How to Pack Your Shoulder

One of my favorite exercises in the world is the Turkish get up. Most coaches agree the TGU a great exercise, but many times understanding each of the positions can be tough to a beginner.

In fact, I’d argue one of the toughest things to teach people who are new to training is how to pack their shoulder properly.

Very simply put, shoulder packing is a combination of scapular retraction and depression, basically driving the shoulder blades back and down. When you learn how to pack your shoulder properly, this is a very stable position and should set the tone for a nice turkish get up.

One of the mistakes I’ve made in the past is to teach the TGU before educating my clients on how to properly pack their shoulders.

Teaching a beginner to pack one shoulder at a time can be confusing. Think about it, we would never teach a single leg deadlift before a traditional deadlift, right? Similarly, would you teach a single leg squat prior to a bilateral squat? Probably not.

I’ve started using the training steps below as a pre-cursor to teaching the TGU.

Let me take you through some basic teaching points that will help you see how to pack your shoulder properly.

1. Find the right position.

Hand placement is key. Start by spending some time searching for a nice stable position. Remember, you want be able to retract and depress the scapula simultaneously. Make sure that you are not shrugging or allowing your shoulder joint to migrate forward.

2. Challenge the position.

Once you own a stable position, challenge the position with a bridge. Be sure your shoulder position does not change whatsoever. Either perform an isometric hold :30 to :45 seconds or do 20 reps up and down.

3. Lower limb marching.

This is a great way to challenge the pattern without doing anything too aggressive. If you can do this for :30 to :45 seconds perfectly, it’s time to progress to upper limb marching.

4. Upper limb marching.

This will really challenge the pattern because it forces you to increase the load via weight shift. It’s slightly more challenging than lower limb marching and will prepare the shoulder to safely handle the bodyweight of the athlete.

5. Opposing limb work.

This is the hardest part of this progression, but if you own this, the get up will be easy. As you stabilize your opposing upper and lower limbs, maintain a perfectly packed shoulder. If you can perform 16 to 20 reps of opposing limb work, you are be ready to learn a full turkish get up.

This training progression above will ensure that you know how to pack your shoulder and these steps will prepare you for a solid and safe get up.

 

After a brief discussion with Chief SFG Brett Jones, he brought up a pretty good point regarding scapular position. Full retraction may not be the best position for some and you will have to play with the shoulder position to see what feels best. These drills are a great place to start and you can always make adjustments for the individual.

Follow these steps yourself or with your clients and let us know how it goes!