Give your clients their best chance at fitness by preventing injury.
One of the more common injuries that plagues fitness enthusiasts is the rotator cuff injury. Characterized by front shoulder pain, especially during exercises or activities that involve lifting your hands over your head, an injury to your rotator cuff could be the result of several conditions. However, one of the most common causes is improper form while lifting weights—a circumstance which you will learn how to prevent in your personal trainer certification program.
What Is The Rotator Cuff?
A system of tendons and muscles that surround your shoulder, the rotator cuff attaches the smaller muscles of your shoulder together and is necessary to provide your shoulder’s joints with the proper flexibility, movement and stability. The rotator cuff is named so because all of its tendons and muscles create a cuff surrounding your humerus, enabling your shoulder to rotate while holding your joint safely in place in its socket.
What Happens In A Rotator Cuff Injury?
Typical rotator cuff injuries consist of a strain to one of the tendon-muscle systems in your shoulder. However, the severity of this strain can vary drastically. The injury that spurs the least damage involves an overstretching of the tendons, caused mainly by overuse or a lack of pre-workout stretching. However, these tendons can tear if they are stretched too far or in the wrong way, leaving the victim in excruciating pain. These types of injuries are usually the result of repetitious, poor lifting form.
How Can You Help Prevent Rotator Cuff Injuries?
As a certified personal trainer, it is your job to spot when your clients are using bad form, especially when lifting. In addition, it is important to stress the importance of warming up pre-workout and stretching both before and after a workout. Ease your clients into being comfortable with weights, particularly if it is their first time in a weight room, and always correct their posture, form and technique when you notice something is not correct.
Strengthening The Rotator Cuff
When you are working with a client who hasn’t lifted in a few years, it is important for you to work with them in order to strengthen their rotator cuff before jumping into more involved exercises. You can help them do this by using lower-resistance equipment and smaller weights for more repetitions. This way, they are still getting the workout they need without sacrificing the integrity of their muscles.
If you are faced with a client who is recovering from a rotator cuff injury, avoid weights and overhead exercises at first. Instead, work with resistance techniques and their physical therapy coaches in order to provide them with their best shot at health while still giving them an excellent workout.
At The Fitness Trainer Academy, we work with you in order to provide you with the hands-on training experience you need in order to prevent your clients from getting injured. Our personal trainer courses in Houston, San Antonio and Pflugerville will put you on the right track to turn your enthusiasm for fitness into a profession. Contact us today!