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FACT CHECKEDThe shoulder is one of the most astounding parts of the human anatomy. It’s the most flexible joint in the body and the most complex. With nearly a dozen muscles and several ligaments and tendons, all converging in one place, your shoulder lets you move your arm in just about any direction. Today we’re going to talk about two of these movements in particular: shoulder abduction and adduction.
Those two words probably sound familiar, and that’s because you’ve seen them on the machines at the gym you never use (but probably should). Let’s get into what they mean, the muscles they work, and some exercises that fit the bill.
No, it has nothing to do with your abs, so let’s get that out of the way. Shoulder abduction is the lateral movement of your arms away from the body’s midline. To give you a mental picture, think of raising your arms out to make a “T” pose. Congrats, you just performed shoulder abduction.
Shoulder adduction is the opposite, moving your arm toward the body’s midline. It might be hard to picture when we would use this, but imagine trying to squeeze a pillow between your elbow and your side.
Still not entirely clear on what they are? Here are some examples of shoulder abduction and adduction that you do in your daily life.
Reaching for something out to the side, lifting something up to put on the top shelf, or even a friendly wave are all examples of shoulder abduction.
Pulling something toward your body, like bearhugging your dog, doing a pull-up, or holding your arms against your body to hide your armpit sweat stains. Obviously, there are more examples, but hopefully, you get the idea now.
The nice thing about shoulder abduction and adduction is they help create a great-looking physique.
You had to see this one coming. If you want to see results in strengthening your side delts, as well as building a nice capped shape to your shoulders, this is a must-do exercise.
This takes everything that’s great about the lateral raise and adds a little bit more to it. The constant pull on your shoulder means that your time under tension is greater, with no rest for your shoulder until you put down the handle.
This might not occur to you as abduction since your hands aren’t going straight out to the sides. But as you’re pressing from the bottom, your elbows are moving away from your body to get the weight up.
Known for helping create a wide, powerful looking back, the lat pulldown is a great example of adduction when you think of pinning your elbows to your sides at the bottom of the movement.
This is another head scratcher on the initial mention, because you immediately think of it being primarily a chest movement. But, try the motion as you’re sitting there reading this and you’ll see it actually involves shoulder adduction.
Another variation of the fly movement, the more you angle from high to low, the more shoulder adduction is involved. The video shows a standard high to low fly, but for a different feel, stand in the middle of the towers and press directly to your sides.
So why should you be doing these movements? As we mentioned before the shoulder is the most complex joint in the body, so it’s crucial that you try to keep your shoulders in tip-top shape.
One of the best ways to keep your shoulders healthy is to make sure there aren’t imbalances in your muscles. Having a workout regimen with a varied mix of abduction and adduction exercises will help hit all three heads of your deltoids, along with strengthen your rotator cuff.
Because abduction and adduction utilize different parts of the upper back, this improved strength can help keep your body more naturally upright, which in this day and age of sitting on a phone or computer most of the day (probably not with the greatest posture), can help prevent muscle strains and other problems that can occur with poor posture.
As you read earlier, you’re most likely performing shoulder abduction and adduction movements every day without knowing it. If you’ve ever hurt yourself putting something on an overhead shelf, or pulling something toward yourself; that may have been avoidable with proper training. Lifting groceries onto the counter or playing with your kids could be a whole easier with the proper steps taken to make sure you’re developing your strength to it’s full potential.
You should know exactly what shoulder abduction and adduction are, what muscles they work, and what movements they consist of. While these aren’t the only two movement patterns when it comes to the shoulders, they are two of the most important for building strength and size. Always make sure your shoulders are warm before performing these movements with any significant weight, and enjoy the benefits of improved shoulder abduction and adduction!
Learn more: Shoulder Training
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Tyler DiGiovanni
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