Avoiding Shoulder Injury From Resistance Training

ONE OF THE PRIMARY RESPONsibilities of the personal trainer or strength and conditioning specialist is educating clients in proper exercise techniques. More importantly, however, the strength and conditioning professional must be able to design exercise programs that are appropriate and safe for each client. Because there is a wide range of exercises to choose from when targeting specific muscles or muscle groups, it is sensible to avoid exercises that are more likely to lead to injury. Injuries to the shoulder are relatively common among weight trainers and can be career-threatening to those at the competitive level (14, 26). Fortunately, most shoulder injuries from resistance training are minor musculo-tendonous strains or ligamentouscapsular sprains. However, when improper exercises or exercise techniques are utilized, resistance training may exacerbate or contribute to the development of glenohumeral joint hyperlaxity, instability (19, 21), or impingement (8, 9, 12, 16). In this article we will identify shoulder exercises commonly performed in fitness centers that may contribute to or exacerbate glenohumeral joint injury. Alternative exercises that may be substituted will be described along with the rationale for the variations. It is beyond the scope of this article to present an exhaustive review of contraindicated exercises for all known shoulder pathologies; rather, glenohumeral joint pathologies commonly associated with resistance exercises will be discussed. Avoiding risky exercises helps prevent injury in healthy clients and further tissue damage in clients recovering from injury.