Written by Kiel DiGiovanni | Co-founder
Fact checked by Kirsten Yovino, CPT Brookbush Institute
FACT CHECKED
Looking for resistance band exercises to strengthen or rehab your shoulders and rotator cuff? Do you have pain in your shoulders that you want to alleviate? This article has you covered with 7 essential rotator cuff band exercises that will bulletproof your shoulders.
7 Essential Resistance Band Rotator Cuff Exercises
Below are 7 resistance band shoulder exercises to strengthen and rehab your shoulders. Rotator cuff exercises with bands should be performed before a shoulder-based workout or weekly, whether you are experiencing shoulder pain or not. Meaning, these band shoulder exercises will rehab AND prehab your shoulders/rotator cuff - Get past injuries and stay ahead of them!
We always perform these banded rotator cuff exercises before an upper body workout to make sure our shoulder joints are warmed up, mobile, and ready to provide perfect stability.
EXERCISE #1: SHOULDER ABDUCTION TO 90 DEGREES
How to:
- Stand on the band with your left foot while holding the band with your left hand.
- Keep your elbow straight, lift the band up to 90 degrees to shoulder level.
- Hold at the top for 1-2 seconds then lower slowly to starting position.
- Repeat on the opposite side, aim for 10-15 reps on each side.
EXERCISE #2: EXTERNAL ROTATION
How to:
- Attach the resistance band to a secure anchor at belly button height.
- Stand perpendicular to the resistance band and grab it with your outside hand.
- Keep your elbow at your side then move the band away from your body by squeezing your shoulder blade in towards the middle of your back.
- You can place a towel between your elbow and your hip to help stabilize your elbow. Slowly return to starting position.
- Then repeat on the opposite side.
EXERCISE #3: INTERNAL ROTATION AT 0 DEGREES
How to:
- Start in the same position of exercise #2 with the resistance band secured to the side at belly-button level.
- Bend your elbow at 90 degrees, keep your elbow at your side while moving your hand towards your stomach.
- You can place a towel between your elbow and your hip to help stabilize your elbow.
- Slowly return to starting position.
- Repeat on the opposite side.
EXERCISE #4: EXTERNAL ROTATION AT 90 DEGREE ABDUCTION
How to:
- Attach the resistance band to a secure anchor at chest-height. Grab the band with your left hand, keeping your elbow bent at 90 degrees.
- Pull up by squeezing your shoulder blade so that your forearm is directly over your elbow.
- Try to keep your wrists as straight as possible.
- Then slowly lower back to the starting position.
- Repeat with the opposite side.
EXERCISE #5: WALL CRAWL WITH EXTERNAL ROTATION
How to:
- Double up the loop resistance band around your forearms. Lean into the wall with your forearms shoulder-width apart.
- Now keep your shoulder blades down while you crawl your forearms up the wall until the band is at eye level.
- Then crawl back down to the starting position.
EXERCISE #6: SHOULDER EXTENSION
How to:
- Attach the resistance band to a secure anchor above your head.
- Reach up and grab the band with your left hand.
- Keeping your elbow straight, extend your arm backward towards your body.
- Hold briefly at the bottom before returning to starting position.
- Repeat on the opposite side.
Related: 7 Best Shoulder Extension Exercises
EXERCISE #7: SHOULDER FLEXION TO 90 DEGREES
How to:
- Stand on the band with your left foot.
- Grab the band with your left hand and lift the band straight in front of you, keeping your elbow straight and your thumb pointing upward.
- Slowly lower to starting position.
- Repeat with the opposite side.
Banded Shoulder Rehab & Prehab Exercises - Full Video
This video contains the above exercises, in case you need to see the form of each exercise a little more:
What is the rotator cuff?
Three bones: the scapula, the clavicle and the humerus comprise the shoulder joint. Muscles, tendons and ligaments keep your shoulders in a normal (stable) position - this coupled with the fact that the ball of the humerus is larger than the edge of the shoulder socket that holds it.
Those muscles that keep your upper arm bone (humerus) in your shoulder socket are called your ROTATOR CUFF.
