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Lifted's Guide to Super Shoulder Rehab

lifted67

lifted67

Well-known member
So I have been posting lots of these tips to shoulder recovery/rehab in bits and pieces in other threads and I'm thinking since it's such a big problem for us lifters I might as well put all the info I have in one place.
Most of it will be copy and paste but all opinions/additions are welcome. With that in mind, let's get those RCs healthy!
 
My first recommendation is always find a great chiropractor who can do ART (Active Response Technique). I've went to see physical therapists and sports medicine doctors and their answer was always either for me to do band pull aparts or jam big painful cortisone shots into my shoulder. These things did NOT help.
I mentioned to my chiropractor the shoulder issue the one day doing a routine back adjustment (scoliosis issues) and to my surprise he said he could help me with my impingement.

Now ART can be painful, very painful, there have been times my eyes have watered from it. The doctor or practitioner will dig into your connective tissue as they dynamically stretch out the joint. This releases adhesions, digs into scar tissue and overall increases blood flow and mobility to the joint. You can literally feel the blood flowing deep in the tissue after a session.

Now if you can't find someone who can do this you can use a bit of trial and error to work out the RC in a similar way with a tennis ball, foam roller, even a barbell.

I found this video online for tennis ball self massage and I managed to find a barbell one too, but they don't work their shoulder in exactly the same way I do so I think I will have to make a video guide of that one myself.

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This is getting long so I'll end this part of the infomercial :P now and pick back up with a training related portion.
 
Welcome aboard Woody, my personal mission is to get you benching 2 plates!!!
PS: That PM I sent you was in regards to some SNS products.
 
subbed
 
lifted67 said:
Welcome aboard Woody, my personal mission is to get you benching 2 plates!!!
PS: That PM I sent you was in regards to some SNS products.
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Ah **** you did say something about a pm. Sorry been slammed with work. Checking now.
 
OK Training Tips:

Benching: This is where us meatheads get into trouble, we want to go wide as fawk and ego lift. First off, STOP THAT.

Before even getting on that bench, stretch and/or foam roll. Do some shoulder dislocaters with a broom stick, grab a TRX cable and stretch the pecs. Shoulders rolls. Maybe even some rear delt and lat warm ups too for good measure, just go light!

I probably can't give you any better of a warm up than Mr Bradley Martyn's in this video so I'll let him take it from here:

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Now for the set up. I like to get pretty far back on the bench, start with planting heels into floor, then butt, then I squeeze my shoulders/lats down and back (like doing a pull up) and drive them down into the bench, I'll do work on perfecting this placement a few times and then I'll do a 3 count shoulders back and down as I *simultaneously* straighten out my arms to unrack the bar. This can take time to perfect as it's bit awkward to push and pull with the upper body at the same time.

I try to keep my grip only wide enough to get good chest engagement. When working for reps I like to do monkey/suicide grip as this keeps the center of gravity a bit more balanced, on a 1RM or low rep set I'm using a normal grip.

Grip with will vary from person to person, you'll want the elbows loosely tucked on the down portion and only a slight flare on the upward. If you feel pain, popping, clicking in the shoulder with this you will need to experiment further at the lowest weight comfortable (usually the bar or 135)

I've uploaded my warm up video, my 305# press and my, incline press videos as a reference.

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lifted67 said:
My first recommendation is always find a great chiropractor who can do ART (Active Response Technique). I've went to see physical therapists and sports medicine doctors and their answer was always either for me to do band pull aparts or jam big painful cortisone shots into my shoulder. These things did NOT help.
Click to expand...

I saw much more pronounced progress, ROM and overall "comfort" in my shoulder (following rotator cuff repair/shoulder rebuild) after going to a certified ART practitioner than I did going to traditional Physical Therapy (although I am NOT advocating skipping doctor ordered post-surgery PT).

lifted67 said:
Now ART can be painful, very painful, there have been times my eyes have watered from it. The doctor or practitioner will dig into your connective tissue as they dynamically stretch out the joint. This releases adhesions, digs into scar tissue and overall increases blood flow and mobility to the joint. You can literally feel the blood flowing deep in the tissue after a session.
Click to expand...

This little female chiropractor could bring me to tears on a regular basis. But it was so worth it for the relief and improvement I would feel the next day, and going forward. I would both dread and look forward to the ART sessions. Wish I could find a good provider near me now (we moved :().
 
Still in Florida?
 
Is ART something you need to consistently do or can you go once or twice and be good for some time
 
Training Shoulders Tips:

Pre and post warm ups are always a must, I cannot stress how important that is. A circulating RC is a happy RC lol so massage it before and massage it often to keep blood flow and healing up/recovery times low.

