How to Do Internal and External Shoulder Rotations for Healthy Shoulders

Your typical shoulder workout may be full of overhead presses and lateral raises. But banded internal and external shoulder rotations are one underrated exercise dup you don't want to leave out of your training routine.

• ​What are shoulder rotations?​ They're exercises that involve closing and opening your shoulder towards and away from your body.
• ​What's the difference between internal and external rotations?​ Shoulder internal rotation exercises involve turning your shoulder toward your body, according to Carolina Araujo, CPT, a California-based personal trainer and founder of Fit With Carolina. External rotation of the shoulder turns the joint away from your body.
• ​What muscles do these exercises work?​ Internal shoulder rotations strengthen your front deltoids, latissimus dorsi, pectoralis major, teres major in your back and subscapularis, one of the four rotator cuff muscles, according to Araujo. External shoulder rotations strengthen your rear delts as well as infraspinatus, and teres minor, two other rotator cuff muscles that stabilize your shoulder blades.
• ​Who can do shoulder rotations?​ They are a pretty safe exercise for most people and are a common rehab exercise for shoulder injuries, according to Melissa Garcia, DPT, CSCS, a Washington-based physical therapist. But anyone who has previous shoulder injuries (or feels pain or pinching) should talk to a qualified physical therapist before trying new exercises.

When your elbow moves away from your side, you start to lose out on some of the intended exercise benefits, Garcia says.

To help you keep that elbow tucked, she suggests placing a rolled-up towel between your elbow and ribs. Focus on keeping it in place throughout the entire exercise.

As you work to not let the towel fall, you'll automatically improve your form.

Because these exercises focus on so many small stabilizing muscles of the shoulder, don't expect yourself to move a lot of (banded) weight, says Jereme Schumacher, DPT, a California-based physical therapist.

If you struggle to do 8 or 10 reps with good form, use a lighter resistance or stand closer to the band's anchor point. These are exercises you shouldn't usually load any heavier than your 8 or 10 rep max.

Keep the motion as precise as possible, Schumacher recommends. Don't let the band boss you around, and resist the urge to swing your arm or use momentum.

If you have trouble keeping a slow, steady pace, try counting: 2 seconds moving, a 1-second pause, then 2 seconds back to start.

Keep your abs tight with your hips and shoulders squared to the front of the room, Garcia says. Avoid twisting your torso as you pull the resistance band, and keep your lower back from arching.

Fun tip: Squeezing your glutes will actually help you max out your stability in the move.

Although they're surrounded by small stabilizing muscles, your shoulders are actually the least stable joints in your body, according to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS). And when their muscles don't get enough attention, your joints become even more susceptible to injury.

That's why Schumacher recommends building internal and external rotations into your warm-up routine. Waking up your small stabilizers before upper-body workouts can help you keep your shoulders stable and safe through the rest of your workout, he says.

Warm shoulders aren't just safer, they're stronger. These exercises improve your upper-back and shoulder alignment, which can help you move more weight in exercises like deadlifts and walking lunges, Garcia says.

Internal and external rotations of the shoulder make great warm-up exercises, but the moves can also stand on their own in a strength workout. You can can do the shoulder external rotation with a dumbbell to get more precise with how much resistance you're using and track your progress.

And making them among the best shoulder exercises, rotations hit the rotator cuff muscles, which often go neglected, Garcia says.

To build the most strength and muscle, focus on taking each set to fatigue. At the end of your set, you should feel like that was the last rep you could do with great form.

To make this resistance-band shoulder exercise more or less challenging, all you have to do is stand farther from or closer to the band's anchor point.

Or, if you have a set of multiple bands, you can simply pick one with greater or lighter resistance.