As I've been trying out different rehab exercises for my rotator cuff issue, I came across this one which i just love by the Diesel Crew. I gave it a whirl the other day and found it on point. Most rotator cuff exercises a PT would give you are included in here in one form or another (ie shoulder external rotations and abductions in both horizontal and vertical planes), but you will notice there is an emphasis on retracting the scapula at the beginning of each movement which work the stabilizer muscles of the scapula (trapezius, rhomboids) which create a strong foundation for all overhead work.
It also reinforces good shoulder mechanics since rotating and raising the scapula upwardly (for overhead work) or retracting it (for rows, etc) helps to avoid shoulder impingement and rotator cuff injuries by giving more space between the acromion and the humeral head.
There are two schools of thought on overhead shoulder form. One is called 'active shoulders' (favored by CrossFitters, Ripetoe...) and is the act of rotating the scapulae upwardly in overhead movements. The other is referred to as 'packed shoulders' (favored by the kettle-bell crowd, Pavel...) which is keeping the scapula down and retracted at the top of the movement. Depending on the shape of your acromion, packed shoulders in overhead movement could lead to Rotator Cuff trouble by impinging the supraspinatus muscle or sub-acromial bursa so my opinion would be to avoid that. But you might have a forgiving shoulder anatomy so it might not be a problem for you, but better safe than sorry since it's a rough way to find out!
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