A couple posts ago we discussed the shoulder muscles, comparing the powerful deltoid with the fragile and weaker supraspinatus ☝️. This animation illustrates a supraspinatus tear and the relating anatomy well 📝📝 . After comparing the involvement of the supraspinatus in shoulder abduction with that of the deltoid at varying degrees from vertical, we discussed the importance of offloading the rotator cuff from undue stress to prevent shoulder impingement and subsequent tear. . The supraspinatus is actually one of 4 muscles that make up our rotator cuff -- the other three being the infraspinatus, teres minor, and subscapularis (pictured here). While important to not place undue stress on these fragile muscles, strengthening them is definitely beneficial! 💪💪 How? Internal and external rotation of the shoulder with LIGHT weights (read: no more than 5-10 pounds!) .. The rotator cuff is no place for Herculean efforts 🏋