Why Your Shoulders Hurt And How To Fix Them

Shoulder pain is common and preventable. The cause is usually imbalance. The fix is usually pulling more than you push.

Why Your Shoulders Hurt And How To Fix Them

Shoulder pain is one of the most common complaints in people who train.

It is also one of the most preventable.

Why Shoulders Hurt

The shoulder is the most mobile joint in the body. That mobility comes at a cost - stability. The joint relies on the small muscles of the rotator cuff and the muscles around the shoulder blade to keep it tracking correctly.

When those muscles are weak, imbalanced, or fatigued, the joint does not track well. Repetitive movement under load with poor tracking produces irritation, inflammation, and pain.

The most common cause in people who train is overdeveloped front-side muscles (chest, front delts) and underdeveloped back-side muscles (upper back, rear delts, rotator cuff). Press without enough pulling, and your shoulders will eventually complain.

The Fixes

Balance your pushing and pulling. For every pressing set, do at least one pulling set. If you bench press, you row. If you do press-ups, you do pull-ups or rows.

Train the rotator cuff directly. External rotation with a band or light dumbbell. Face pulls. These small muscles need direct, light, high-rep work to do their job.

Strengthen the upper back. Rows, pull-ups, band pull-aparts. A strong upper back is the foundation of healthy shoulders.

Fix your posture. Rounded shoulders from hours of sitting put the joint in a bad position before you even train. Stand up, open your chest, and your shoulders will move better.

When To Back Off

If your shoulder hurts during a movement, do not push through it. Reduce the load, change the angle, or swap the exercise. Pain is information, not something to override.

Train around the pain, not through it. A press-up with a wider hand position may not hurt where a bench press does. Find what works and build from there.

Build balanced, sustainable training at The System.