Shoulder health exercise
Rugby Shoulder Stability Circuit
Build shoulder stability for contact with a fifteen-minute band and ball circuit.
- Equipment
- Resistance band, fitness ball
- Sides
- Both sides together
- Positions
- All positions
Setup
A resistance band, a fitness ball and a partner. Fifteen minutes, twice a week.
How to do it
- Work through four bilateral exercises with a minute of rest between each: catch a fitness ball with your shoulder at 90 degrees and your elbow at 90 degrees, externally rotating to absorb it and returning by internally rotating, 15 reps; standing on a band with one foot, flex the opposite arm against it, 15 reps; scapular protraction and retraction in a push-up position, 15 reps; and an oscillating anteroposterior push in the 90-90 position for 30 seconds.
- Run it twice a week for four weeks, eight sessions in total.
Coaching cues
- Control the catch, don't just absorb it
- Scapula moves, elbows stay locked
- Fifteen minutes, twice a week
Common mistakes
- Rushing the catch phase, which is where the eccentric control is built
- Treating it as optional accessory work rather than a protocol with a dose
Sets and reps by goal
| Goal | Load | Sets | Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Size | Bodyweight and band | 1 | 15 per exercise | 60 sec |
Related exercises
- Face PullBuild posterior shoulder and upper-back health under a heavy contact load.
- Shoulder External RotationStrengthen the rotator cuff for stability in contact.
- Isometric Neck HoldsBuild neck stiffness in all directions with no equipment at all.
- Cable Neck IsometricsLoad the neck progressively with a cable and head harness, in four directions.
- Band Neck WorkGet scalable, portable neck loading that a whole squad can actually comply with.
- Back SquatBuild maximal bilateral lower-body strength, the foundation of scrum drive and contact.