Essential Shoulder Mobility Tests for All Climbers

[@HoopersBeta]

IT'S GOOD TO BE BACK! We missed our HB fam. How are everyone's shoulders feeling?

[@markomiz]

I've got impingement at the moment 😢... seeing a physical therapist but would be great to get your thoughts on fixing and preventing this!

[@mw3515]

Sore! It's great to have another episode! Quite new to your channel but really appreciate the quality. Question, on the first test I started getting cramp in my right bicep when I was reaching down with the right fist, is this an indicator of probable bicep problem? Haha, my right shoulder(bicep?) is injured. Seems hyper-mobile on internal rotation. Going to see a physio who works with some pro climbers soon though for professional advice. #1 Reason climbers fail at Recovery!! Ha, that rings true.

[@StraightUpHealth]

Feeling solid from lots of Y's and T's! Thanks for all you guys do!

[@Randomize12345666]

Weak shoulders but thanks to you I got a feeling I'm on the right road to eat v8s for breakfast

[@matteos.3438]

i have a type ii slap tear 😓

[@esmeegloria]

Such a lovely video, I’ve been struggling with hypermobility and it was very nice to find a joint that’s within normal range for once😂❤

[@Vicitoriachi]

Thanks, man, for providing such valuable resources for us injury prone individuals. I've been prone to all kinds of sports injuries since my early twenties and it often forced me to stop doing the sports I loved. And it's so incredibly empowering to finally learn about the underlying issues and diligently work on them. Really, you (and Dave Macleod) are the true MVPs. Many thanks from Germany 🤝 (a beautiful free healthcare system will not buy you a Dr. of climbing PT, lol)

[@HoopersBeta]

Thanks so much, glad to be of use! :) Hope you’re able to sort out the injuries!

[@LiamRappaport]

Glad to see I'm hypermobile in my shoulders too. The only area I really have problems with hypermobility is my wrists; sometimes if I don't engage enough I overstretch my whatevers and it hurts my wrists for a while.

[@hilannaelhalyn3472]

It's so good to have you back ! I really like those self test to help us know our body better. It is confirming I have to go back to the sweet shoulder circuit for the right shoulder...while waiting for your video on mobility for the left shoulder ! Like that dynamic filming btw :) thanks to you two guys !

[@HoopersBeta]

Thank you, we are happy to be back! And thanks for the feedback!

[@phoenixinthetrees1446]

I'm looking forward to the video on how to improve shoulder mobility. After a broken collarbone / torn labrum injury, I've never regained full mobility in my right arm... and perhaps never will, but I'm sure a few stretches would improve things.

[@HoopersBeta]

Hopefully that's the case! If not reach out to a skilled specialist for a specifically tailored program.

[@nikhilbhandari2065]

Love your videos! Video on shoulder subluxations / dislocation specific exercises please!

[@heyyoumewe]

Thanks a lot for the helpful video! Would be really great to assess and make tests for other types of mobility/flexibility, typically the ones in your new video: "Research Correlates KEY MOVEMENTS to Climbing Ability… So We Made a Yoga Routine for Them".

[@HoopersBeta]

Great suggestion! We do, in fact, have one that covers that. Check out kzbin.info/www/bejne/nGmZgoCfiLKUkJY as an example.

[@AVPML]

As always super-duper clean way of showing info and exlplaining. Thank you guys so for this content

[@HoopersBeta]

Thanks for watching!

[@AVPML]

@@HoopersBeta yeah, was a big effort to do it, so... 😆

[@Benkkuful]

I really enjoy your videos! I just started my first year studying Physiotherapy a month ago.

[@HoopersBeta]

Awesome, good luck!

[@Gytax0]

Thanks for the video. Can you also make a video on hip mobility tests?

[@HoopersBeta]

Hmm that's an interesting idea. A very simple functional test would just be to see if you can do the exercises in our Hip Mobility video with ease. Would be cool to have some more scientific tests as well though. -Emile

[@kristinnetchy8473]

Love the tank top 😍

[@apolyedapolyed7524]

Very informative and helpful, thank you.

[@HoopersBeta]

You're very welcome!

[@boulderfighters2590]

Really interesting video. I have not done the tests yet but I suspect that I have hypermobile shoulders. I kind of thought so far that it might be "good" like that. But then its good to know that you should do some strengthening exercises. I will do the tests to confirm though. Thanks again.

[@HoopersBeta]

A great balance of mobility and stability is definitely key to performing well and avoiding injury :)

[@YouTubKomentarKiller]

WAAAAAAAAY underated Channel. WTF

[@HoopersBeta]

Thanks for the support!

[@davidtorres8396]

Overcoming jealousy with my stoke for my friend’s send… yea….. pretty hard.

[@MiguelClimbs]

KZbin hasn't been the same without you guys!

[@HoopersBeta]

We have certainly missed posting! Thanks for hanging in there.

