Often-times with shoulder pain, you may have a lot of trouble lifting objects overhead. Maybe your range of motion and flexibility is just fine, but your strength for this activity could use some help.
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Front raises are a great way to improve these weak muscles!
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While you can absolutely practice front raises with free weights or dumbbells, we’ll be practicing with a resistance band. More specifically, we’ll be practicing with our FitRanger.
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Once you’ve chosen your resistance band, you can get started! It’s never a bad idea to begin with a lighter level of resistance, then gradually increase the intensity. This is to avoid any potential strain on the shoulder.
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This exercise is going to target the muscles involved with flexing the shoulder, which are needed to raise the arm directly overhead, especially with a weighted object. These muscles include the following:
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Anterior deltoid
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Biceps (shoulder attachment)
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Coracobrachialis
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A portion of the pectoralis major
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Let’s get to it!
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Step 1: Starting Position:
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Hold the handles of the FitRanger in each hand.
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Stand on the center of the resistance band with the feet about hip width apart.
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Position yourself so that the palms are facing back, and the arms are straight by your side.
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Make sure to keep an open, upright posture.
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Step 2: Front Raises:
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While keeping the elbows straight, slowly raise the arms directly forward.
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Raise the arms no higher than shoulder height.
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Once you have reached the top of the motion, slowly lower the arms back down to your starting position.
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Repeat 10-15 repetitions for 2-3 sets.
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Not too bad, right??
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Take a look at the following video for a closer look at this exercise:
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If you begin to experience any pain while practicing this, try to modify the range you’re moving in and even lowering the level of resistance. If that resolves any pain or discomfort, then great; if not, you may want to hold on this exercise and wait to resume until after you’ve discussed it further with your doctor or a rehab specialist.