Muscles Trained: Rotator Cuff

Intro: The Cuban rotation is one of the least performed exercises in the weight room. The whole purpose of the lift is really to prevent an injury to the rotator cuff. The rotator cuff is a group of muscles and tendons in your shoulder that provide stabilization. These muscles allow for your shoulder to have a complete range of motion. An injury to the rotator cuff will be a detriment to your lifting and your general life. The Cuban rotation is not performed in an attempt to overload your muscles as with other exercises. Instead we perform them with low weight and higher repetitions.

       How it is performed: You will need a barbell or E-Z curl bar. Since you will want to start off light, the E-Z curl bar is recommended as it weighs less than the Olympic or standard barbells. Grip the barbell a little wider than shoulder width. Hold the weight out in front of your body so the barbell and your arms are parallel to the ground. You will use this as the beginning position for each repetition. Rotate your forearms so that the barbell comes close to your forehead. Make sure that you keep your elbows and upper arms still during this.

It is very important that you start off with a very low weight and never go too high. The whole point of this exercise is to prevent a future injury to the rotator cuff and provide a stronger core for your shoulders.