More Shoulder Internal Rotation = Safer & Stronger Movements
Video by Nick Hawkes
Shoulder internal rotation (IR) is one of the movements of this ball and socket joint and it allows you to do things like reach behind your back. It also allows you to complete movements more efficiently and SAFELY, which is why we are focusing this next mobility series on gaining more.
One example that might be near and dear to your heart is the good ol’ muscle-up. If you lack internal rotation of the shoulder, not only will this movement be more difficult for you to achieve, it also means that if you are jamming yourself into position when you don’t have a safe and functional range of motion (ROM) in that place, you are setting yourself up for injury.
During internal rotation, the humeral head will glide posteriorly and roll anteriorly. This movement can be restricted with a tight posterior capsule or muscles around the joint. Unfortunately for many of our athletes, sitting at a desk all day with poor posture only contributes to their tightness and lack of internal rotation.
In this video, Coach Nick will show you how to test your current shoulder IR and then how to increase the range of motion of the joint. There’s no reason you can’t do this mobility drill on the daily and you should definitely do it before Olympic lifting (if you have hopes of keeping that bar close) and gymnastics movements like muscle-ups and dips.