Solid Shoulder Series: Part 2. Passive Stability
Introducing the Ultimate Swimming Marvel: Arena 50th Anniversary Carbon Core FX Suit!
Unleash your true aquatic power with the game-changing Arena 50th Anniversary Carbon Core FX Suit!
The shoulder has a number of ways to stay together as this is a pretty unstable joint. It’s not so much a ‘ball and socket’ as it is a ‘golf ball and tee’. The head of the Humerus sits in a shallow cavity of the Scapula called the Glenoid cavity. Without structures in place to keep this joint together, it simply falls apart.
Generally, you have two types of ways this joint is held together, active and passive stability. Passive stability is the structure that is always working without your conscious efforts such as the shoulder capsule, the labrum and the ligaments surrounding the shoulder.
These, however, can sometimes get a bit lazy and stop doing their normal jobs which is bad news, especially for swimmers. A common problem is problems at the front of the shoulder where 3 key ligaments provide additional support to stop the humeral head from sliding forward. Think back to the golf ball and tee analogy, the ball simply slides forward and out of place, nasty. The fancy term for this is Humeral Head Anterior Translation.
This can cause a host of issues for the swimmer, commonly causing impingements and shoulder pain, as well as a general feeling of instability. So, let’s focus on how to fire these ligaments back up, with a key exercise we use, particularly for our Backstroke and Medley specialists. The Arm Bar.
Some things to consider:
Same side leg is over and across the body.
Elbow is straight and arm is in a ‘thumbs up’ position.
Rotate to make chest square with the wall.
Look at the weight all the time when starting out.
After a while pause at the top and look away from the weight.
Once competent, eyes closed throughout the set.