I seem to have hit a bit of a snag on the weight training front. Last Friday whilst I was doing my Routine 2 (see Split Weight Routine ) there was a bit of stiffness in my left shoulder as I attempted the Dumbell Flyes. Then the same shoulder was quite sore whilst doing Bench Presses.

Some research on the internet suggests it might be a Rotator Cuff injury. Normally I would be due to do Routine 2 again tomorrow, but I've got an appointment first thing, so I'll give the weight training a complete rest. The next time for Routine 2 will be next Monday and by then I will have changed the routine to try and address the problem.

I've found rotator cuff exercises on various sites, but some of the advice is a bit conflicting and some of the exercises look as though they might do more harm than good. Having had some good success with one ebook I might try Brian Schiff's The Ultimate Rotator Cuff Training Guide. It's a bit pricey, but if it does the trick then it will be worth it.

In my Shoulder Pain post I mentioned that I was getting some discomfort that could be related to my rotator cuff and that I was thinking about buying The Ultimate Rotator Cuff Training Guide. Well I have now bought this.

The ebook starts off with some sections on anatomy and the pathology of rotator cuff problems. My thought is that these could have been a bit more detailed, but I suppose they tell you as much as you need to know. It then goes on to talk about the role of posture and how performing certain weight training exercises badly can cause rotator cuff problems.

However the heart of the matter is the exercise routines that are provided. The first of these is for maintenance of a healthy shoulder. The second, which is most of interest to myself at the moment, is for the rehabilitation of an injured rotator cuff. This is a progressive six week programme with exercises performed three times a week. In addition to rotator cuff exercises there are also exercises for scapular stability.

So I'm now doing these exercises and for now all other weight training on my chest, shoulders and upper back is on hold. I'll report back on this periodically. All in all, the book costs less that a single visit to a sports physio, so if the exercises do the trick then it will be worth the outlay.

Update 7th April 2007: to see the concluding post on this topic please click here.

It's time for an update on how I am getting on with The Ultimate Rotator Cuff Training Guide. Their rehabilition exercise program is six weeks long split into three progressive two-week segments. I've chosen to repeat weeks 3/4 rather than move on to weeks 5/6. At my age you don't heal quite as fast as you used to.

I definitely feel that I am making progress. I can now do a kneeling press-up with only a slight twinge. Another stretch that I do based on internal rotation of the shoulder now has a greater degree of pain-free movement. I emailed Brian Schiff, the author, about the latter to try and understand more about what was happening anatomically and he was kind enough to reply. Finally I've been able to reintroduce a modified chest exercise into my weight training routine, although I'm using quite light weights for that at the moment.

So I think that's quite promising and hopefully in a few more weeks everything should be back to normal.

Brrr, still no central heating! Still, today we treated ourselves to fish, chips and mushy peas, served with mugs of tea in front of a coal fire. Wonderful stuff.

Anyway, the good news is that after eight weeks of following The Ultimate Rotator Cuff Training Guide my shoulder is much better. There's still a little bit of stiffness in there, but it is 95% of the way to a full recovery. I've been able to resume full-on weight training, although I will continue to avoid certain exercises and now do modified versions of some others. I've started a new weight training regime based on alternating heavy weeks and light weeks. I'll cover that in more detail soon.

I suppose you could ask whether it would have improved to the same degree if I had just rested it for eight weeks, rather than following the programme. I don't know the answer to that, but I do feel certain that the exercises have strengthened the rotator cuff muscles such that the problem is less likely to recur. This should continue to improve as I do the maintenance exercises recommended by the programme. Furthermore, as noted above I now know what to avoid to reduce the risk of further problems.

In summary I think this was money well spent.