The muscles of your rotator cuff are:
- Supraspinatus: This muscle holds your upper arm bone in place and stable.
- Infraspinatus: This is the main muscle that allows your to rotate and extend at the shoulder.
- Teres Minor: While the smallest of the bunch, this muscle helps keep your upper arm bone in the socket, and it assists in external and internal rotation of the shoulder.
- Subscapularis: This muscle internally rotates and adducts the upper arm bone.
While it's great to understand the anatomy of the rotator cuff, don't worry so much about the individual muscles. The exercises we have for you will strengthen all of them.
Our 328 page resistance band guide walks you through over 250 exercises with video demonstrations of each exercise. We'll also show you how to create your own workout program...
Who is at risk of rotator cuff injuries?
Shoulders are the most movable joints in the human body, which makes them prone to possible injuries.
Shoulder pain is one of the most common health issues facing Americans, with over 13 million Americans visiting a doctor yearly; over 20% have a tear in their rotator cuff.
These people need to strengthen their shoulders with resistance band shoulder exercises:
- People over the age of 40 have the greatest risk of suffering a rotator cuff tear due to natural wear and tear of aging.
- Those who work manual labor jobs that require overhead work such as painters and carpenters.
- People who overuse their shoulders in sports like baseball, tennis, and even weightlifting can get rotator cuff tears.
- Bad falls or traumatic injuries are also culprits in causing rotator cuff tears.
All in all, no one is safe from potential injury, but those who are stronger and train smart have less chance of injuring their shoulder joint.
How to rehab your rotator cuff and shoulders?
There are several ways to rehab your rotator cuff if it's injured. First, you should allow time for it to heal if there are any tears. There are different degrees to tears, so if you have any concern, consult a doctor on the healing process.
Once you are healed, it's time to rehab. The best way to rehab is with bands. While there are certain bodyweight exercises that can help, you need to be careful as your body provides a lot more resistance than bands do (in most cases, and depending on the movement). Bands allow you to add light resistance, and they are very low impact. You can also control the resistance, slowly increasing the resistance, by simply creating more tension in the band from the start of the movement. There really is no better option than resistance bands for shoulder rehabilitation.
What's more, bands are great for prehab, which just means your strengthen the muscles before they even get injured. Bands are good for prehab because they actually work to build strength! If you do the same exercises that you would for rehab before workouts or once a week, you will be ensuring that your rotator cuff is strong and stable, which will greatly decrease your chance of injury in the first place!
What size resistance band should I use for shoulder strengthening and rotator cuff rehab exercises?
Use a resistance band that provides enough tension for you to complete 3 sets of 10-15 repetitions per shoulder exercise. Perform these exercises 3 times per week for optimal results.
For most people, the best size is band for rotator cuff exercises is a .5" (width) resistance band. For SET FOR SET bands, that is our yellow band.
Final Thoughts:
You can perform these shoulder rehab exercises with bands as an addition to your normal training routine (as in, part of a workout) or a stand-alone dynamic stretching routine (before a workout - warm up exercises). By strengthening the muscles surrounding your shoulder joints you can rehab and prevent the chances of future injuries.
Resistance bands offer a low impact solution to exercising and strengthening your shoulders. However, please consult your doctor if you're experiencing the following symptoms:
- Extreme pain and deep aching
- Signs of swelling
- Difficulty raising your arms over your head
- Difficulty sleeping on your arm after injuring your shoulder
Couple your rehab band exercises with bodyweight shoulder exercises when you develop more strength in your rotator cuff complex. Cable exercises for the shoulder are also great.
Do you or someone you know have knee pain? Like the rotator cuff, a lot of people have issues with their knees! Here are 6 resistance band exercises to relieve knee pain.
Where to buy resistance bands for shoulder rehab & strength?
Get yourself some resistance bands from us!
Bands are super versatile and can help your fitness in full spectrum - warm up, workout, and stretching. Here are all the benefits of bands and how to use them.
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Kiel DiGiovanni
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