• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • About Us
  • STEPS Virtual
  • FAQ
  • Links
  • Contact Us
  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • 615.269.8844

STEPS Fitness

Nashville's Premier Personal Fitness Training Center

  • STEPS Virtual
  • Programs
    • STEPS Fitness Presents Events
    • DR. Irv’s Perfect Exercise Minute
    • Training Packages
    • Group Offerings
    • Corporate Wellness
    • Traveler’s Special
  • Personal Trainers
    • Dr. Irv Rubenstein
  • Testimonials
  • Fitness Blog
    • Dr Irv’s Fitness Blog
    • Exercise of the Month
  • Newsletters
    • Fit Happens
    • Real News Newsletter
  • Search

June 14, 2011 By Irv Rubenstein

On Knees, Shoulders, and Backs

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

I just returned from an Exercise Etc fitness conference in phoenix this past Sunday (6/12). As a presenter for ex etc for over 15 yrs, I’ve had the opportunity to observe and even participate in the evolution of the profession of personal fitness training.

During the lecture on shoulders, I asked if anyone in the class was a thrower as I needed someone with coordination to demo my ‘dynamic cam’ technique using elastic tubing. Only one person – out of 25 or so – admitted to being able to throw. I’ve had this happen before – trainers who were uncoordinated in the ways of sport movement. This alone concerns me as so many of our clientele – country club athletes, or even real athletes – play sports and need to learn how to exercise in ways that will enhanceOn Knees, Shoulders, and Backs their activity of choice. If all a trainer knows is how to strengthen or stretch a muscle, but not the mechanisms of movements themselves, then training is half-assed, if you know what I mean. After all, what is functional training if not training that improves function and resists injury?

So, here’s a few simple pointers on the major joints – knees, shoulders, and backs – and how you – trainer or worker-outer – can think about how you train those joints.

First, all joints have 4 major components: bones (which meet and may be joined – the scapula is not technically joined to the thoracic rib cage; it floats on it – to form a specifically-limited range of movements), ligaments (which hold most -but not the scapula- joints in place but do not move them), tendons (the attachments, usually close to the joint, of muscles that move them), and muscles, the only real source of movement of the joints.

Now, muscles come in various sizes and strengths, but the rule there is the larger the muscle the stronger it is; and vice versa. The muscles closest to the joint itself tend to be the smallest; as such, they are the weakest and often are implicated in the injury patterns of many joints. Learning how these muscles are supposed to work will help you train them, but here’s my rule: if you use excessive loads early in training or rehabbing, the small muscles won’t be able to do the work they’re supposed to do, and the larger ones will compensate accordingly. Therefore, the small muscles, the ones most integrated in stabilizing a joint, are undertrained at the expense of the larger ones, most likely doing movements TO the joint itself that are not good for it.

Therefore, when training these important joints, remember to pre-train the smaller muscles around them by not over-burdening the systems. For the shoulder, do some cuff work; for the knees, do some basic conditioning for the hip abductors and vastus medialis with low resistance close chain exercises like leg press or squats; and for the spine, don’t do crunches – start with simple core training exercises like bridges, abdominal contractions, and/or partial dead bugs. A couple weeks of these early in a novice’s training, or even in the training of an athlete coming off the post-season, will prevent many of the types of injuries we trainers often contribute to, and may even allow steeper progressions once the early phase is over.

Related Posts:

  • There-is-No-Such-Thing-as-"Normal"
    There is No Such Thing as "Normal"
  • REAL-News -- October-2024
    REAL News - October 2024
  • FIT-Happens - -Winter -2025
    FIT Happens - Winter 2025
  • FIT-Happens - -Winter- 20251
    REAL News - December 2022
  • REAL News - January 2024
    REAL News - January 2024
  • REAL-News--June-2024
    REAL News - June 2024
  • Weight Loss Principles:  The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
    Weight Loss Principles: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
  • Fit-Happens --Winter-2024
    Fit Happens - Winter 2024

Comments

comments

Filed Under: Fitness Blog Tagged With: movement of joints, overuse syndrome, training, workout loads

sidebar

Blog Sidebar

FREE Consultation!

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Categories

  • Exercise of the Month
  • Fit Happens
  • Fitness Blog
  • General News
  • Newsletters
  • Real News
  • Trainers

Tags

achieve well-being aging Alzheimer's disease barefoot running body fat bone density burn off excess weight calories cardio cardiovascular childhood obesity covid diabetes diet dieting eating disorders Exercise exercise intensity field of health or exercise science fitness flexibility functional fitness health Heart Health higher risk of obesity lose weight low back pain mental health musculoskeletal improvements obesity osteoarthritis physical activity physically active protein reduce your risk of falling resistance training running Senior Training slows cognitive decline strength training Stretching training weight loss Weight loss vs Exercise gain weight management

Recent News

May 01

REAL News – May 2025

Apr 01

REAL News – April 2025

Mar 18

Fit Happens – Spring 2025

Mar 01

REAL News – March 2025

Feb 01

REAL News – February 2025

Reviews

Search Our Directory

Footer Widget Header

Affiliations

  • american-college-of-sports-medicine
  • american-council-on-exercise
  • biometrics
  • exercise-etc-inc
  • national-strength-and-conditioning-association
  • renewed-support

STEPS Fitness | 2424 21st Ave. S. Suite #100 | Nashville, TN 37212 | 615.269.8844 p

© 2025 Nashville's Premier Personal Fitness Training Center | Designed by Ponder Consulting ®

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.Ok