How to Strengthen Your Rotator Cuff

I’ve had my fair share of rotator cuff injuries from bench press, dumbbell press, shoulder press, etc. The best exercises I’ve discovered to strengthen my rotator cuff:

Face pulls
Shoulder dislocators (also known as ‘broomstick stretch’, or you can do it with a towel or some sort of band).

Think inverse.

Try to think to yourself:

If I did the exact OPPOSITE of a bench press or dumbbell press … what would it look like?

ERIC KIM HOME GYM – Face Pulls and Shoulder Dislocator Stretch (Rotator Cuff Strengthening)

1. What is a face pull?

You use this pulley machine, and use an extended rope, and just pull the weight directly towards your face. Imagine the inverse of a bench press.

I often ‘cheat’ by adding the maximum weight, and then use my whole body to pull:

2. Shoulder dislocators

Shout out to one of my UCLA mentors — Thomas Rodriguez. He taught me the ‘shoulder dislocator’ physical therapy move, via broomstick. I actually prefer it with a band; more range of motion.

The gist is this:

Un-stuck your shoulder muscles.

When you do this type of dynamic stretch and movement, I think it somehow increases blood flow to the shoulder and rotator cuff region, which is good to strengthen your rotator cuff.

Flex on

Flexing is good. Better to flex your body and get muscular gains instead of money gains.

Strength is the goal

I don’t like to think of it as ‘stretching’ or even ‘warming up’. Better to think of calling it “dynamic strengthening” or “movement strength”.

All strength is good!

FLEX ON!

ERIC

My Muscle Philosophy:

Treat your body as sculpture.

This is not my body

The first thing:

I don’t see my body as belonging to me. I look at my body like it belongs to someone else.

When I look at the Lamborghini of someone else, I admire it. When I see the muscles and physiques of anyone else, I admire it. Then I had the epiphany:

Why not transform my own body into a Lambo, and admire my own body instead?

The logic

The great logic:

It is far cheaper to get buff than to buy a Lambo.
The human body is the apex beauty. This means your personal goal in life should be to beautify your own personal body to the maximum (without plastic surgery, steroids, etc).
Ultimate democratic approach: Genetics doesn’t matter. Sex doesn’t matter. Racial ethnicity doesn’t matter. Anyone can both add muscle mass and subtract fat.
It doesn’t cost much to get ripped. Just intermittent fast [no breakfast, no lunch], one big ass meal a day, and mostly a ‘ketogenic’ diet.
Your body is always with you. Why not beautify your body to inspire yourself?