How to Train Through Shoulder Pain and Be Unstoppable

 Shoulder pain isn't just something you have to grin and bear.

These are the best exercises for shoulder pain, and the best training techniques to get you on the road to pain-free lifting.

John Rusin, DPT, CSCS

In recent years, the shoulder has begun to rival the lower back as the top pain point for active people. Why? Partly due to how the shoulder is constructed, but plenty more is just about us—how we train, how we take care of ourselves, and how we position our bodies in the modern world. 

I'll be blunt: We, the lifters and athletes, aren't doing ourselves any favors in the way we warm up, train, and care for the shoulder. That's why the first step is to alert you to what you're doing that might not be helping your situation. Then we'll learn some pain-free alternatives to popular lifts and see how to put it all into action in your training.

This is the guide you need to get back to pain-free pushing, pulling, and living again!

Step 1: Stop Making Things Worse

More than any other pain point, the shoulder is a place where people's attempts to solve the problem often make it worse. Here are a few examples:

Chasing shoulder mobility: Mobility definitely isn't a cure-all for shoulder pain. In fact, you almost definitely need more stability than mobility. And unfortunately, "stretching" your shoulder isn't the answer, either. Pulling on that shoulder capsule through intense stretches can make an injury worse!

Skipping push-ups: As lifters get stronger at weighted movements, they tend to ignore push-ups. This is a mistake! Unlike most other pushing movements, the push-up actually encourages proper shoulder function. If you're chasing big bench numbers but you can't rock out a set of 10-15 perfect push-ups, you're setting yourself up for problems.

Pushing more than pulling: Both because of our modern postural trends and because of the way the shoulder is built, you need to pull at least twice—and more like three times—as much as you push. Seriously! You can find more detail about how to rectify this situation in the article "Safe, Strong Upper-Body Lifting Begins With These Two Ratios." The short version: Use your warm-up! Keep reading........