What exercises are best for the rotator cuff?

[kindred]

What exercises are best for the rotator cuff?

Anyone here do any rortator cuff work?

Does it help with should pain?

What are your experiences with working that muscle?

 

[Shrek]

I regularly incorporate rotator cuff work.

 

[kindred]

How many times a week can you work the rotator cuff? As its a small muscle im guessing any exercises that activate it would require light weights.

Will working the rotator cuff before bench sessions help minimise injury risk or does it have the opposite effect?

 

[Shrek]

I only do them every 2nd or 3rd shoulder wourkout. Being a smaller muscle I would not trtain it before a large muscle like chest, it would probably affect your bench performance.

 

[Stam]

I work the rotator cuff muscles as an injury and pain prevention after I got a bum shoulder... now I never do an upper body / arm workout without first doing the rotator. Trick is, never try and be a hero with the weight, lift only what the muscle can handle EASILY and do high reps (15 - 25) per set. I do the pronation lying doing and supination standing, from memory unworked rotator cuff can do about twice as much weight in pronation than supination, but depends on the person of course.
High reps/low weight helps you do it more often too i.e. every workout.
Pay particular attention to how your arm tracks, should feel no pain whatsoever doing it otherwise its wrong and you'll stuff your shoulder joint.
And always use dumbbells, this will help your arms use their natural arcs and not be bound to a bar whihc increases injury likelihood.

And remember, strong rotator cuff wins an arm wrestle!