What did I do to my Other shoulder now?

[Zero Tolerance]

I'm 100% positive that I'm trying to make this "comeback" comeback quicker than it should. I'm going to start lifting a little lighter for awhile.. I'm lifting too heavy too early-on. I'm back in the gym for almost 5 weeks now.. My right shoulder is doing very good after it left me out of the gym for 5 months. Now my left shoulder is bothering me.

The discomfort seems to be coming from the back of my shoulder. I can lift my arm up/in front of my body and all the way up just fine. I can do the same going behind my body. But if I lift my arm up but flare my elbow out to the side, I feel it. I can do lateral raises okay, oddly enough. There are a couple of rotator cuff exercises where I feel this discomfort. Here are the pictures:

http://familydoctor.org/Images/265a.gif
http://familydoctor.org/Images/265b.gif

I just got back from the gym (did shoulders today) and I had a hard time doing Arnold Presses unless I kept my elbows IN (you're suppose to flare them as you go up for a wider circle as you raise the dumbells) and when I went heavy on Military Press, it started getting uncomfortable...

Could this just be a sore joint or am I going to need another 5-month layoff with rotator cuff rest? God has a funny way of going about things.. He gave me the genetics people dream of but I'm constantly out with injuries. It's been this way, one injury after another, since I'm 16 years old. I'm going on 34...

 

[handzilla]

Have you tried Omega Flex Support, yet?

 

[Magickk]

Supplements aren't the answer here, Arnold's are the worst shoulder exercise you can do as far as rotator cuffs and shoulder tendons are concerned. I'd cut those out of my routine if I were you, and do some rotator cuff warmups before I did bench or shoulders.

 

[freaky]

I've pretty much had to cut out heavy compound lifts from my shoulder routine because of a bad shoulder I've had since high school. Cut out any lifts to the rear of your body like pull downs to the rear or military presses. If you do compound movements try to stick to lighter weights.
I've found that doing shoulder presses on the smith machine causes me less pain due to the linear nature of the bars path. Isolation exercises aren't usually a problem.

 

[Zero Tolerance]

Well, I just ordered some Omega Flex Support from NutraPlanet for the heck of it.. I'll give it a try.. And thank you, Magickk - I didn't realize Arnold's were the worst shoulder exercise you could do as far as rotator and shoulder tendons are concerned.. Wow - that's good to know.. I'll guess I'll be sticking to mostly smith machine front-military presses, upright rows and laterals.. I hope that's enough...

I'll lay off the Arnold's for awhile.. Next time I give 'em a try, I'll keep light for a few weeks before I start going heavy. I do love that movement so I hope I can do it again one day...

 

[handzilla]

Supplements aren't the answer here, Arnold's are the worst shoulder exercise you can do as far as rotator cuffs and shoulder tendons are concerned. I'd cut those out of my routine if I were you, and do some rotator cuff warmups before I did bench or shoulders.

They were in my case. Peep my log.

http://anabolicminds.com/forum/showthread.php?t=25718

1. I was able to do heavy Arnold's, in fact heavier than I've ever done them.
2. I was able to go heavy for 4 consective weeks.
3. I was able to train shoulders on a weekly basis w/o having to skip shoulder days due to pain and inflammation.

 

[handzilla]

Well, I just ordered some Omega Flex Support from NutraPlanet for the heck of it.. I'll give it a try.. And thank you, Magickk - I didn't realize Arnold's were the worst shoulder exercise you could do as far as rotator and shoulder tendons are concerned.. Wow - that's good to know.. I'll guess I'll be sticking to mostly smith machine front-military presses, upright rows and laterals.. I hope that's enough...

I'll lay off the Arnold's for awhile.. Next time I give 'em a try, I'll keep light for a few weeks before I start going heavy. I do love that movement so I hope I can do it again one day...

Your shoulder problem sounds a little more serious than mine. THe most time I've had to take off for my problems was 2 and 1/2 weeks. My pain ranged from not being able to lift my arm to take off my shirt, to being just fine 2 weeks later.

Best of luck with this, 0.

 

[Beowulf]

This exercise is a bitch, but it has worked wonders for my chronic shoulder problems:
http://www.intensemuscle.com/showthread.php?t=6997

I also highly suggest you use the TUT principle, at least for your chest and delt workouts. I've been doing Arnold Presses w/o any sort of probs. The lighter weights stimulate the hell out of your muscles while going easy on the joints. Just keep your form 100%.

 

[rugger48]

Supplements aren't the answer here, Arnold's are the worst shoulder exercise you can do as far as rotator cuffs and shoulder tendons are concerned. I'd cut those out of my routine if I were you, and do some rotator cuff warmups before I did bench or shoulders.

Im no expert but I have never heard that arnold presses are bad for the shoulders. By looking at the movement it would seem that they help the external rotars of the shoulder slightly, which I would think is a good thing. Have you read this somewhere or is this like a common knowledge type thing?

 

[Phoenix rising]

http://www.activerelease.com/ I will almost gurarentee 100% you will be cured in as little as 3 treatments. I swear by this stuff. I have had every injury known to man. ART keeps me moving. Right now I am being treated for severe lower lumbar / SI joint pain. I have had the same type of shoulder pain as you described. I did 3 EOD sessions in a week and I was good as new.

 

[Zero Tolerance]

I just did 50 of those reps that doggcrapp was talking about and it's not easy. I had to stop several times in between.. I guess I'll get 50 all at once soon. I'll give this a try.. I'll also keep active release in mind for the future...

Thank you!

As a side note - the last time I had a shoulder injury (in January) I actually wasn't able to train. This is a little different. I can train, it just gets uncomfortable with heavy weight.. And military press isn't really too bad.. I'm hoping I feel a little better for my next shoulder workout. Oh, dumbell presses get a little uncomfortable as well - BUT - I'm almost fine by the end of my workout. In other words, it's worse when I'm cold...

 

[Zero Tolerance]

My Omega Flex Log: http://anabolicminds.com/forum/showthread.php?t=30106

 

[motiv8er]

ZT

Hey Bud,
I have chronic shoulder injuries for life. I had to figure out which lifts I can do, and which ones I can go heavy on. You need to focus on your scap, rot cuf, infr spant, think perminant PT for life. I feel you may be approching your shoulders as more is better. This may be true with say your biceps or quads, but not with my shoulders. You need to go easier on chest excercises and any movement that takes your elbows away from the core of your body.

Supplements may help. Changing your training may be your best bet. Good luck in this matter.

 

[Zero Tolerance]

Thank you, and sorry to hear about your troubles.. How is your training coming along with the changes? At this moment in time, it seems I can't do Arnold's or Military Press (I only go to the front) without feeling some pain. As a matter of fact, I'm really curious about where the pain is actually coming from. I lost my health insurance and I'm working on getting with a new plan. Hopefully I'll have something soon..

It's really confusing me where the pain is coming from. I feel it (not very bad) as soon as I grip the bar (Smith Machine) to do an overhead press. It feels as if the pain is coming from inbetween my shoulder and shoulder blade. It's probably a rotator cuff issue. As soon as I get my hands behind the bar to grip, it's like - that's as far as my shoulder can rotate to get me there - and I feel the pain...