Serratus punches

[Tommy Gunn]

I will be returning to weightlifting in a couple of months after being in physical therapy for tendonitis and bursitis due to having a shoulder decompression (acromioplasty) surgery in November. While I'm in physical therapy my PT has me doing these (except with a neutral grip and he has me doing them on a flat bench):

http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/...lderRaise.html

Have you guys ever done these? What did you think of them? Should I continue to use them in my weightlifting routine when I'm done with physical therapy?

Also, what about these?:

http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/...lderRaise.html

[INM]

never seen it, looks weird to me

but this is not an advise, I know nothing about this excersize, just wanted to share my opinion

and btw... good luck buddy !

[Vinlander]

I think they could probably work if you continued to use them alongside a trapezius exercise routine in order to strengthen the entire, general area, but I wouldn't recommend them for someone who isn't rehabilitating. It's more of an exercise to compensate for the lack of strength in your rotator cuff, meaning that you'll redistribute the weight to your scapula and humeral head.

For YOU, I would consider continuing this line of exercise but not pushing it by any means. Find a cap of repetitions/weight that you're comfortable with (preferrably LOW weight) and continue to push the repetitions to about 20-30 for a few months to keep the pressure off of your rotator.

Avoid any jerking motions in this exercise (I'm sure you're aware of that) and any/all trap workouts that focus on high weight being supported by your humeral head/traps. Seated dumbbell shrugs are your best bet if you want to continue working this area effectively, so get 6 sets of this in and let that be it for a while.

Seated Dumbbell Shrugs
Take two dumbbells and seat yourself at the edge of the bench. Place your legs in front of you, knees together. Lift the dumbbells putting them end-on-end underneath the bench and around your legs with your body slightly bent forward, back stiffened and knuckles facing forward. Do not raise/lower your back at all during this exercise. Using your shoulders/trapezius, lift the dumbells from underneath the bench and bring them to the same, end-on-end position 6" above your lap, squeezing your trapezius to hold them in place for one second. Return the dumbbells to the starting position. Repeat.