2 Key Movements For More Powerful And Durable Shoulders

It is a fact that your obliques are wildly important to the strength, stability, power and overall health of your shoulders.

Think about movements such as pitching, throwing, punching, spiking and swinging (a bat, a club, etc).

Your obliques add some juice to your movement, and play a vital role in your explosivity, follow through and overall durability of your shoulder capsule.

This is why I recommend incorporating movements to target your obliques when you train shoulders.

Here is an abdominal sequence that targets your obliques in a powerful way.

The emphasis is on proper execution of the movement, NOT SPEED.

Abdominal Sequence:
Oblique Isolators:

Lay on your back, knees bent.
Fingertips touching behind lateral skull base, elbows out to the side.
Shoulder blades are still down and back.
Tilt knees to your right, rolling slightly onto R glute.
Move your left hand so that your fingertips are on L obliques.
Blow all of your air out, and tighten abs.
Lift torso and contract L obliques.
Exhale on the up, slightly inhaling on the descent.
KEEP TENSION ON YOUR ABS throughout the entire sequence.
YOUR TRAPS ARE NOT INVITED.
Lead with the chest and make the obliques work.
15 reps.
Switch sides and arms and repeat with the opposite side.
Move to bicycle abdominals

Do not be surprised if you find inequalities in strength and recruitment between the two sides. We will equalize them.

Bicycle Abdominals

Lay on the floor, fingertips touching the back of your head. Blow all of your air out and keep your abdominals tight.
Bring R shoulder to L knee, twist and bring L shoulder to R knee. This is one rep.
15 reps.
DO NOT PULL ON YOUR NECK/HEAD.
Lead with the shoulder. Exhale on the "up"
The goal is to get this a fluid movement to promote overall strength and stability.

Perform oblique isolator and bicycle abdominals as a cycle for a total of 4 cycles.