Advice for helping a sprinter with tight/weak shoulders

You mean maybe like these:

http://www.runnerscorner.com/images/kenyans.jpg

Sounds like maybe someone who started through distance/XC and has wrong technique for sprinting. You might talk about the importance of driving the arms in developing power in the beginning of the race and in maintaining turnover at the end. Another thing is a visualization technique: Thinking about pounding nails into the track during accel phase.

You can do cable rows through the whole range of motion. You can also do BB shoulder presses, bench incline/decline, rows in the weight room, but this sounds more like basic technique that needs to be unlearned and relearned. Relaxation drills and strides.

Sounds like you guys have your degrees confused.

This is probably the best overall example of what to do for everything:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4QrlPmK4B94

Hands not clenched into a fist, hands coming head high, elbows theoretically at 90 degrees but opening to drive power. Notice how they ALL open their arm form and pull back.

coach d wrote:

You mean maybe like these:

http://www.runnerscorner.com/images/kenyans.jpg

Sounds like maybe someone who started through distance/XC and has wrong technique for sprinting. You might talk about the importance of driving the arms in developing power in the beginning of the race and in maintaining turnover at the end. Another thing is a visualization technique: Thinking about pounding nails into the track during accel phase.

You can do cable rows through the whole range of motion. You can also do BB shoulder presses, bench incline/decline, rows in the weight room, but this sounds more like basic technique that needs to be unlearned and relearned. Relaxation drills and strides.

Thanks for the response. This girl does not have any distance running background - she is a varsity starter on the state championship volleyball team in the fall.

My first response was also to do rows and shoulder presses in addition to more core work, but then I started wondering if stretching may be a better way to address the issue.

she doesn't need shoulder presses nor does she need bench pressing. Yes she needs visualization work, have her stand in front of a mirror and drive her arms the way you would like her to do. She might need mobility work for the shoulders and back. Proper rows, pull a parts and other "back" exercises would help as well.

She also needs her coach to know the difference between 45 degrees and 90.

Hingle McDingleberry wrote:

She also needs her coach to know the difference between 45 degrees and 90.

Yes that would certainly help.

coach b money wrote:

I am coaching a female sprinter with good speed (12.4 100m, 25.x 200m). She runs with shoulders 'tense' and her arms bent at ~35 degree angle.

I relentlessly cue to her to relax her shoulders and work for a 45 degree bend at the elbow, and she knows that this is an area she can greatly improve, so she is trying.

What I'm wondering is if this sounds like a strength or flexibility issue, or if there is some other variable I should investigate.

Any ideas Lets Run?

While our first instinct is to treat the initial problem that we see, it's especially important to look at any athlete (esp a runner) as a whole. Sprinting is a full body activity.

Two important thoughts to consider here:

1. The shoulder joint is the MOST UNSTABLE joint in the body.

2. "Proximal STABILITY BEFORE distal mobility."

Even before we begin to look at her shoulder joint (which is essentially 2 joints -- the glenohumeral/ball-in-socket joint and the scapulothoracic joint), we need to assess what her SPINE is doing. Take a look at her off of the track when she is just sitting and waiting for practice or sitting on a weight machine between reps. What position are her neck, shoulders, and thoracic spine in? Are her shoulders rounded forward? Does she have forward head posture? When she lifts, does she consciously activate her scapular muscles and stabilize the posterior chain and brace her core muscles before beginning a lift, or does she just start lifting without much thought?

The fact that she is recruiting her upper traps, levator scapulae, scalenes, SCM, etc when sprinting tells me that she does not have sufficient core strength or spinal stability and easily fatigues during the demand of sprinting, which is causing her inefficient form. It also suggests that she lacks scapular stabilization which is why she may APPEAR to lack flexibility in the glenohumeral joint (which in a sense, is more a weakness than a flexibility issue).

Try this:

Sit in a chair with your shoulders completely relaxed, rounded forward, head forward, and not round at the spine and lean forward. Try to lift your arm up over your head 10 times. Now lift it out to the side 10 times, staying in that position.

