I have been struggling with scapular imbalance issues for several months, which severely impacted my pull-up performance to the point where I couldn’t even do 1 pull-up. I wrote a post recently about the steps I took that helped with my recovery. After incorporating scapular strengthening exercises into my daily routine, I noticed a significant improvement in both my pull and push strength, so I thought I’d share it here in case it helps others struggling with a similar issue.
Below are the 4 Scapular Strengthening Exercises:
- Scapular Strengthening Exercise: Flexion In Prone
Place arms in front of you, hold light dumbbells in your hands and raise arms. If possible, hold for a second or two before lowering them.
2. Scapular Strengthening Exercise: Stabilization In Prone
Place arms on your side, hold light dumbbells in your hands and raise arms. Try to keep elbows straight.
3. Progressive Resistive Exercise Extension (prone)
Place arms behind you, hold light dumbbells in your hands and raise arms off the floor keeping elbow straight.
4. Progressive Resistive Exercise External Rotation (sidelying)
Lie down sideways, place a towel between your arms. Hold a light dumbbell in your hands and raise arm up towards the ceiling. Keep elbow bent.
Full disclaimer — I’m not a personal trainer or rehab specialist. These exercises were recommended to me by my physical therapist. I’m including the sheet he shared with me. The videos you see above is just the demonstration of the exercises listed in this sheet.
When I first looked at the exercises, they seemed pretty simple and straightforward, but I learned that these look deceptively easy, especially when done with the right technique. The first time I did these exercises with 3lb dumbbells, I was sore for 3–4 days. So ease into them without weight to start, then use a 1lb dumbbell, and add 1–2lbs more as you get comfortable.
Hope this helps anyone out there who is struggling with scapular imbalance problems. If you’d like to follow my fitness journey and see similar posts and daily stories, you can connect with me on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/leenas_diaries/
Originally published at https://getstrongertogether.com on July 3, 2021.
