If you want to enhance your performance and decrease your risk of injury, make sure to strengthen your shoulders in the off-season. Your joints will thank you.

The shoulders take a lot of abuse during sports. They are one of the primary joints involved in throwing or serving, and they also absorb a great deal of impact when blocking, tackling or checking. If your shoulder strength is inadequate, these two factors combined can seriously degrade your performance and cause injury. (Learn more about improving shoulder stability)
To achieve your shoulder strength and size goals, I  recommend performing multi-joint dumbbell shoulder exercise combos during the off-season. Do these exercises no more than twice a week to reap the benefits when you hit the field. Before starting your workout, follow these guidelines.

• Warm up your shoulder with 30 to 60 seconds of arm circles
• Stretch between sets to increase flexibility and range of motion
• Finish each workout with static stretches to prevent tightness
• Perform two combos per workout

Option 1
Select one of the five combos below

• Deadlift/Shrug
• Upright Row/Shrug
• Squat/Upright Row
• Lunge/Upright Row
• Side Lunge/Upright Row

Sets/Reps: 5×5 at 80 to 90 percent max
Option 2
Select one of the three combos below

• Squat/Overhead Press
• Lunge/Overhead Press
• Side Lunge/Overhead Press

Sets/Reps: 3×8 at 60 to 70 percent max