Now stand up, squeeze your shoulders gently back (correcting the rounded posture) tuck your chin in a bit, and gently brace your core muscles. Now lift your arm up over your head 10 times.

Now if you were to do both these exercises again in front of a mirror, you'll notice especially when your spine is not in a position that allows the core to provide it with stability, your upper trap is going to be one of the first muscles you recruit in order to move your arm. You'll also notice you have decreased mobility with that type of posture.

Granted, she's not sitting in a chair rounded forward when sprinting, but this concept still applies for her. She demonstrates that pattern of weakness and INSTABILITY. IMHO, the last thing she needs is stretching with the only exception being the pectoral muscles which tend to be tighter in individuals with weak scapular muscles and back extensors.

I think the "rowing" suggestion was good. But I think it's 10 steps ahead of where she is at. Again, you want to think "proximal stability before distal mobility".

I would try exercises at the cables with her (Therabands would be great too). The main focus should be on spine and scapular stability, and NOT what her arms are doing. One of my favorites is the "bear hug" which forces the athlete to focus on maintaining thoracic spine stabilization, scapular stabilzation, and keeping this going while moving the shoulder joints into a hugging motion:

Another one that's great is a "push-pull" combo at the cable which simulates sprinting. You would set it up so one arm is pushing weight forward (shoulder protraction) while the other arm is pulling (retraction and extension). The idea is to keep the ENTIRE spine as braced and stable as possible (from lumbar to cervical spine) while performing the upper extremity movement. You may even want to attempt this in a kneeling position and work your way up to standing and assess her spinal stability and core strength as a whole.

Other exercises you can focus on besides ones for the shoulder would be strengthening not just her "core" muscles in the front, but ensuring she is strong in the back as well. Exercises such as an isometric superman hold focusing on the extension coming from just above the waist and all the way up her spine and incorporating deep breathing would be great for her. The diaphragmatic breathing is KEY because it ensures she can maintain this stability while breathing which is obviously essential for sprinting, which is a dynamic activity. It will also create a greater amount of muscle activation during the exercises.

Let me know if you want some literature/links to anything that sounds confusing.

coach b money wrote:

I am coaching a female sprinter with good speed (12.4 100m, 25.x 200m). She runs with shoulders 'tense' and her arms bent at ~35 degree angle.

I relentlessly cue to her to relax her shoulders and work for a 45 degree bend at the elbow, and she knows that this is an area she can greatly improve, so she is trying.

What I'm wondering is if this sounds like a strength or flexibility issue, or if there is some other variable I should investigate.

Any ideas Lets Run?

While our first instinct is to treat the initial problem that we see, it's especially important to look at any athlete (esp a runner) as a whole. Sprinting is a full body activity.

Two important thoughts to consider here:

1. The shoulder joint is the MOST UNSTABLE joint in the body.

2. "Proximal STABILITY BEFORE distal mobility."

Even before we begin to look at her shoulder joint (which is essentially 2 joints -- the glenohumeral/ball-in-socket joint and the scapulothoracic joint), we need to assess what her SPINE is doing. Take a look at her off of the track when she is just sitting and waiting for practice or sitting on a weight machine between reps. What position are her neck, shoulders, and thoracic spine in? Are her shoulders rounded forward? Does she have forward head posture? When she lifts, does she consciously activate her scapular muscles and stabilize the posterior chain and brace her core muscles before beginning a lift, or does she just start lifting without much thought?

The fact that she is recruiting her upper traps, levator scapulae, scalenes, SCM, etc when sprinting tells me that she does not have sufficient core strength or spinal stability and easily fatigues during the demand of sprinting, which is causing her inefficient form. It also suggests that she lacks scapular stabilization which is why she may APPEAR to lack flexibility in the glenohumeral joint (which in a sense, is more a weakness than a flexibility issue).

