A triathlon will always start with a swim, and for many people (especially us land dwellers; people coming to the sport from cycling or running) it is the hardest to integrate and become efficient at. The shoulders are working extremely hard throughout the swim, so we want to show you in this article how to keep them healthy and prevent injury with shoulder mobility exercises.

Anatomy of the Shoulder

It is important to have a brief understanding of anatomy when you want to start stretching or training any part of the body. You don’t have to get too detailed, but having a general idea of what you’re working on helps you to better select the exercises and mobility movements that will best serve you in a given sport or activity. Here are a few of the key muscles:

Deltoid

(Credit: Adobe Stock)

Front/Medial/Rear Deltoid

Attachments

Originates from the clavicle, acromion, and spine of the scapula and inserts into the deltoid tuberosity of the humerus (upper arm bone).

Function

The deltoid is responsible for the abduction (raising the arm away from the body), flexion, and extension of the shoulder joint.

Rotator Cuff (4 Muscles)

(Credit: Adobe Stock)

Supraspinatus

Attachments

Originates from the supraspinous fossa of the scapula and inserts into the greater tubercle of the humerus.

Function

Primarily involved in the initiation of abduction and helps stabilize the shoulder joint.

Infraspinatus

Attachments

Originates from the infraspinous fossa of the scapula and inserts into the greater tubercle of the humerus.

Function

Responsible for the external rotation of the shoulder joint.

Teres Minor

Attachments

Originates from the lateral border of the scapula and inserts into the greater tubercle of the humerus.

Function

Also contributes to external rotation of the shoulder and shoulder joint stability.

Subscapularis

Attachments

Originates from the subscapular fossa of the scapula and inserts into the lesser tubercle of the humerus.

Function

Primarily involved in internal rotation of the shoulder joint.

Function of the Shoulder in Triathlon

Studies show that freestyle swimming, which is the most common stroke in triathlon, places incredible demands on the shoulder joint and its surrounding muscles.

Activity in the deltoid, rotator cuff muscles, and other surrounding muscles is extremely high. The shoulder joint is the most mobile joint in the body, and maintaining that mobility is key to pain-free swimming and shoulder longevity. With this in mind, let’s now look at a couple of tests you can do right at home to assess your current shoulder mobility.

Shoulder Mobility Tests

Below you will find two assessments that have direct crossover to the kind of swimming you’ll be doing as a triathlete. Follow along and see if you can perform each one. If you fail, no problem. We’ve included a stretch you can do immediately after the assessment to help maintain and/or improve your shoulder mobility for long-term and pain-free swimming!

Assessment: Thoracic Extension/Shoulder Flexion Test

The thoracic extension test assesses whether or not you’re able to adequately flatten (extend) your thoracic (middle/upper) spine, as well as the flexion capacity of your shoulders.

Instructions:

• Stand with your heels about one foot from a wall
• Place your buttocks, upper back, and head all against the wall
• Raise your arms until they are both pointing straight up in the air

✓ Negative: If you can get into the position described above then you have passed the test and have at least an adequate degree of thoracic extension/shoulder flexion.

❗ Positive: Many people cannot even get into the starting position because their back is too stiff and rounded for their head to touch the wall. If this is the case for you, you have failed the test. Also, if you cannot raise your arms into the vertical position while maintaining the points of contact on the wall, you have also failed the test, indicating a lack of thoracic spine extension and/or shoulder flexion.

Potential Complications:

• Once the shoulder reaches 140° of flexion, the thoracic spine has to extend to protect it while moving overhead. A tight thoracic spine is a common cause of shoulder impingement, which can be painful, and eventually lead to things like frozen shoulder. Other problems include excessive use of the shoulders and lower back (above and below the stiffness) while swimming in an attempt to gain more range of motion. It eventually overloads these structures and can lead to pain and injury.

Corrective Stretch: Cat-Cow to Puppy Pose

Instructions:

• Start in a four-point kneeling position
• Round your back with an exaggerated posture, pulling the shoulder blades away from each other
• Reverse the motion, and extend the whole spine so that it arches the other way, forming a bowl (or as close to one as you can manage)
• Then, walk the hands out in front of you, keep the hips high, and proceed to drop the chest down towards the floor
• Repeat this sequence for 10 repetitions 

Assessment: Scratch Test

External Rotation

Internal Rotation

The scratch test is used to assess both internal and external rotation of the shoulder joint, which are functions of the rotator cuff muscles, as described earlier in the article.

Instructions:

• This is a two-part test
• Start by reaching one arm over its shoulder and try to touch the top inner corner of the other side’s shoulder blade; this tests external rotation
• Then, reach behind the back with the same arm and try to touch the lower inner corner of the other side’s shoulder blade; this tests internal rotation
• Perform each of these tests on both sides

✓ Negative: If you are able to reach over your shoulder and touch the top inner corner of the opposing shoulder blade, you have adequate external rotation of the shoulder. If you are able to reach behind your back to touch the lower inner corner of the opposing shoulder blade, you have adequate internal rotation of the shoulder.

❗ Positive: The further you are from reaching the shoulder blade on either test is the degree to which you shoulder rotator muscles are tight. If you fail the first test (assessing external rotation), your internal rotators are tight. If you fail the second test (assessing internal rotation), your external rotators are tight.

Potential Complications:

• It’s important that both shoulders are able to internally and externally rotate adequately for the swim stroke to be executed effectively. These kinds of tightnesses, combined with the repetitive action of the freestyle swim stroke, are major contributors to rotator cuff injury in triathletes.

Corrective Stretch: Reverse Prayer Pose

Instructions:

• Start in a standing position with your palms together behind you, fingers pointing down (picture one)
• From here, rotate your fingers towards you so that they point towards your spine and eventually straight up
• It’s okay for your hands to come apart in the start position and during this sequence, just try your best to keep them together
• Rotate your fingers back so that they’re pointing towards the ground
• Repeat this sequence for 10 repetitions

Bulletproof Your Shoulders With Dynamic Triathlete

These exercises were borrowed from the extensive programming available here at Dynamic Triathlete. We’ve designed hundreds of follow-along routines to help you train and compete pain-free as a triathlete. Join our community of thousands of people worldwide by clicking here and signing up for a 7-day free trial!

Written by Eric Lister – Certified Personal Trainer & Corrective Exercise Specialist