Why your shoulders are stiff and how to fix them
and why this works
I’ve mentioned this before in regards to shoulder anatomy, but shoulder problems are more related to stiffness than strength.
Most rehab is focused on rotator cuff strength, but in reality the rotator cuff is never the root cause of shoulder pain. The rotator cuff is POSITION dependent, so being able to get your shoulder in the RIGHT position means the cuff is “working.”
Even if it was a rotator cuff is the issue, therabands aren’t going to solve it unless you are doing literally nothing. It isn’t challenging enough.
Stiffness in these areas:
upper back
pecs
traps
Are what pull you OUT of good positions.
So working on actually shoulder mobility is step 1.
Any strengthen work done before having good shoulder mobility will be ineffective at best and at worst
Your issue will just be made worse
Here’s my favorite shoulder mobility exercises, which are included in our Shoulder Rehab Program(s).
These can be done daily, as a warm up before your exercise session, or on its own. Consistency is key. You got stiff from years of abuse, it won’t get fixed overnight.
Shoulder Mobility Exercises
#1 Dumbbell Fly
#2 Supine Shoulder Flexion
#3 Incline Hammer curl
These plus our mobility program, which is also included for paid subs, will unlock your stiff shoulders for good.
#1 Dumbbell Shoulder Fly Exercise
This is how you stretch out the front of the pec. Don’t compensate with shrugging the shoulders, expecially as you get to the bottom of the rep.
That’s the biggest compensation I see.
Focus on making the chest “wider”
#2 Eccentric Shoulder Flexion
This is for stiff lats and a stiff upper back
Knee to your chest isolates this all to the shoulders.
If your neck up is too much for you, just lay your head flat.
#3 Incline Hammer Curl
This also attacks the front of the shoulders/pecs, and works on the MOST neglected motion - shoulder extension.
You’ll notice the bottom position is the
start position for push ups/bench
end position for rows
It’s common for people to compensation with their traps in these positions, which causes neck pain and pain in the front of the shoulder.
What does “mobility” even mean anyway
Mobility means keeping tension in the target muscle through the ENTIRE range of motion. The goal of these exercises is simple:
load the pecs and lats (push, pull)
don’t overload the traps (shrug)
How do you do that?
Shrug up, you should feel your traps.
Now, PULL you shoulders down, you should feel lats, and you can flex your pecs if you try.
It’s that easy. Make sure you feel tension in the lats and pecs when doing these exercises.
The end range of each shoulder mobility exercise is likely where you lose tension, so this is where you’ll most likely compensate:
DB fly – arms apart
DB shoulder flexion – arms overhead
DB incline hammer curl – when arms are hanging
Not sure you are losing tension? Shrug up, then PULL the shoulder blades down. This will reestablish the tension.
Why this works and other shit doesn’t
Stretching is more beneficial for the shoulder since most issues are related to stiffness in the actual joint. These shoulder mobility exercises focus on the eccentric, so you get the stretch PLUS strengthening benefit as you move through the entire range of motion.
If you don’t keep the tension, the exercise is worthless.
This is why our shoulder program is so effective. We address the root cause. If you don’t, you’re only making the issue worse.