I usually start with a pressing movement. Now sometimes your shoulders aren't healthy enough to go over head, in those situations I recommend using a variation of lateral raises. Here is Jeremy Buendia to demonstrate :)

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I love these so much I throw em in on back day because it just seems to hit everything up top so well.

Now if you can do over head presses, I start here: Invalid Link Removed

I like to combine front and behind the head presses into one movement. Now it's taken time to get the mobility and strength for these built up and if I feel any pain or popping I stop immediately but I find using both variations in one set really primes all the delt heads for the rest of the workout.

Moving on, I try to do all isolation work after the initial press and then finish out the workout on a shoulder press based machine to try to make the final pushes really count while reducing risk of injury. So in between that first press movement and final press movement I sandwich in rear delt flies on incline bench and/or reverse pec dec flies, lateral raises, reverse cable cross overs, those cable pull aparts the PT always have you do (if you don't know what this is ask and I'll elaborate further), shrug movements, and bent over rear delt raises. I also do a chest support rear delt raise move. I'm sure I didn't invent it but I love it's effectiveness. So here's a video of that: Invalid Link Removed and also a shrugs variation for really engaging the trap top to bottom: Invalid Link Removed

I also love this vintage Arnold move: Invalid Link Removed

So that's about all I have to offer you until I make that self barbel massage video later tonight, until then, thanks for stopping by!
 
Woody said:
Is ART something you need to consistently do or can you go once or twice and be good for some time
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At first maybe once or twice a week for like a month then maybe every other month or so just as needed for maintenance.
 
Probably should cover internal:external rotators, posture, and why the lats determine your should health as well.
 
I figured if you're in this thread you probably have a general idea on those things, however, when I make the barbell massage video you'll see the internal/external rotations being brought into play.

also, feel free to add your own thoughts on keeping the shoulder healthy in your next post(s). All input is welcome!
 
Woody said:
Is ART something you need to consistently do or can you go once or twice and be good for some time
Click to expand...

lifted67 said:
At first maybe once or twice a week for like a month then maybe every other month or so just as needed for maintenance.
Click to expand...

I would also think it could be driven by why you needed ART in the first place. What I mean is if you are rehabbing from an injury, then there is a chance you may only need to go until you are "recovered". Other reasons, such as more permanent injuries or impingements could benefit from longer term treatment.

Like mine, for example. I have 0 cartilage in my right shoulder. when they opened me up the surgeon noted int eh surgery logs that I had advanced, stage 4 arthritis (I think was the term they used), which I later learned basically meant bone on bone. The belief was that the accident/injury that caused the ligament and muscle damage also sheared the cartilage off of my bones/socket. So I will likely need some sort of mobility treatment for the rest of my life, at least if I want to stay active.

The treatments weren't that pricey when I went. Even outside of insurance it was only around $50 per session. I could also use my HSA. It costs me more, on insurance, to see my doctor, surgeon or PT therapist than it did the ART provider.
 
Rodja said:
Probably should cover internal:external rotators, posture, and why the lats determine your should health as well.
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That is what has my current ortho-surgeon baffled. I have great, (better than average for a healthy person), internal rotation. But only about 30% external rotation (Which is why over head/military presses are more or less impossible for me to do properly, but I have my own "version" that I still do).
 
lifted67 said:
I found this video online for tennis ball self massage and I managed to find a barbell one too, but they don't work their shoulder in exactly the same way I do so I think I will have to make a video guide of that one myself.
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I have been recovering from a nagging shoulder injury myself. One of the best points in the link is finding the most painful spot, and sitting there. That is the key, I often see people use rollers/balls, and just run up and down. They don't realize you literally need to make the muscles "go to sleep" by sitting on it until the muscle fibers loosen.

Only recommendation I would add is changing from a tennis ball to a lacrosse ball. A lacrosse ball is stiff enough to penetrate the tightest muscle.
 
Yeah lacrosse balls would go under 'advanced' :D
 
Sparkss said:
That is what has my current ortho-surgeon baffled. I have great, (better than average for a healthy person), internal rotation. But only about 30% external rotation (Which is why over head/military presses are more or less impossible for me to do properly, but I have my own "version" that I still do).
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The IG video I linked should also really help you hit the delts similar to a OHP without the risk of injury.
 
If out of pocket not horrible but do you have insurance? My visits are $20 a session
 
Bah, thanks alot Obama!!!
 
lifted67 said:
Bah, thanks alot Obama!!!
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My hometown is ~4 hours away from where I live now. I don't even have a PCP here. When I had my appendix taken out, insurance didn't want to cover it because it was out of network. Still disputing that lol.
 