[@NWRinehart]

MISSED YOU GUYS!

[@denisewenger5506]

Thanks for this video! Fantastic! How do you explain the GIRD symptomatic with climbers?

[@Idiomatick]

I don't understand test 2. Surely everyone can point their arms straight down and straight up...

[@Raxi1218]

Any tips and recommendations for climbers who have bad shoulder mobility? It's always been a sore spot for me that I came from a powerlifting background, so I have a really broad chest and shoulders, and therefore, I'm unable to do basic shoulder mobility things (e.g. eagle pose in yoga).

[@HoopersBeta]

We will have a video on improving shoulder mobility coming up next!

[@joebro77]

Would you recommend doing the tests „cold“ to reflect the „normal“ state of your body or warmed up to better reflect a climbing situation?

[@HoopersBeta]

Good question! If you consistently do a warm up before climbing it's OK to do your testing then. The key is consistency. If you measure it cold one day and then warmed up another you will likely have variations in your results, which can be confusing.

[@richardbently7236]

Black magic.

[@frankheiser2775]

Thanks for this video! On test 2, is this test done while allowing the shoulder to protract and rotate up or is it performed with the scapular "pinned" flat in the neutral position? I ask this because I have the tendency to let my shoulder "fall" forward and "in" to increase internal rotation on extreme gastone moves or when holding a wide position on slopers where I try to push my body into the wall my letting my shoulder do this and "diving" underneath the hold instead of keeping tension also from the upper back, lats, teres minor and major and rest of posterior chain.

[@GHoen1313]

Is it normal to have a variance between shoulders? I seem to have just the right amount in my left shoulder, but my right shoulder seems a little bit hypomobile. Is this common? I assume that I would need to just work on mobility on the right side, correct? Great video btw, I had no idea my right shoulder was so stiff compared to my left.

[@HoopersBeta]

Yes, quote normal! That typically occurs in the more dominant arm but can also be a result of sport participation (such as overhead throwing athletes may have more external rotation on their arm than their non-throwing). Yes, in that case it's ok to spend a little more attention on your hypomobile side but don't solely focus on it. Also, do rechecks to make sure you're still balanced 👍

[@GHoen1313]

@@HoopersBeta this checks out, I played baseball growing up and throw lefty. Thanks for the reply!

[@stephendaedalus7841]

What do we do if our right shoulder is hypermobile on the external and hypomobile on the internal... ? But I also only get pain in my left shoulder?

[@Blue-pb7kz]

I'm not sure I'm doing the first test right! Could you clarify if there's anything to do beyond reaching up/down? Are you meant to keep you bottom fist facing thumb side up? Is your bottom forearm meant to stay roughly horizontal? When I try the test, my forearm is at a totally different angle (if I were to open my fist, my fingers would be pointed straight up, while yours point sideways in all the demos, even the hypermobile example montage). As far as I can remember, I've been able to reach back and touch the tips of my middle fingers to the wrists on the opposing hand with just a little effort so I already know I'm not worried about a lack of mobility... But I was wondering if I was doing the test right, as my arms are not at the same angle, so in your drawings it looks like it's a test of mobility on the side that's reaching down, while I mostly just reach up a lot more. Thanks!

[@cxtpace]

mine is not even. right shoulder: external = 125+/- (hyper) | internal 45+/- (going hypo) left shoulder: external = 110+/- | internal 60+/- (both in acceptable range) total range is about the same = 170 :( :( is this normal? should i keep it that way? or should i make the numbers even (if that is even possible)? THANKS!

[@Erulilum]

Both my shoulders are hypermobile 🙃

[@HoopersBeta]

Time to balance it out with some stability then?

[@Keonaie9462]

When performing the first test "Functional shoulder mobility test", should my scapular be winging out?

[@HoopersBeta]

Not necessarily "should" but can happen on the bottom arm to a small extent.

[@reflexion.climbing]

How about people who just have very long arms? I for example have an ape index of +17 and my fists touch behind my back. Wondering if its hypermobility or just the long arms

[@HoopersBeta]

Well... Hmm! That is certainly a unique situation being +17. I would use the other GIRD test and look at your total range of motion to get a better idea of your mobility.

[@shauncampbell6199]

One side was hypo, and the other side very hyper, WTF?

[@HoopersBeta]

Hmm? Both of mine were hypo with the FMS

[@t-love8751]

Me: hey Avery could you use this ruler to measure behind my back for test number one? Avery: ok…ready…the ruler’s not long enough Me: I guess I’m stiff 🥺

[@HoopersBeta]

haha well that's one way to put it indeed! Sorry about your stiff shoulders.

[@katiekellogg7464]

Lmaooo I’m not a climber or anything athletic for that matter. I have hEDS and got a total of 315° on both sides 😅👌 For the record: 0/10 do not recommend. I am in constant pain in every joint of my body

[@HoopersBeta]

Oh no! Sorry to hear that :/