Fixing weak links - Posterior and Lateral Deltoid

[Adam Bodestyne]

Hi all,

I've had some shoulder issues, particularly with my right-side. During various movements, for example tuck-planche or handstand, my right shoulder will sometimes feel unstable, either coming forward, or shrugging up, or both. I'm not sure if that's the best way to describe it, but it seems to move around when my left shoulder seems perfectly capable of remaining where I want it to be. Can weakness in the back or side of the deltoid cause this instability?

I ask because recently when seeing the physio (about my shoulder), she'd observed that on my right side (among various other issues), I am relatively weak when lifting my right arm, elbow bent, up to the side against resistance, as well as when I am pushing backwards against resistance. She said that I need to work on strengthening the back and side of my right delts, and gave me exercises to do with a dumbell: holding a dumbell with my elbow bent, lifting the bent arm up to the side; and lying prone on a bench with my elbow bent, arm hanging off the side, and lifting the dumbell. She recommended that I do these with a weight that makes the shoulder feel the burn at about 10 reps.

I've been busy and haven't had time to do full workouts lately, so I've just been doing these exercises by themselves. But now I plan to get back into my regular workouts, and am not sure where would be best to slot these in, or whether I should really just focus on this until I get my shoulder more balanced before returning to regular training.

[Rik de Kort]

That would classify as prehab/rehab/fixing weak links. So that goes at the end of your workout. Or on off days.

[Adam Bodestyne]

That would classify as prehab/rehab/fixing weak links. So that goes at the end of your workout. Or on off days.

Thanks, that makes sense. I don't know why I still wrote such a long post when my question was really quite simple. =/

[Rik de Kort]

Sounds like you needed a place to vent. Which is perfectly fine.