How To Do A Cable External Rotation | Exercise Guide
How To Do A Cable External Rotation. Courtesy of Shaun Stafford: http://bbcom.me/1SqZs17
The shoulder joint (or “complex” as it’s actually made up of several separate joints) is inherently unstable because of it’s ball-and-socket structure. The majority of the joint’s stability comes from having an active web of muscles that wrap the joint. Apart from the big deltoid muscles, there are a group of muscles called the rotator cuffs that underpin a lot of the major movements of the shoulder.
This exercise focuses on the major muscles of the rotator cuff (infraspinatus and teres minor), and if strengthened correctly you’ll see stability and strength in the shoulder drastically increase. Conversely, if these muscles are neglected in a training plan, the shoulder will become imbalanced and at greater risk of injury.
This exercise – as well as its cousin, internal rotation — are good to perform at the end of an upper-body day (you don’t want to pre-fatigue them if you’re doing heavy upper-body lifts) or any time during a lower-body or rehab day.
• Depress your shoulder and anchor your scapulae so that it’s fixed through out the move.
• Always keep your elbow tight and fixed to your side.
• Controlling the eccentric motion is an important part of the lift, which will increase the time under tension.
• Most often you see individuals standing with a dumbbell using the same motion as you see in the video, but that’s a fail. With a cable the line of pull is coming directly across your body; with a dumbbell it’s straight down. If you want to use a dumbbell, lie on your side on a bench.
• The standard rep range is 10-15 with a very light weight, a slow and controlled tempo, and you should normally perform 2-4 sets depending on the total volume already in your workout.