A New Look at Rotator Cuff Training
Shoulder strength is widely recognized as a priority for hockey players amongst both on- and off-ice professionals. As a subset of the broader term “shoulder” training, rotator cuff function and strength should be a priority of any hockey training program, especially for players with an older training age and more established base of training habits.
The rotator cuff consists of 4 muscles that attach to both the scapula and the humerus:
Infraspinatus: Infraspinous fossa of scapula and greater tuberosity of humerus
Supraspinatus: Supraspinous fossa of scapula and greater tuberosity of humerus
Teres Minor: Lateral border of scapula and greater tuberosity of humerus
Subscapularis: Subscapular fossa of scapula and lesser tuberosity of humerus
The infraspinatus and teres minor function to externally rotate the humerus; the supraspinatus abducts the humerus, and the subscapularis internally rotates the humerus. Collectively, these muscles function to control the humeral head within the glenoid fossa. Control, in this sense, refers to allowing appropriate accessory motion of the humeral head within the joint. This function is purely reactive and does not require conscious effort.
Traditionally, rotator cuff training has focused strictly on the secondary influences of the rotator cuff on motions of rotation and abduction. In other words, the rotator cuff was trained by performing internal and external rotations and side raises, usually using light weights or a resistance band. This practice was pulled into strength and conditioning from the rehabilitation setting and represents an old paradigm in shoulder training
Currently, more attention is being paid to restoring and improving rotator cuff function by:
- Ensuring appropriate thoracic spine mobility
- Ensuring proper scapulothoracic position
- Ensuring optimal control of scapulothoracic musculature
- Improving rotator cuff strength and function using a combination of traditional isolated patterns with integrated dynamic perturbation-based exercises
With regards to this latter strategy, rotator cuff training will present in integrated exercises that may not typically be thought of as rotator cuff exercises. The goal here is to position the shoulder in optimal alignment and then dynamically challenge the rotator cuff musculature to maintain stability/control through the joint. While an exhaustive list of all the exercises that may fit within this definition is beyond the scope of this article, the below exercises will provide a reasonable illustration of the context in which rotator cuff function can be integrated within more global patterns.
1-Arm Stability Wall Hold
Coaching Points: Emphasize proper posture. Athlete can make exercise more challenging by walking feet further from wall. Integrates all aspects of core function.
1-Arm Stability Ball Wall Hold w/ Scap Push-Up
Coaching Points: A variation of the above exercise with a more dynamic challenge to the scapulothoracic musculature. Similar coaching points as above.
1-Arm Farmer's Walk
Coaching Points: Athlete should keep loaded shoulder packed back and down, crush the dumbbell, and stand up tall. Squeezing the dumbbell hard causes an irradiation effect whereby shoulder stabilization efforts are increased, and walking causes a slight perturbation.
1-Arm Waiter's Walk
Coaching Points: Overhead position creates a different stress to the rotator cuff as the positioning of the involved musculature is changed. Same coaching points as above.
1-Arm Lateral Sled Drag
Coaching Points: Athlete should focus on keeping shoulder packed back and maintain a lateral orientation of their torso. Again, the stimulus to the rotator cuff musculature is altered as the sled creates a distraction force laterally.
The primary role of the rotator cuff is to stabilize the humeral head within the glenoid fossa. If rotator cuff training is included as part of a hockey training program, it's important that this function is not overlooked. The above exercises demonstrate a few possibilities of ways to implement a more integrated training approach for this musculature. More importantly, these exercises represent a training paradigm that strength and conditioning coaches can reapply with other exercises to create a similar training effect.
