5 Easy Rotator Cuff Exercises for Beginners

The rotator cuff is basically a group of four muscles, namely infraspinatus, supraspinatus, subscapularis, and teres minor. These muscles help stabilize your shoulders, allow them to move freely, center your upper arm bone on the socket of your shoulder joints, and power different shoulder and arm movements.

When your rotator cuff is not strong enough to function properly, the arm bone (humerus) slides out of its place and causes pain and impingement to the front and top of your shoulder muscles, respectively. It further leads to tear, overuse, and misuse of the rotator cuff and other parts of your shoulders, too. The good news is that performing certain rotator cuff exercises can potentially help prevent injury and pain to this part of your body.

In this article, we will look at some of the easiest and beginner-friendly rotator cuff exercises to train your muscles.

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5 Simple Rotator Cuff Workouts

Keep your rotator cuff and shoulder muscles flexible and strong with these exercises. Always start slow, and perform these exercises gently.

1. Doorway Stretch

How should you do this exercise?

• Stand straight in front of an open door and spread both your arms wide and out to the side.
• Hold the sides of the door with both your hands at shoulder height and slowly lean forward through the door until you feel a gentle stretch.
• Make sure to keep your spine straight as you lean forward and shift your body weight evenly on your toes. You should feel a nice and gentle stretch in the front part of your shoulder.
• Repeat 2 or 3 times to ease the tension but do not overstretch your muscles.

2. Reverse Fly

How should you do this exercise?

• Stand tall and keep your feet at shoulder-width apart. Bend your knees slightly and keep your back absolutely straight while bending forward at your waist.
• With lightweight dumbbells in each hand, move your arms out and lift them away from your body until they reach your shoulder height. Make sure you don’t lock your elbow and remember to squeeze your shoulders as you do so.
• Return your arms to the start and complete 10 to 12 reps more.

3. Crossover Arm Stretch

How should you do this exercise?

• Stand straight and relax your shoulders.
• Slowly pull your right arm across your chest while holding at your upper arm. Stretch gently and hold the position for 20 seconds.
• Lower your arm and relax for another 10 seconds before repeating the exercise with your other arm.
• When doing this exercise, remember not to pull or apply force on your elbow.

4. Lawn Mower Pull

How should you do this exercise?

• Stand upright with your feet shoulder-width apart and put one end of a resistance band under any foot. Grab the other end with your opposite hand so that the band is across your body in a diagonal position.
• Keep your other hand on your waist. Now without locking your knees, hinge forward slightly at your waist so that your hand which is holding the band gets parallel to your opposite knee.
• With slow and controlled motions, straighten your arms while pulling your elbow across your body to your ribs.
• As you do this, make sure to keep your shoulder blades together.
• Complete 5 to 8 reps.

5. Lying External Rotation

How should you do this exercise?

• Lie on the right side of your body and hold a lightweight dumbbell in your upper hand.
• Bend your top elbow at a 90-degree angle while keeping your upper arm against the side of your body and allowing your weighted hand to rest toward the floor in front of you. Now keeping your elbow at your side, rotate your arm slowly at your shoulder and move the weight up.
• Lower your arm back to the start and repeat the exercise on the other side of your body.
• To reduce pressure on your shoulder joints, you may keep a rolled towel in your armpit.

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Takeaway

Incorporating rotator cuff exercises into your workout routine can help reduce pain and restore normal shoulder function. The exercises given above can be included after getting appropriate medical advice. As with any workout program, it is crucial to work closely with your physical therapist or instructor to start slowly and increasing the duration of these exercises. They are safe for you yet you should maintain proper form during the routines.