fixed objects (the floor, a bar, TRX straps)--in a closed kinetic chain.

Research indicates that closed-circuit exercises could be especially effective for climbers, says Serhii Kozin, a Ukrainian boulderer and physical therapist with the H.S. Skovoroda Kharkiv National Pedagogical University in Ukraine. "Climbing is purely closed-chain work," he says. And because closed-chain exercises distribute loads evenly, they reduce injury risk during workouts. They also create neuromuscular links that help train coordination and muscle engagement.

To test whether closed-chain exercises help prevent shoulder injury, Kozin et al. studied 84 climbers from 2019 to 2020. Forty were given a 15-minute routine of closed-chain (full-body, all-points-on) and eccentric-loading (slow, muscle-lengthening) exercises three to four times per week. The rest were given a strength-training program. After a year, the experimental group had roughly one-sixth of the shoulder injuries as the control group--and not one severe injury.

Myofascial Release

"When our climbing form breaks down, we overload certain tissues, and those tissues develop trigger points [knots] and micro-tears," says Laura Schmonsees, a physical therapist and guide. The bad news: Some knots respond to stretching not by loosening up but by further contracting as a protective mechanism. Moreover, over time, tight pecs or knotted lats can force shoulders into a rounded posture, encouraging bad climbing form and worsening imbalances.

While you can reduce trigger points by staying hydrated and working antagonist muscles, your best bet could be myofascial-release via foam rolling, scraping, dry-needling, cupping, and massage. "Breaking up those restrictions in the fascia can help you recover faster," Schmonsees says--and keep bad form from turning into chronic injury.

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