So, I have made part of my living the past several years helping people overcome shoulder pain.  I often laugh when I hear people say “how hard can putting together an exercise program really be?  It’s not rocket science or anything.”  Well, maybe not, but getting it just right may mean the difference between a healthy shoulder and really hurting.

There is a new study soon to be released saying weight training injuries are on the rise (especially in males).  In fact, injuries are up 50% from the period between 1990 and 2007.  The majority of these injuries involved free weights.  Many of the upper body injuries I see almost always involve the rotator cuff and/or labrum.  Why?  There are some primary reasons such as:

  1. Improper form
  2. Poor or absent spotting
  3. Exceedingly high loads in what I term the “high risk” soft tissue zones
  4. Too much volume/frequency
  5. Lack of posterior chain strength due to pressing dominance
  6. Too little recovery
  7. Pushing through pain

What most people fail to understand is that the high repetition associated with weightlifting coupled with unfavorable biomechanical stress through long lever arms leads to eventual mechanical breakdowns/failure.  The basic translation = fraying, degeneration, tendinitis, tendinosis and tears.

This pattern equates to lost time in the gym and in some cases surgery.  The ironic part is the damage is often done in the early lifting years but not seen or felt for a decade or two later.  This is why the young twenty somethings like to debate me on the modifications I suggest for bench presses and such.  Yet, read what one former power lifter recently emailed me below: 

Yes you can count me as another one of your satisfied customers.  I followed your 6 week injured series religiously and have recently moved on the your healthy shoulder series.

My main concern at this point is to avoid injuring the shoulder again and I will follow your advice on the 7 bonus exercises listed.  My background fits the profile mentioned in your manual – 46 years old, former power lifter, injured dominant shoulder doing barbell presses about 6 months ago.  I have been doing presses for over 30 years and unfortunately never read about the scapular plane.

The take home message is that modifying the load and adjusting the arc of movement with certain lifting exercises will indeed prevent common shoulder injuries and keep you in the gym for many years to come without the fear of a lifting injury.

While the hard core lifters and competitors may scoff at my application of the science and my suggestions now, they may also suddenly come to realize the potential consequences of their ways when a debilitating shoulder injury hits.  Am I saying full range of motion and heavy loads are absolutely forbidden?  No, but I do think you should ask yourself how often and for what purpose am I doing certain lifts in certain ranges of motion.

Additionally, I am saying that insufficient muscular balance coupled with repetitive load to near failure will over time result in acquired laxity, accelerated tendon degeneration and potential mechanical failure.  Gravity and friction are two forces that will tear a shoulder down over time with exercises such as pressing, flies, dips, upright rows, side raises and push-ups to name a few. 

So, the next time you feel a “twinge” in the shoulder with lifting, it may be time to consider backing off and making some changes in your routine as time and experience has taught me the rotator cuff and A-C joint will eventually say "enough is enough."  If you want more information on my exercise modifications, check out my shoulder book at www.rotatorcufftraining.com.