Internal Shoulder Rotation
Internal shoulder rotation is a great exercise for strengthening the rotator cuff muscles which are important for shoulder stability.
Teaching points
- Lay on your side on a bench with the knees bent and a dumbbell in the lower hand.
- Bend the elbow to a right angle and keep the upper arm supported on the bench with the lower arm unsupported.
- Rotate the shoulder to pull the dumbbell up to your other shoulder.
- Slowly return to the starting position.
Variations & progressions
- Perform laying on your back with the shoulder abducted to 90 and the elbow bent to 90 so the hand points to the ceiling.
- Rotate the shoulder joint so that the hand moves forwards and the palm faces the floor.
Muscles worked
- Subscapularis.
- Teres major.
Alternative exercises
- Internal rotation with a resistance band.
Related injuries
- Shoulder Impingement.
- Dislocated Shoulder.
