As we all know, shoulder health is paramount in crossfit. From personal experience I’ve found that shoulders tend to be one of the most commonly injured and painful joints in crossfit. I believe one of the major reasons for this is that Crossfit contains a large amount of shoulder intensive exercises. To reinforce the point, here are some of the most common crossfit exercises:
However, the exercise selection crossfit uses is part of why crossfit is so much fun. The above listed exercises are also just great exercises. Instead of knocking crossfit for their exercise selection, let’s figure out how we can promote shoulder health in the sport.
A few things that need to be optimized for success in crossfit:
- Barbell / dumbbell / kettlebell overhead press, push press, thrusters, push/split jerk
- Pushups, handstand pushups, handstand walking, dips, burpees
- Pull-ups, kipping pull-ups, toes to bar
- Barbell Snatches, dumbbell and kettlebell snatches, overhead squats
However, the exercise selection crossfit uses is part of why crossfit is so much fun. The above listed exercises are also just great exercises. Instead of knocking crossfit for their exercise selection, let’s figure out how we can promote shoulder health in the sport.
A few things that need to be optimized for success in crossfit:
- Full range of motion in the shoulder joint and thoracic spine
- Scapular stability and motor control to create and maintain proper shoulder position
- Strength and endurance of the rotator cuff to maintain joint integrity throughout all crossfit exercises