Try this:

Sit in a chair with your shoulders completely relaxed, rounded forward, head forward, and not round at the spine and lean forward. Try to lift your arm up over your head 10 times. Now lift it out to the side 10 times, staying in that position.

Now stand up, squeeze your shoulders gently back (correcting the rounded posture) tuck your chin in a bit, and gently brace your core muscles. Now lift your arm up over your head 10 times.

Now if you were to do both these exercises again in front of a mirror, you'll notice especially when your spine is not in a position that allows the core to provide it with stability, your upper trap is going to be one of the first muscles you recruit in order to move your arm. You'll also notice you have decreased mobility with that type of posture.

Granted, she's not sitting in a chair rounded forward when sprinting, but this concept still applies for her. She demonstrates that pattern of weakness and INSTABILITY. IMHO, the last thing she needs is stretching with the only exception being the pectoral muscles which tend to be tighter in individuals with weak scapular muscles and back extensors.

I think the "rowing" suggestion was good. But I think it's 10 steps ahead of where she is at. Again, you want to think "proximal stability before distal mobility".

I would try exercises at the cables with her (Therabands would be great too). The main focus should be on spine and scapular stability, and NOT what her arms are doing. One of my favorites is the "bear hug" which forces the athlete to focus on maintaining thoracic spine stabilization, scapular stabilzation, and keeping this going while moving the shoulder joints into a hugging motion:

Another one that's great is a "push-pull" combo at the cable which simulates sprinting. You would set it up so one arm is pushing weight forward (shoulder protraction) while the other arm is pulling (retraction and extension). The idea is to keep the ENTIRE spine as braced and stable as possible (from lumbar to cervical spine) while performing the upper extremity movement. You may even want to attempt this in a kneeling position and work your way up to standing and assess her spinal stability and core strength as a whole.

Other exercises you can focus on besides ones for the shoulder would be strengthening not just her "core" muscles in the front, but ensuring she is strong in the back as well. Exercises such as an isometric superman hold focusing on the extension coming from just above the waist and all the way up her spine and incorporating deep breathing would be great for her. The diaphragmatic breathing is KEY because it ensures she can maintain this stability while breathing which is obviously essential for sprinting, which is a dynamic activity. It will also create a greater amount of muscle activation during the exercises.

Let me know if you want some literature/links to anything that sounds confusing. Good luck!

I'd say

1) rows

2) flys if she has the flexibility to do them

3) lots of theraband work

4) lay on a bench on back, hold a dumbbell with both hands, and drop it overhead to the floor behind head.

all of these should increase flexibility.

Aisling0984 - that is such a great response. I honestly can't believe I got such a thorough answer on these boards even though I made a silly error in my post.

This is exactly the kind of information I am interested in. I think the focus on core stability is paramount.

All of your suggestions are very clear, but I'm wondering how a retraction/extension would practically work. Could you do that with dumb-bells? Or is it better to do with bands or a machine?

coach b money wrote:

Aisling0984 - that is such a great response. I honestly can't believe I got such a thorough answer on these boards even though I made a silly error in my post.

This is exactly the kind of information I am interested in. I think the focus on core stability is paramount.

All of your suggestions are very clear, but I'm wondering how a retraction/extension would practically work. Could you do that with dumb-bells? Or is it better to do with bands or a machine?

Hi Coach b money,

Great question. The reason I personally prefer Therabands and cables over dumbbells for most upper body work is because they create more instability for the athlete even when the weight is not extremely heavy. So quality vs quantity. I know not everyone has access to Therabands (although as a coach you may be able to convince your school to purchase them if you can explain the value in it).

By "retraction/extension" are you referring to the push-pull exercise? I have some literature I can e-mail you with a bunch of ideas along with one article in particular that focuses on the muscles in the shoulder and thoracic area and does a great job of explaining not just what they do, but what exercises are the best for each muscle based on EMG activity. Let me know if you'd like me to send them.

Aisling0984:

Oh that would be outstanding. If you click on my name, it should open an email so you can send that resource. Thank you for the help!