MMA And Healthy Shoulders

Stay strong and injury free with this simple, effective, circuit.

Whether a young athlete, business executive, or pro MMA fighter, injury prevention is always included in my goal-setting discussions with clients. It was frankly paramount during the filming of ‘The Ultimate Fighter Live,’ as we never knew which athlete would be fighting the next week, and thus had to do our best to keep them all in top, physical shape at all times.

To help with this, I incorporated the Functional Movement Screen. Along with Dr. Jenn Reiner, a certified FMS & SFMA practitioner, we took the members of Team Cruz through the seven fundamental movement patterns that comprise the screen. While I wasn’t too surprised with the majority of the scores, I was surprised with the numbers on the Shoulder Mobility movement. Not one athlete scored above a 1. Of the eight athletes we tested, three scored a 1 and five scored a 0. For those not familiar with the screen, those numbers are, well, not good. Basically, a 1 means they can’t complete the movement correctly, and a 0 means there’s pain present when attempting the movement. Not a single one of these high level athletes could complete this basic exercise.

Shoulders take a beating in MMA training, and these results prove that. With my “movement prep,” or “stability and mobility” movements with combat athletes, I’ve always focused on three areas in particular: the foot/ankle, the hip/glute, and the shoulder joint/T-spine (Learn more here… sorry for the shameless plug).

Of course, as none of the 8 athletes complained of shoulder pain during our workouts, do we even need to do anything? If it’s not broken does it need to be fixed? Well, it may not be broken today, but I believe these scores reveal the potential for injury in the future. We should be pro-active and incorporate a couple of movements into their routine to help increase mobility, develop stability, and ultimately prevent eventual shoulder pain.

The five-minute routine below includes 3 mobility movements and 3 stability movements that can be done as a quick stand-alone routine, or as part of a larger, dynamic warm-up to be done before a training session. I should note that these six exercises are not necessarily “MMA-specific.” If you’re a young salesman logging hours behind the wheel, or a typical “desk jockey” putting in 8+ hours at your desk, this routine may work for you too.

Three Mobility Drills
1. SMR - Pec Minor
Use this movement to help release the pec minor muscle promoting scapular retraction. Work the area with a tennis ball, lacrosse ball, or TP Therapy ball, for at least 30 seconds per side.

2. Side-Lying Chest Opener
This movement focuses on thoracic spine rotation, and improves posture and shoulder joint integrity. Perform it at various angles for at least 30 seconds per side.

3. Scorpion Stretch
Used to stretch both pec minor & major, in addition to the whole anterior functional line of the body. Hold the movement for 30 seconds per side.

Three Stability Drills
1. Reach, Roll, & Lift
This exercise engages scapular stabilizers: serratus anterior with the “reach,” the rotator cuff with the “roll,” and the lower trap with the “lift.” Complete 2 sets of 12 reps per arm.

2. ½ Turkish Get-Ups
This incorporates both the static and dynamic stabilizers of the shoulder, and is a pattern that pulls everything together into one functional movement. Complete 2 sets of 6 reps per side.

3. Shoulder Taps
This requires static shoulder stability while simultaneously incorporating rotational stability through the thoracic spine. Complete 2 sets of 12 taps per arm.

There may be no shoulder pain today, but by spending 5-10 minutes a couple of times a week knocking these out, there won’t be any tomorrow. It is, after all, impossible to get bigger, faster, stronger, and better conditioned if sitting on the sidelines with shoulder problems.