When your shoulder hurts, you have two choices. 1) Avoid all the things that hurt, or 2) just push through it and hope it stops. Avoiding works since you don’t move it, eventually you only have a very small range that you can tolerate. Push through it eventually turns into a large range you can’t tolerate. So, same end result
I think there’s a better way. I’ll lay out 3 ways to continue to train around shoulder pain. I’ve been using these methods personally for awhile.
#1 - Use the Correct Technique
I’ve talked about shoulder blade mechanics previously (LINK) and how the goal is upward rotation. I’m not a fan of the GOOD versus BAD technique, but I do believe there are muscles more suited for specific movements, especially as intensity (speed, load, fatigue) increases.
One hypothesis on shoulder problems is based on the strength ratio between the delts (shoulders) and the rotator cuff. If the delts are too strong relative to the cuff, it overpowers the cuff and chaos ensues. (eye roll)
I commonly see this technique used with OH pressing. The elbows flare out. Even if you had the “correct” delt:cuff strength ratio, this way doesn’t even let you demonstrate it. Since you’re immediately shortening the delt/moving it first, you are making it the prime mover. Good bye scap upward rotation, hello scap elevation and some humeral internal rotation.
You can get away with this using dumbbells (Arnold Press) when done correctly. You definitely won’t get away with this using a barbell.
A key thing on the Arnold Press is the arms pass THROUGH the scapular plane on their way up. And down.
Here’s the way the shoulder works. The elbow DRAGS the shoulder blade up, then drags it back down. The weight goes behind you because the elbow puts it there. You should feel tension in the shoulder girdle - lat, maybe pec, serratus anterior.
If you just can’t FEEL that upward rotation, here is a good regression.
#2 - Dumbbells and Kettlebells
It is common for people to have mobility differences in their right versus left shoulder. It’s just a way of life. The barbell forces both arms to be uniform, and at the bottom is where that creates the most issues. You start in a bad spot that you can’t get out of. Not only are you fighting gravity, you are fighting the barbell. Isn’t lifting weights hard enough?
If you are stiff, the barbell is going to force you to squeeze the shoulder blades together (the end range of shoulders overhead) and likely increase the arch in the low back.
DB’s and KBs fix that since it allows each arm to go through its own ROM. IF they are wildly different, you should fix that, but you can still work through a useful ROM despite that.
#3 - Avoid true end range
Regardless of how far you can lift your arms, the path there is the same - upward rotation of the scap. If you truly have end range pain, just get as close as you can to end range without killing yourself.
Nothing changes from a totally vertical press. My glutes are still engaged. My spine is still “neutral.” And the weight is over my midfoot. I’m just maneuvering my body to get to my TRUE end range.
If you don’t have the full motion, you’d likely compensation with excessive shrugging and/or excessive low back arching. Those get exaggerated even more when you lower the weight, and those muscles aren’t good at doing that job.
Summary
Basically the same “if it hurts don’t do it” advice still stands, but people take that too literally and do nothing. If you use the shoulder correctly with items that allow you the freedom of maneuver in ranges you actually posses, it’s an easy way to not have pain doing something.
do you think we'll get to a point where joints can be restored using stem cells? including shoulder joints such as the AC