Hahahaha ok Woody!
 
Barbel video, just some basic pressure point application. I hate the sound of my own voice so I didn't even watch it lol hope the quality is OK.

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j4ever41 said:
here is where I went, Dennis Evans.

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he also has his on small set-up in spring,

very good thread op
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Thanks, after years of bad benching I knocked myself out of the gym for 8 weeks, at least chest/shoulder training wise. I wanted to save you guys the time lol
 
Subbed. Good stuff in here.
 
Welcome aboard!
 
j4ever41 said:
here is where I went, Dennis Evans.

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he also has his on small set-up in spring,

very good thread op
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Thoughts/experiences? Expensive? Lol.

I'm having to save as much money as possible to pay for summer IV classes and for New York.
 
lifted67 said:
I figured if you're in this thread you probably have a general idea on those things, however, when I make the barbell massage video you'll see the internal/external rotations being brought into play.

also, feel free to add your own thoughts on keeping the shoulder healthy in your next post(s). All input is welcome!
Click to expand...

Didn't say internal:external rotations. I said the rotators (e.g. lats, pecs, delts, triceps to an extent).

Most don't consider this balance during their training and leaves the humerus both internally rotates and protracted. Thoracic mobility is often compromised and makes benching properly even more difficult. Considering that benching is done with the lats, having a compromised ability to engage and press with the lats leaves the shoulder in a vulnerable position.
 
OK, well, like I said, feel free to add your input on ways to improve the balance between the muscle groups.
 
Woody said:
Thoughts/experiences? Expensive? Lol.

I'm having to save as much money as possible to pay for summer IV classes and for New York.
Click to expand...

very positive for me, I had inner and outer elbow pain to the point where I damn near could not curl a 20# db, I was having some shoulder issues at the time as well, I had tried a lot of stuff before I took this route with little to no success, the first few sessions hurt like a bitch, but I can honestly say that after the first session I started improving, im not totally sure of all charges but I believe my insurance approved me for 22 visits, I paid $65.00 per visit until It totaled $500.00 then nothing after that.
 
Subbed. Thanks for all your contributions to this thread lifted67 !


bumshouldercrewcheckingin
 
lifted67 said:
Barbel video, just some basic pressure point application. I hate the sound of my own voice so I didn't even watch it lol hope the quality is OK.

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Nice one! Will remember it when needed.
For someone who does not know what this exercise is for, it looks odd.
Be careful doing that, you may appear in one of those "Gym fail videos" on youtube,lol.
 
Lol if I notice someone filming me I'll just start yelling "help!!!" Or "spot!!!" And really confuse em lol
 
Okay since no one will read a novel, nor do I desire to post one, my post will raise mote questions than it answers. That's fine, I welcome Any specific questions.

#1 muscular balance. I do about 3-400 reps of upper back and rear delts per week. Apiece. Not lumped together.

#2 There are 17 muscles which attach to the scapula. Most of them are small and not very strong, but all of their jobs are important. So when you're only using 4,6,8 of them, your shoulder mobility is ass. Just activating more of them will improve shoulder mobility. In a sense, shoulder mobility and health is a learned skill. Getting better rhythm and activation out of those muscles will improve shoulder health and mobility.

2A.) Do not try to pinpoint the exact muscle holding you back. You don't have a Ph.D on the shoulder nor do you have eyes in the back of your head. Plus, like I said, 17 muscles in a small area, all running in slightly different directions. What chance do you have of pinpointing? How much time do you have to guess and check one muscle at a time? Not enough. There are moves that address the complex of muscles and the rhythm that will sort you out pretty well. Mace swings, KB around the worlds, and the band warm up I will edit in the bottom of the post are some examples.

#3 Thoracic extension. If you have it, your shoulders are happier than if you don't.

#4 Tight biceps can be a major cause (see where the origin of the bicep is located and this will make more sense).

5.) learn how to pack your shoulder better and use it for everything you do and things will work better.

6. Learn how to breathe properly and your shoulders will open up. You can literally gain five degrees internal and external rotation during a proper breath. See "Breathing 101" by Juggernaut on YouTube to learn more about this.

7. Learn how to do Donnie Thompson's "bowtie" and do it often.

Bonus: Do this before every training session and in a few weeks you'll be FAR better than when you started. Then keep doing it before every training session until you die.

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Great addition!
 
I do those once a month:

[video=youtube;we0kSFXsWP0]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=we0kSFXsWP0[/video]
 
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