Training Considerations for the Overhead Athlete
This blog was written by Corey Anderson, CSCS.
An overhead athlete can be anyone whose sport involves arm action over the athlete’s head. The first sport to come to mind is baseball but can include sports such as swimming, volleyball, water polo, or even tennis. Athletes involved in such sports need careful consideration when it comes to exercise prescription. A few key items that need attention are shoulder mobility and stability, and exercise selection and design variables.
Mobility should have a spot in any well thought-out training program for any athlete. Mobility will help with soft tissue health, as well as allow an athlete to perform at his/her highest potential. Good joint mobility also plays a key role in the prevention of injuries as well! This is particularly true in the overhead athlete. The position in which the athlete must use their arm puts them at risk for shoulder injuries ranging from impingement to rotator cuff injuries. Good mobility in the shoulder, thoracic and cervical spine can have a positive impact on athletic performance and career longevity. Poor mobility in these areas can lead to compensatory patterns and results in decreased performance and increase risk of injury.
The shoulder is classified as a ball and socket joint which helps make this the most mobile joint in the body, however, this comes at the expense of stability. Gray Cook, co-founder of Functional Movement Systems, defines stability as “structural integrity in the presence of full range of motion.” Simply put, the shoulder should be able to maintain stability throughout its entire range of motion. Training stability of the shoulder improves shoulder health and scapular movement. Stability training helps promote balance in the musculature as well. Take a baseball pitcher for example; they throw a baseball at a very high velocity hundreds of times each practice. This will put loads of mechanical stress on the anterior shoulder. Thus, it would be wise for any athlete on a baseball program to emphasize work on posterior shoulder to help facilitate balance.
Most well-rounded programs for any athlete will include a resistance training component. Any good program will incorporate proper exercise selection to help improve stability, balance, symmetry, strength and power. Combining each of these characteristics can help improve athletic performance and help decrease injury risk. Overhead athletes require special attention to exercise selection and volume. Overhead athletes should avoid any exercises that will put the shoulder in a potentially risky situation. Overhead shoulder presses or overhead Olympic lifts are a few examples of items that should be avoided. Creating balance of anterior and posterior musculature of the body is another important factor. As a whole, most overhead athletes tend to spend most of their time in a “rounded shoulder” position. A balanced program should include exercises to stress the work of the imposing muscles to help maintain balance in the muscles in the upper body.
When participating in overhead sports, proper training should be a priority. The demand of overhead sports places a tremendous amount of stress on the muscles of the shoulder complex so proper mobility training is important. The large range of motion of the shoulder makes it a joint of high injury risk. However, through careful exercise selection and implementation a resistance training program for athletes can be safe and effective in increasing athletic performance and decreasing risk of injury!