Ring Rows To Address Shoulder Pain
Why we love the Ring Row exercise to help build and maintain healthy, functional shoulders:
Pull-ups are a great movement to help develop strong, healthy shoulders and the ability to pull your body up to any object you desire.
As important as we feel the Pull-up is as an exercise to help make our clients lives outside of our training practice is, only a small percentage of our new clients come to us with the ability to perform a strict Pull-up.
Most will start their journey to healthy, capable shoulders performing Ring Rows.
To perform a Ring Row, you begin by grasping a pair of hanging rings set about chest height.
Maintain a rigid body, keeping a straight line from ankle to knee to hip to shoulder, and lean back until your arms are fully extended.
Once you set in this position, your first movement is to pull your body to the rings by flexing your elbows and extending your shoulders, bringing your elbows deep behind you and touching the rings to your shoulders.
Straighten your arms to lower yourself back down, completing the repetition.
You can change the difficulty of the Ring Row by changing your body’s angle relative to the ground.
You can practice the Ring Row without any equipment by standing up tall with your feet together.
Brace your midline.
Elevate your arms until they are parallel to the ground.
Pull your shoulders back and down.
Rotate your thumbs toward the ceiling.
Make a fist.
Now that you are set, pull your elbows back until your fists are beside your ribs.
Maintaining retraction and depression of your scapulae, punch your fists forward until your arms are straight.
This is the action of the Ring Row.
Mobility Screen: None
Practice Ability Screen: None
Mobility Preferences:
Over Grip Dislocates 15 reps w/ PVC,
Seated Shoulder Flexion Hold 30 seconds with 15# barbell,
Seated Shoulder Extension Stretch 30 seconds
Strength Preferences: None
Expectations and Goals:
Life: 5 Ring Rows @ 45 degrees
Fitness: 5 Ground Ring Rows
Performance: 15 Ground Ring Rows