I'm a semi-experienced weight lifter and I feel pretty comfortable in the gym; however, I have a lot of trouble with the shoulder press machine. It always hurts and it never feels comfortable. What am I doing wrong? Is there something else I can do to get the same exercise?
-Blade Kotelly, cocktail guru and restaurant connoisseur
Believe me, you aren't alone. The shoulder is the most fragile and problematic joint in the human body. Many people suffer from shoulder problems, which can occur both from a specific injury as well as from the natural wear and tear that comes with everyday tasks.
The reason for this is that the rotator cuff - the muscles responsible for keeping the joint stable and helping it to move - is composed of four small muscles, none of which are trained on a regular basis in a typical workout regiment. When these muscles get strained or exerted from either an inappropriate movement or from too much resistance, it can lead to persistent pain and problems.
One of the reasons that many people have trouble with the shoulder press machine is that it forces you into a locked range of motion. This is fine if your body happens to fit the machine perfectly and the range of motion is natural for you, but for those of us who aren't perfectly designed for the machine, problems can easily arise. I would recommend immediately and permanently avoiding the shoulder press machine the second you have even a small amount of pain or discomfort.
There are plenty of other exercises you can do to work your deltoids (the muscles on the ball of your shoulder) and traps (the muscles leading from your neck to your shoulder joints). Try a dumbbell or barbell shoulder press. This is similar to the machine, but you are using free weight instead. Variations with dumbbells include a twisting press, a hammer press, and the Arnold Press. Other exercises for your shoulders include flies and shrugs, both of which are better when performed with dumbbells and work the shoulder muscles well.
Another thing you should keep in mind is that it's a good idea to strengthen some of the smaller muscles of the rotator cuff as well. Even though these aren't "beach muscles" and won't help you impress the ladies (unless your lady happens to really dig shoulder stability), some of the following exercises will help you avoid pain and excess strain on your shoulder joint.
Start by lying down on your stomach on a padded gym mat. Put your neck in a neutral position with your feet out, toes pointed, and arms at your sides. Move your hand muscles in a figure eight motion at a slow controlled pace. Do ten figure eights. Then put your hands in a thumbs-up position. Raise your thumbs in the air ten times. Then put your thumbs down, and do ten more. That's one set. Do three sets of this before an upper body workout and you will undoubtedly see shoulder pain decrease.
I see people all the time with a magazine, newspaper, or book on the cardio machines at the gym. Am I allowed to do this? Getting bored on the elliptical would happen a lot slower if I could read about Jessica Simpson's fling with Adam Levine.
-Alana, introduces herself by saying that her name rhymes with banana
Reading on the cardio machines seems to be the new fad in 2006. Everyone seems to have a subscription to Us Weekly and they like to get their gossip while doing cardio. This doesn't necessarily have an impact - positive or negative - on your workout, but I do have some thoughts on the matter.
For one thing, it seems that the people who are reading magazines aren't working at a very high intensity. If it's calorie burn you are after, spending 30 minutes at a leisurely pace while reading about Angelina Jolie's pregnancy is fine, but spending 15 minutes working your butt off would be a much better use of your time. My personal opinion is that by reading a magazine, you are depriving yourself of an optimal workout, even if you can increase your duration by distracting yourself while reading. They say that exercise can be fun, but if it is, you aren't working hard enough. Get in there, get your workout in, and don't spend the time reading or catching up on your schoolwork.
